Studying abroad is a remarkable opportunity that is truly life-changing. No matter how long the trip is, there is no way you will leave that country as the same person you were before it. This summer I studied abroad in Athens, Greece for two months and I have returned home with unforgettable memories, breathtaking pictures and many powerful life lessons. In one summer, these life lessons have helped further prepare me for whatever life is going to throw my way and have also transformed me into the more confident and perceptive person I am today.
It’s OK to get lost.
It really did not take long for me to realize that I had minimal clue as to where I was going in Athens. Google Maps was always helpful (once I found a source of wifi), but getting lost was honestly more fun. Don’t get me wrong -- looking stuff up is useful, especially when there was somewhere we had to be somewhere (such as class), but going a little astray was just another opportunity to explore. There was one time our bus dropped me and a friend off at a random location, not even close to our usual bus stop, and we weren’t fully sure of where to go from there. We asked for general directions and used what we knew of the city to guide us, but we were able to leisurely walk through quaint side streets I had never seen before and ended up watching a huge political protest at the main square on our way home. Sometimes, not having everything mapped out,and just exploring and taking in what’s around you is the best way to learn a city.
Don’t be afraid to make friends.
Making that first move and introducing yourself or initiating plans with new people can be intimidating, and even more so when you don’t share the same first language with them. But once you do that, doors are completely opened into learning about different cultures and you form unique bonds with strangers who turn into the best of friends from different areas of the world. Even if you are also getting closer to other students in your program that are from the same country (or even school) as you, you still form that special relationship from experiencing and living in a foreign country together.
One of my closest friends from my study abroad was a sweet, wanderlust girl from Spain learning Greek in pursuit of becoming a translator. Although it’s sad that I am not sure when I will see her again, we still talk every day and it’s heartwarming to know that I have a home in Spain and she always will have a home in the United States with me.
Flexibility is crucial.
One of the most important lessons I learned was to just go with the flow. Many that know me know that I’ve never been the best at that, but once you’re in a foreign country for a couple months and you don’t really have much of another option (unless you let every little thing get to you) it gets significantly easier to be flexible and more low-maintenance. It’s OK to be spontaneous and not exactly know what’s going on. It’s also OK to just go with the flow with whatever some other friends want to do that you didn’t plan on doing or didn’t even know about it. Making a schedule for some days is great because certain sites and activities do need a plan, but some of my best days and nights were the ones where we just had a general idea of what we wanted to do and then we went from there.
Realize you only have so much control of situations.
Being a person that really likes having control of situations, and not always being a fan of unexpected circumstances, being abroad really put my sanity up to the test. From way too frequent train and metro strikes and realizing that any business or store is closed on Sundays in Greece, to waiting several hours in London customs that you end up being stranded at the airport at 2 a.m. because the express line stopped running -- and a taxi would be over $100 -- so you wind up sharing a good samaritan’s Uber since your wifi wasn’t working, I learned to adjust accordingly. I especially learned to just laugh it all off because there’s really not much else you can do sometimes. Greeks, and Greece as a whole are known to be on “Greek time” -- essentially meaning that everyone and everything runs late. By the end of the trip it didn’t even phase me when, on my train ride to Thessaloniki to see my family, I found out that there all of a sudden would be a train strike the day I was returning back to Athens (even though I already bought my return ticket) and I had my program’s final exam the following day.
I am way more independent than I thought.
I have seen myself gain further independence as I continue through college, however, I still think I have a long way to go until I am fully secure with myself and my independence. Studying abroad has made me feel immensely more confident and I am truly proud of all that I accomplished on my own this summer without my parents or friends close by or even an easy phone call away. I made great friendships, navigated throughout a huge foreign city via walking and several forms of public transportation, learned the ins and outs of the culture and the city, advanced my Greek language skills and I traveled to another foreign country from Greece. I also learned that I can hold my own and can immerse myself into Greece’s way of life even if that includes being assertive (a trait I usually lack) to get your way or to not get ripped off when taking a taxi or shopping in the flea markets.
Take advantage of being in a different country.
Familiar is always nice and comfortable, but why do the same exact things you could do at home when you can experience new -- and potentially amazing -- things in a foreign country? Taking steps out of your comfort zone and taking risks (within reason) allows for personal growth and many more incredible moments that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. In my time in Greece, I did my best to do a wide variety of activities and to see many sites. Firstly, I tried to travel to several different places across the country other than my home base in Athens including Thessaloniki, Delphi, Nafplio and Santorini. I took great advantage of how cheap -- yet incredibly delicious -- the gyros were, but I also didn’t stop myself from trying new foods such as sea urchin and various fish. I went to museums, historical sites, the beach, an outdoor cinema, a political protest, saw beautiful sunsets, hiked mountains, experienced Greek nightlife and so much more.
Studying abroad was a humbling experience. Yes, I have been to Greece before, but studying abroad and living on my own was still completely eye-opening for me since prior to that, my summers in Greece consisted of just being with relatives. Many Greeks live a much simpler life and I have come to admire it. They still hang their clothes to air dry on their balconies, they have a beautiful appreciation for life and they never fail to not have time to get a coffee at a local cafe with their group of friends. Unfortunately, I saw a great amount of poverty and unemployment and it broke my heart to hear about families living paycheck to paycheck and to hear about the lack of jobs and the lack of hope for people my age in regards to their future.
I have spent my whole life living in Columbus, Ohio, and although I love where I grew up and I love Ohio State, I sometimes feel like I am just in this bubble and I don’t stop to think about all that is outside of it. Genuinely living in Greece made me more appreciative of my life, the education I am receiving and the opportunities I have been given because there are many people that aren’t given half of that.
