Submitted by Emily Principe on the 2024 Winter ENGL program in Athens, Greece…
As the second week on my trip here comes to a close, I find myself thinking about how much time I have left here. I’ve only been living in Athens for two weeks, but I already feel like I’ve become acclimated to the lifestyle that I’ve been living. I cannot imagine myself going home, but I also miss a few things about my home. For instance, while we have been dealing with wonderful weather here in the mid 60s, my home in Delaware has dealt with two snowstorms back to back and frigid temperatures below freezing. I love the warm weather, but I haven’t seen a snowstorm in over two years and I’ve dearly missed them.
With this warm weather comes more inclinations for me to go out and about! On each journey that my class takes, I feel that I have gotten more and more used to the physical exertion that comes with walking up and down the hills and mountains of Athens. Hills that would have left me out of breath on my first day now feel much more manageable. I’ve been able to go to more stores and check out beautiful goods, especially a beautiful suede jacket for only eight euros! And it was a perfect fit! The market also had a stand completely dedicated to olives. While I didn’t buy any, I was so impressed that I had to take a picture. I adore little markets like these, so being able to shop at one in Greece was amazing.
Another amazing thing from this week was my program’s trip to Delphi! This overnight trip was overflowing with plans for visiting museums and historical sites up through central Greece. A highlight for me was the Monastery of Hosios Loukas. It was a beautiful and ancient building with incredible views of the mountains around us. Our hour visit there was one that I dearly wished was longer, but I am so glad that my group was able to visit it, period. Moments like these that I’ve listed are some of the top reasons why I am so happy to be on this trip. I am so excited to embark on my final week here in Greece. (Submitted on January 20, 2024)
