Studying Abroad in Greece

Last summer, I set out on the adventure of a lifetime.  I boarded an airplane on May 14, and in less than 12 hours I arrived in the ancient city of Athens, Greece.  I was attending UNC Summer School Abroad with Professor W.J. McCoy.

There were about 36 UNC students who attended the same program.  We all met in Athens to begin our four-week journey.  This program was different than any other summer school program I had found because we never held class in an actual classroom.  Instead, we traveled to new destinations every few days.  The first three days were spent in Athens, the country’s capital.  There, we got to see all of the famous historical sights including the Parthenon, the Theatre of Dionysos, the Agora and many others.  Having mini-lectures at each of these sights did not feel like we were in class at all!  We then continued our travels on mainland Greece for another week, visiting the ancient towns of Corinth, Mycenae and Delphi.  With each day came new and exciting experiences.

Our next destination was the island of Crete, which we reached by taking an overnight ferry.  We stayed in Crete for two weeks and while there, we explored ancient civilizations, enjoyed the Greek beaches and tasted all kinds of delicious Greek foods and delicacies.  Occasionally, locals even treated the entire group to meals!  Because we were able to meet and interact with many Greek natives, we experienced a part of Greek culture that many tourists never would.  From wine tasting to night life, I feel very fortunate to have experienced Greek culture on so many levels.

One of the best parts of the entire experience was the people I met.  Throughout the month that we were together, our group bonded tremendously.  And since everyone was from UNC, we not only developed a relationship abroad, but were also able to continue those relationships once we were home.  The people I met in Greece have become some of my best friends. 

Attending UNC Summer School Abroad in Greece was one of the best experiences of my life.  I would not trade those four weeks for anything!