Submitted by Emily Principe on the 2024 Winter ENGL program in Athens, Greece…
The first week that I have spent in Greece has been one that I will likely never forget. With all the chaos of everything that has been squeezed into a 3-week program, it felt like everything was planned out down to the minute. We were almost dropped into our new environment with no understanding of anything. The appliances were in Greek, businesses were packed into tiny locations, and the drivers seemed to have no concern for pedestrians or even any laws of the road (for the first few days).
Everything felt chaotic and out of place. While the confusion made settling in hard, we were still able to see so many sights in Greece. Already, my class and sister class sections visited the Acropolis, the Acropolis museum, and the Greek Cultural Center. All of these places were stunning and I felt so inspired and stunned by the works that came before and during my time.
One of the pictures that I have here is a view of the sauna at Lake Vouliagmeni. The day this was taken, my group was planning to visit an archeological site and the Greek Cultural Center. Unfortunately, our guide for the archeological site was not there when we arrived. What we then did instead was briefly visit Paralia Kavouri beach and this lake. Both visits were ones that I am glad we went to, especially since I found some sea glass on the coastline. This success in this quick switch of plans goes to show how much a country like Greece has to offer when it comes to things to do and sights to see. Already I am thinking about what I might do here if I were to ever make a return visit. (Submitted on January 13, 2024)
