Submitted by Nicholas Kayatta on the 2022 winter session program in Greece sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
Reflecting upon the final week here in Greece, I am beyond thankful for this opportunity to travel to and explore such a beautiful country full of rich history, culture, and landscapes. This last week has been very fun and Greece even made international news. There was one of the biggest snowstorms in the history of Athens while we were here. Many of the locals have never seen this much snow, around 5 inches, in their lives. While it did shut down the city for a few days, it was really cool to be a part of history and see Athens as many people have never seen it before. Seeing the Acropolis covered in snow will be something I will remember forever and something many locals cannot even say they’ve seen.
Although we were snowed in for a few days, we did get to travel to Aegina, a small island close to Athens. Aegina felt like the quintessential Greek town with its brick buildings, quaint city life, and costal vista. The town was filled with seafood restaurants as well as their famous pistachio shops. The pistachios were the best I’ve had in my life and I even bought pistachio butter. The view of the crystal-clear water was a sight for sore eyes after all of the snow and being able to ride on the ferry during the sunset was spectacular.
It is a bittersweet feeling having to leave in a few days because I will truly miss Greece, but I am excited to go home and tell my family and friends about my experiences. I want to thank the UD Study Abroad Program for their planning and execution of the trips and classes we were able to attend and Dr. Tyson Sukava for his excellent work in organizing the program as well as his passion for teaching. He has truly made this experience better and I am grateful that he was able to explore with our group.