Submitted by Amanda Lefky on the 2016 winter session program in Athens, Greece sponsored by the Department of Philosophy…
When I first heard that I had gotten the opportunity to study abroad, I was beyond excited. My brother had studied abroad twice while he was here at UD and I was eager to follow in his footsteps. I made a countdown on my phone of the days until we were leaving for Athens and I remember when it still said six months away. When January 10th finally came, I was quite anxious. I had never been in a foreign country before, let alone in a foreign country without my parents. Despite that anxiety, I got on that plane and embarked on quite possibly the most amazing journey of my lifetime.
It’s probably clear that going to Athens took me way out of my comfort zone. Sitting here, back in the United States, I couldn’t be happier that I did. Learning about a new culture is always difficult, but I had the help of some amazing people at the Athens Centre, as well as from my friends and the faculty on the program. We took a crash course in Greek lessons with a woman named Eleni and she helped us learn how to communicate with the locals and helped bridge some of the language gap. Keti gave us a multitude of tours around the city of Athens and made it so easy for us to get around and not get lost (something that I really needed!). Olympia gave up the tip that apparently you’re not supposed to flush the toilet paper in Greece because the pipes are so old that they would break! They all gave me such invaluable information that made my trip to Greece run so much smoother.
While in Greece, I not only learned about the culture of the country I was in, but also the history. The class I took was social and political philosophy and it is incredible how much of philosophy comes from Ancient Greece. I stood where Socrates stood, I visited Thebes and Corinth, which is where Oedipus Rex was set, and I got to visit Plato’s Academy! It’s one thing to learn about these things from textbooks, but it’s another to learn about them by physically being in the place where they happened. I think that’s one of the amazing things about studying abroad, not only do you get to encounter new things, but you get a hands on learning experience that you can’t get anywhere else.
I’m so thankful that I had the opportunity to study abroad and I wouldn’t want to trade my experience for the world! I’ll cherish the friendships and memories that I made, and the knowledge that I gained while abroad forever.