I, like most of my abroad classmates, have never been to Europe before. This has given me the opportunity to consume all Athens has to offer with a fresh set of eyes.
Although we have learned a lot about Athens’ rich history and how it relates to global leadership, I will highlight some of the social and cultural differences first. Restaurants are almost as quiet as libraries, the roads are so narrow they could barely fit a golf cart, and you shouldn’t even think about eating dinner until 10PM. The streets are clean, the locals are prideful, and the food is not only delicious but also healthy. Oh, and they also have McDonalds here too. Taking in the culture here has been my favorite part of Athens so far because it truly is a lot different than life in the States. Walking down the street and being surrounded by mom-and-pop shops serving anything from gyros to moussaka gives the city a homey feeling. Although you can catch some dirty looks for being American, most of the locals will gladly help you out when needed. Almost everything shows up in Greek on apple maps, so you are forced to go with the flow when you are trying to grab a bite to eat or find a place to explore. If I was confined to using one word to illustrate the difference between Greece and the United States, I would choose “peaceful”.
As someone who’s found history boring my entire life, I expected to be dragging my heels through most of the information thrown at us. I could not have been more wrong. I saw the time period of the ancient Athenians as something totally separated from my own life, but I have come to realize how much of a foundation they have laid for every empire that has come after it, including our current day United States. I have learned about the early days of philosophy through the minds of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. I’ve also learned about how we have fallen into the trap of disregarding some of their teachings in modern day society which have led to our own cultural issues. I cannot stress how important it has been to have these archeological sites, such as the Acropolis and Ancient Agora, in front of me to pair with the teachings of this course. We also had the opportunity to hear from an American who works at the U.S. Embassy here in Athens which helped me gain awareness of some difficulties that arise when participating in international trade or business. The biggest takeaway has been that in order to be a global leader that excels, you need to be flexible. There are so many differences between the cultures and regulations of other countries compared to our own so you need to prepared to face these challenges head on. The experience as a whole has been so rewarding and I have already learned so much.
