I ❤️ Greece

 Months later I still think about my time in Greece every single day. 

Everyone has different reasons for studying abroad. During my junior year, my life felt kind of stagnant. I wanted to experience other ways of living, make new friends, explore psychology classes in a smaller setting, bring back new ideas and perspectives, and continue on a path of self growth. I feel like I accomplished all of that during my short five weeks. 

I had never been out of the country and I have barely travelled around the United States, so I really wanted to see what it was like to live somewhere else. In Greece, I lived in my own apartment with four other girls in a local neighborhood which created a normal, comfortable living situation that made me feel like I actually lived there. I got to experience what it’s like to walk everywhere, cook yummy food with fresh feta cheese, rely public transportation, see ancient sculptures and art, use the super close pharmacy, eat super fresh produce, climb marble staircases everyday, and eat dinner super late. Living in Greece was so different from my life in San Diego, but I loved every minute of it. 

One of the most special parts of studying abroad is the connections you make with people. At the time I was really looking for new friends and I got just that. I spent almost every minute with the same people every day. We had crazy, unique experiences together like almost getting stranded on an island together and problem solving our way around it. These experiences form bonds that cannot be created in any other way. Some of us even got matching tattoos!

I had most of my college experience online. Even when we were back in person I lacked the motivation to go to lecture because I could just watch it later and the classes are always so big that I could get away with it. Learning like that got really boring, so I wanted to learn in a smaller class setting, in a hands on way, and in person. It was so amazing to be in an intimate class with friends, go on field trips, and come home to write a paper about it. The two psychology courses I took were well taught and super interesting. 

Through being in another country, I gained a lot of new perspectives. In terms of health care, there were pharmacies on every block that provided different types of covid tests, antibiotics, over the counter medicine, and more. It was accessible and convenient for everyone. Also, the price of a water bottle and a specific type of cheese sandwich had a fixed price in order to make sure everyone could afford food and water. I also learned the importance of walkability and leisure. It was so nice walking to the grocery store, a restaurant, and shopping and everyone was happy with that. Leisure and fun is important to Greeks. They enjoy going out to restaurants late at night with friends and prioritize being happy in the moment rather than thinking about the future. I really enjoyed being surrounded by these ways of thinking and have implemented them into my life. 

In the past, I’ve struggled with being reserved and not willing to put myself out of my comfort zone. Being in a new country and not knowing anyone really allowed me to grow. I feel a lot more confident and that has helped me in my classes today. I am open to more things socially and that has allowed me to meet more people in my classes and at work. 

Studying abroad was the best decision I made during my time in college. I highly recommend global seminars. For me it was the perfect amount of time and I was able to make the best out of every situation. In a lot of ways studying abroad changed my life.