Our time in Athens has been nothing short of amazing. I had no expectations walking off of the plane due to my limited research on the history of the city and the culture that is still practiced now, but after a week I can confidently say I am better from gaining a understanding of both. Although we touched on so many impactful moments in history, my favorite pieces were the works of the philosophers and the Acropolis. Hearing about the philosophers and the ideas that they brought showed me how boldness can be mistook, but there is no price to pay that should stifle your thoughts. The Acropolis was a beautiful representation of how humanity can so easily come together to accomplish an unimaginable feats. I was dumbfounded that they were able to build the Parthenon in only nine years, while it takes them four to build a highway today. Although I am no history geek, the stories of Ancient Rome will stay with me for a while. The other thing that I was able to learn here, and truly grow from was navigating the culture. There is nothing harder then trying to understand how a country that is so foreign to me is able to still follow some of the same beliefs and traditions that I do, while still displaying great levels of discrepancies. It has been very helpful that most everyone speaks English, as well as having English translations available on every form of public transportation and menus. It makes me feel spoiled that they are able to be so accommodating to us, yet I have nothing to give to them. The other part of the culture that I have found most interesting is their daily schedules and the slow paced life. In the streets none of the Greeks are walking as fast as us, they don’t eat lunch until 2pm and dinner around the time my parents are asleep. Being here in such a short amount of time I found it difficult to try and match their schedules, but I can say that naps have helped. Although I’m sure there was still so much more that I could have learned from the city, I am grateful for everything experience, and can confidently say I am so lucky to have fallen in love with such a beautiful place.
