Some Notes from Friends:)
This week I’ve gotten to sit down with a few of my Greek friends that I’ve made in classes at ACG and talk to them a little bit about culture! A few of them have been going to ACG for a few years already so they are used to being in classes with American students and/or have a few friends that are American, but I have also met some students who are in their first year at ACG and don’t have too much of a past with multi-culture classrooms, so this was a great and highly interesting opportunity to sit down with them and listen to some of their thoughts.
Going right into it then, I’ve heard pretty much across the board that there is much less background with multi-cultures within classroom settings like was mentioned by my one friend. This I found very interesting. Apparently most primary grade schools and high schools are mainly just Greek students, whereas, I can always remember at least one or two students growing up whom I became friends with that came from a differing culture than my own. My friends say this is something they can always tell with American students because we do not seem so surprised when something happens that they know is not a part of our culture. I also hear though that this is changing more and more as people move to Greece and enroll their children, that the schools are becoming slightly more diverse than they were when we were young.
Another thing that was mentioned across the board is that we as Americans are more talkative than Greeks in the sense that we will say hi to students we don’t know in the halls and have much more to say in class. I was also told that we use more words to express ourselves when we are giving answers in class and that’s something I found funny because I have also noticed it! The Greeks are very good at getting to the point with fewer words than we are and it’s funny to listen to in class because for example, if a teacher asks a question, I’ll think in my head about what I’m going to say and how I’m going to say it, and then I have to find all the correct words but sometimes it doesn’t work and I take this whole round about way of getting my point across, and the Greeks are somehow able to find within their vocabulary these words that perfectly describe the answer and get their point across in about 1 spectacular sentence. (That’s another thing I’ve noticed while being here. Don’t be fooled by the accent and the knowledge that English is their second language…Greeks have big and very impressive vocabularies. Sometimes I don’t know the meanings to the English words they use)
The other main point I heard from my friends was that American students tend to be easier to work with because we are more willing and work oriented. They said that with Greeks everything is laid back, which is good, but when it comes to homework assignments and group assignments, it’s good to know that you have a group member that will undoubtedly put work in. (This is actually another point I’ve experienced with a few group projects in some of my classes. Work gets done, but usually it’s just a lot later than what I’m used to! Haha.)
Overall it was really fun to sit and listen to some friend’s thoughts on Americans in Greece and the culture differences especially within the school setting at ACG. It was fun to compare what they noticed as differences to what I had also noticed and to laugh about the differences a little bit. They were very interested in my school back home after I asked all these questions! It was just a great conversation and I’m thankful to have had such great people to speak with!
Halfway!?
I cannot believe I am already at the halfway point…that it absolutely crazy to me! It’s flying by so much faster than I anticipated. I guess time flies when you’re exploring:) I have so many thoughts on my experience so far and it’s funny because most of them still have to do with me pausing throughout my day and remembering that I am in a different country because some days feel so normal already ha! That being said, I am very proud of myself for doing this and coming here by myself and I’m so glad I did. The people I’ve met both American and from other countries including Greece have been amazing and I get sad when I think about ever leaving them. It’s funny for me to reflect on my first few weeks here as well because I remember thinking that the days crawled by, and I missed home, and normalcy, and 15 weeks was FOREVER to be away. And now that I’m half way through I believe it’s going to be over much too fast. I think that this is an opportunity I will forever be grateful for taking and the memories and lessons that I’ve learned here already and have yet to learn are valuable ones that I can take back with me for the rest of my life.
The format of my daily schedule looks very different here than when I’m at home, and because of that I’ve had lots of time to work on my personal goals which I’m so thankful for as well! I’ve been journaling for the memories, and gone outside of my comfort zone more times than I can count, whether that be traveling 30 minutes down town where I can’t read any signs or trekking somewhere on foot by myself where I also can’t read any signs! Group work in classes, and the school experience in itself has also been an adjustment! I have made so many friends in my classes from other countries it’s so cool. I have two friends from Serbia, one from Germany, and one from Switzerland so far besides my Greek friends:) Learning about Greek culture from the school has also been very enlightening and fun during my weeks here. ACG holds lots of little events aimed to celebrate and inform students about Greek life and culture, as well as to make us feel at home! (They are having Halloween activities this week!) But overall I’m most proud of my progress on my spiritual goal. It’s so normal at MLC to be surrounded by our Lord with chapel and our Christ-driven teachers and friends, but here it is more secular, and so consciously being able to make the choice to stay connected to Christ in my everyday life has been an eye-opening experience too. I have wandered outside of the WELS bubble! Honestly one of the things I miss most is singing hymns with a congregation. I can’t wait to do that when I get home.
All those things being said, there a few areas I would like to improve in the second half of my stay here. Now that I am a little more confident in my independent abilities, I would like to continue to push my comfort zone and see how far I can go! Both of my big trips are planned for this half (one of which is a solo trip!) so I will get booted outside of my comfort zone more than a few times I’m sure. I would also like to try more of the Greek culture personally, like learning how to cook some of their food or asking and learning about some family traditions that my friends have in their homes. A big new goal for me this half is actually also going to be speaking more in class. Thus far, I’ve been pretty quiet unless I’m 10000000% sure of my answer, but in discussions and such I want to add more input this half instead of just listening and kind of voicing my opinions to myself or friends after the class.
I think what’s surprised me the most about Greek culture is their together-ness and pride for tradition. If you want to see something you’ll never see in America, go down to a square at 11 o’clock at night and there will be music and like 70 people of all ages (2-102) in giant circles doing traditional dances. It’s like watching the end of the Grinch movie where they all sing “Fah who Doraze”. And every time I see this, I wonder when they are taught to dance that way. It is not easy, and it does not look easy either, and yet everyone knows how, and I think it’s so cool that that is something that is passed down from generation to generation so that some night in a square you can come together with fellow Greeks for a good time. It’s amazing!
I think what I’ve improved upon most about adjusting to the Greek culture is to never assume. People tell you Greeks are loud and use their hands, but you don’t really understand this until you see it in person. And at first I thought everyone was mad all the time. They sounded mad, and looked mad, and even though I was warned that this is just how they are, it still looked like anger to me! But! It really is not the case. They are expressive, and if you get yelled at, it might be a compliment, you never know!
I am beyond excited to see what adventures the second half of my abroad experience will bring me, and I do hope to improve upon my goals and get the most out of my remaining time here! I’ve attached some pictures from when my parents visited me this past week. It was so good to see them:)
Class in Athens!
This week my topic of discussion is Academics! I’m excited to dive into this one because things here in Greece are very different when it comes to school. There are both good and bad differences, but all in all, it’s just different!
I am taking four classes here: Interpersonal Communication, Educational Psychology, The American Experience in Fiction, and Survey of World Civilizations. These classes are all very different from one another and I very much enjoy that fact! Class sizes here I think tend to differ depending on major or the specific course. I have one class where there’s 26 of us, one where there’s only 8, and the other two range between 10-15. Some of my roommates, however, are in psychology and science courses with big lectures of 30-40 students, so it really depends! That being said, one of the major differences between the States and Greece is attendance. Attendance here is not as strict as back home. I think technically you get 9 free absences before your grade starts to go down, whereas at MLC I believe it is just 1 or 2 absences! And I think this is partly because of the class/teaching styles here. All of my courses are pretty much lecture based, and homework is not given everyday. I have a few big projects and papers to do throughout the semester that are due in December, but otherwise, the expectation is to show up, pay attention, take notes if you would like, and do your best on the midterm and final. Participation in class plays a greater role in grading here also because of the lack of assignments. I personally really enjoy this. I am more motivated to learn when I do not have to worry about a bunch of busy work assignments and due dates!
I have some great professors here as well! They are very understanding and mostly look for a positive attitude and openness to learn. They are not hesitant to remind you that grades are not everything, and a lot of times their best students have been C-D students and not A-B. Good reminders!
All that being said…absences are VERY common. Fridays, almost no one comes to class! It’s silly. Sometimes my 8 person class has only 2 people, or my 26 person class will have 15 and its so, so common. Or, the biggest difference to me is how students here roll up to class with nothing! Only the American study abroad students come to class with computers to take notes. A lot of Greek students don’t even come with a pencil!
Overall my academic experiences here have been pretty different from what I’m used to at MLC, but I love the different challenges that come with communicating with students from another culture and seeing what their every day school lives are like!
I have some pictures here of the campus and also some pictures of some of my lunch meals from the caf! The caf at ACG is amazing! I love all of their meals here:)
Better by the Dozen:)
I’m excited to tell everyone about this week’s topic! My living situation here at ACG is a pretty cool one:) I live with 11 other girls all from different parts of the US. We have a great 12 person apartment that shares a kitchen and a pretty awesome balcony that overlooks the neighborhood! Coming here, I was very nervous about who I’d be living with. We were not notified ahead of time how many girls we’d be grouped with, or any names of the girls we’d be grouped with, so we all came in blind. However, as we slowly arrived it was clear I got very lucky with my group:)
12 girls sounds like quite a bit, but it’s actually a TON of fun! Our dynamic is very friendly and balanced. We love to have “family dinners” where we all eat together or bake something and chat if we have the time. All the girls are also super supportive! If anything is wrong, someone is always there to help in any way they can. We encourage each other to go outside our comfort zones with the knowledge that we won’t be a lone, and as a result, my adjustment time here has been very smooth and I’m so very thankful for each and every one of them.
I was initially also worried that I would never take any trips outside Athens while I was here because I am horribly afraid of going places by myself haha! But the crazy thing is, within 2 weeks of knowing these girls, it’s hard to remember not knowing them. I presently have booked a trip with 6 girls to Italy for Thanksgiving! Things I never thought I’d do, I am doing with their help and it feels amazing to be so blessed. Things also tend to be very spontaneous in our apartment so you might think you’re going to have a boring night and the next thing you know, there are 10 people standing in your door asking if you want to go see live dancing in the square and eat gelato…who’s going to say no to that!?
Another cool thing about living with so many girls, is that while we all come from very different backgrounds, I do share a similar faith with a few of them. It’s nice to get a few reminders of my savior from people close to me while I’m living in such a secular place. I had felt pretty alone in my faith up until getting to know them! We are going to be trying different churches around the area on Sundays for some different experiences as well, so I am excited to see how Greek church services differ from my comfortable small-town WELS ones, and to be able to do it with some friends! God really is good:)
I wish I had a picture of all 12 of us, but I just realized we haven’t taken one yet! So attached are some pictures from a few adventures I’ve gotten to take so far with a couple of my roomies<3
Arrival and Weeks 1 and 2!
So I made it! I actually somehow got off the 9 hour flight and found where I was supposed to be in a confusing airport surrounded by people who were not speaking English. (The first major success of mine). This experience is already so unlike anything I’ve ever done that recalling all of my first impressions is actually proving to be very difficult! If I start from the beginning, I can say that I saw my very first palm trees! They do exist beyond my imagination. I also remember from right after landing that the urban-ness of the area was overwhelming especially mixed with jet lag. But as I regained a sleep schedule I was able to take in the sights around me and appreciate/notice the different things like the sidewalks, for example, which are very classy and made of different kinds of stones that are also uneven in many places (I would know because I trip on them daily). I also have been notified, and noticed myself, that the driving here is different. People are kind of crazy, they just drive wherever they want whenever they want. It’s pretty funny, actually. You could be walking on the sidewalk and a car will pull up onto the sidewalk right in front of you and the driver will park and walk away and you just have to go around the car! Safe to say my own parking skills would not be heavily judged here:)
The food continues to surprise me every time I have a meal. I’m not sure why or how it’s so good, but they have created flavors that America can only dream of I am certain. Although I have wondered if half of why it’s so good is because of the presentation. They make everything look fancy even if it’s not fancy and that just makes it taste better. The other night I went out to dinner with a few friends and we were presented with some barbecue potato chips. Now, it could be that the potato chips in Greece are just different and more flavorful and crunchy here than in the states, OR it could be that they tasted better because they were brought to our table in a delicately painted ceramic bowl! I’ll have to do some research on this in my down time.
What about the real reason I’m here! School! Well classes have been very interesting so far. Some of my professors are hard to understand so I will be an expert lip reader by the end of this experience. I noticed they seem to be more focused on the process and connection of learning as a class than in individual work, because 3 our of my 4 classes have a group project that will count for a big percentage of our grade. The number of individual assignments seems to be way less. Either that, or I am missing something and I will have a lot of catching up to do on Monday. We’ll see how it goes!
The most memorable point of my first week was going to the acropolis! First of all, pictures on the internet don’t do it justice, and yes, it also actually exists it’s not imaginary. It’s HUGE. It made me feel very much like watching Hercules and I was so intrigued by all the history seemingly frozen in one place. They are working on some restoration too so it was cool to see what the buildings would have looked like back in their glory days as opposed to what they look like now. I can’t wait to see more!
Overall, I had many first impressions of Athens and I’ll probably have more as the weeks go on because there is SO much to see and do here. I’m excited for all of it!