Photo Essay: Life in the USA

Here are a few of my favorite things about life in the USA.

Bonfires are very common, especially in the fall. They are also great for family time!

 The Smoky Mountains are breathtaking and one of my favorite views is from a mountain bald in North Carolina.

 Downtown Knoxville has a lot of cool architecture, including this walking bridge.

 Fountains... one of my favorite spots on campus.

 Thaw Hall is where I spend most of my time... all of the business classes are held here.

 My puppy makes a great study buddy :)

 I also have a horse! I love going out to spend time with him when I need a break from school.

 The view from one of my classrooms... fall is a beautiful time in East TN.

 I like to visit Farmers Markets with friends, such as this one in Market Square in Knoxville.

 Corn mazes are another fun fall activity.

Life in the USA can be a lot of fun and very beautiful... but I'm looking forward to traveling and seeing more of the world as well!

Returning to Greece

In returning to Greece, there are many things about the culture that I am looking forward to returning to, as well as learning more about. In the six weeks that I was there, I feel that I was only able to scratch the surface of Greek culture and I want to spend next semester immersing myself in it. As far as context goes, Greece is a relatively high context culture. While there are aspects of high context culture that I identify with, I am overall low context. This, I think, is mainly due to my timeliness. I prefer to always be on time. Ironically, Greece is the opposite. Time is viewed more as a loose guideline than a strict schedule to follow. For example, if an event is supposed to “start” at 7 p.m., it is likely that people will arrive around 7:30 or 8, and the event might get started around 8:30. This was very strange, and somewhat stressful, for me to get used to. Additionally, Greeks take an afternoon siesta from 2 or 3 until 5 p.m. and shops and businesses close during that time. What I came to appreciate about that aspect of culture is how they prioritize. Intentional time spent with others, or “παρέα,”  is very important to Greeks and they would rather stop and talk to friends than rush to be on time somewhere else. Eventually I came to enjoy the more laid-back lifestyle and culture. In returning to Greece, I would like to deepen my understanding of their culture, particularly in how Greeks relate to one another more personally. How they get to know one another, how they spend time together, what elements of friendship are most important to them, and how I can use that knowledge to form closer relationships while I am there. I think that knowing how to relate to the people is one of the most important skills I can learn, and will help to form friendships that will then help to learn more about culture in general by spending time with them. I tend to form friendships slowly over time, with more intentional one-on-one interactions, and I am interested to find out whether or not that is similar to Greeks. While there are definitely a lot of differences between Greek culture and the culture I am used to, I am excited to spend more time there because they had ways of doing things that I preferred, even to my own culture. Greeks are unique and interesting and I want to learn as much as I can while I am there. 

My Study Abroad Goals for Greece

I spent this past summer in Athens, Greece for six weeks and fell in love with the people, the culture, and the experiences I had during my time there. I’m excited to go back now and study at a local college in Athens. 

I have a general idea of what I would like to do during my time in Greece, but my goals for the trip aren’t too specific (at least not yet). I definitely hope to revisit some of the people and places from my last trip there, and also to make new connections. I hope to travel a bit more and see different areas of the city and maybe even parts of the rest of the country. 

Academically, I am looking forward to taking courses in my major from the extensive Marketing program that the school offers. I am also hoping to take courses on Greek culture and possibly even language. The history and culture of Greece is fascinating and I am really hoping to learn as much as I can while I am there. 

At this point in my preparation, I am mostly feeling excitement. If I were traveling to a place that I had never been before, I think I would feel more fear or apprehension, but I am just really looking forward to going back. I am already fairly familiar with the city, the means of transportation, and (to a very small degree) the language. Additionally, I am familiar enough with the culture to feel comfortable in day-to-day life. There is still a lot that I would like to learn, but I won’t have to deal with as much culture shock immediately upon arrival. I also had the opportunity to briefly visit the school that I will be attending, which also helps me to feel more prepared and less apprehensive. The only fear I have at this point is the possible differences in teaching styles from what I am used to. While it is the “American” College of Greece, I’m sure there will still be some academic expectations that are unique from my schooling background. 

There are many things that I could do to maximize my experience, but there are 3 that I feel are especially important: 

1. Spend as much time as possible in the culture. I want to get to know the people, the language, the history, and all the amazing things that Greece has to offer. I also think that the experience will be eye-opening in light of recent events in Greece. The financial and economic crisis and the refugee crisis are both things that I know little about as an American. I am interested to see how the people react in their day-to-day lives to these events and how it differs from the culture that I know.
2. Take courses that I can’t take at home. The school I will be attending offers a wide range of courses that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to take otherwise. I am excited to begin planning my schedule and choosing classes.
3. Meet people. One of the most important lessons I learned during my first trip to Greece was the value of having close connections and people to share your experiences with. I hope to meet both Greeks and other foreigners alike to make the most of my time there.

I am hoping to come back from this trip with a more knowledgable worldview, a deeper appreciation for the importance of traveling, and a better understanding of the benefits of studying abroad.