During my study abroad experience to Athens, Greece I’ve learned a lot about Greek culture and their history but more than that, eye opening perspectives on life. So far, I’ve gotten the chance to adventure and learn with really cool people who may have different opinions and views on topics than I do, but hearing everyone’s stances and thoughts about Greek history has been half the fun of the experience. Our stay at the Acropolis view might have been my favorite place in Athens because of the breathtaking view from the rooftop where you can see the whole city all the way to the ocean with the Acropolis being the main viewpoint for all of Athens. We got to experience New Year’s Eve watching the fireworks from the rooftop and that most definitely beats watching the ball drop. I really enjoyed learning about all of the Greek philosophers and how they set the basis for the rest of education. My favorite thing I have learned on this trip was about the Eye of Athena. In the states, the “evil eye,” is perceived as a negative symbol but I never understood what it actually meant. One of our tour guides told the actual story of the eye and how it came to be, and to my surprise the eye is actually a repellant of evil as it protects you when adorning the symbol. Additionally, we had lessons in the historical landmarks where past philosophers taught their students and I found this to be a really cool way to learn as you get to actually see what we are talking about. Something that surprised me about Athens was how nice all of the locals were to us and how often and well they spoke English. When we spoke with the U.S. diplomats, we were curious if there was a language barrier and they told us that an American is actually not allowed to speak in Greek in case it gets butchered. In the office, the Greeks are actually required to speak English even to another Greek person. I absolutely loved Athens and I would love to someday go back, but I feel extremely lucky to be studying abroad and to have this awesome opportunity. Next stop, Rome!
