During high school both of my parents became ill and I was responsible for taking care of them. I missed out on many opportunities because of their illnesses. Once they passed away, and I came to college, I had very little purpose at school. I did not know what I wanted to do, I knew I wanted to go into education, however I just went with the flow. My first few months I went to class, went to work, and did school work, I never did anything fun. One day however I learned about a study abroad trip in Greece, I always wanted to go to Greece and this opportunity filled me with so much purpose. I won scholarships to cover the cost of my trip, and in May 2017 I got over the fear of leaving my other family behind, I got on a plane for the first time since I was a child, and I left for Greece.
I flew into Athens and met other students on the same trip as me. We were on the “Lifestyles of the Mediterranean” program held by the Kinesiology and Health Department. During my trip we stayed in Athens, Glyfada, Peloponnese, and Nafplio. We visited islands such as Spetses, saw the Acropolis and the Parthenon, I shopped in the Plaka, swam in the ocean, and went to the site of the first olympic games.
Out of all of these experiences, three things stand out to me more than anything else. The first thing includes volunteering at Organization Earth. Currently, there are thousands of refugees flocking to Greece everyday. These individuals stay in locations such as the old stadiums from the 2004 olympic games. These refugees are coming from Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and more. Organization Earth was a farm that grew their own vegetables, focused on sustainability, had olive trees, had animals, and gave individuals like myself the opportunity to make a difference for these refugees. As a class we cooked a meal that was given out to over 60 refugees. This meal included Kalofagas which is a soup made of chickpeas and vegetables, we also made a rice dish. These meals were both simple but allowed an individual to not go hungry that day. I will never forget this opportunity because I learned to cook and I also got volunteer experience. I think this opportunity stands out to me because my mom always encouraged me to volunteer. We would always volunteer through girl scouts, my elementary school, or by doing things such as organizing food drives. If it was not for my mom encouraging me to do these activities, I most likely would not have the goals I have to teach and have the same passion I have to help others.
The second thing I remember the most was all of the physical activity we participated in. During the trip we took dance lessons and learned about all of the traditional dances. Different cities and islands within Greece have different dances, and in most of the cultures the men were the ones dancing. One of my favorite adventures included a hike to the top of Palamidi Castle. This hike was over 1000 steps to the top, once you got to the top you saw all of Nafplio, and there was an old prison where they would keep war criminals. Another hike we took ended at a beach where we all swam after. The water was cold because in May the temperature is the same there as it is in America. It was actually warmer in America at this time then it was in Greece. The water was crystal clear however, you could see your feet while you swam and the bottom of the ocean. One of the most amazing things about the beach was it was made entirely of rocks. Beaches were not sandy and you did not bring chairs with you to lay on the beach. All of the beaches had beach beds for you to lay on, of course they cost money,but you had no choice or you were sitting on rocks. My one friend fell asleep on them and said it was comfortable but it was not worth me trying. The entire trip was very active and we were constantly learning about the importance of physical activity. My mom was a very active person, always bringing me on hikes, swimming for hours in the ocean, or doing simple things like playing basketball outside. She loved to hike and we would go as often as we can, even if it was a quick 30 minute walk in the woods. The hikes and adventures I went on in Greece were ones she would have loved to experience. I wish she could have been with me, but on one of my trips I wore a shirt that had her picture on it so I knew she was able to experience it with me.
The last, most impactful, wonderful, life changing experience from my trip was being able to enjoy all of the Greek food. I ate feta cheese for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. I took cooking classes where I learned to make spanakopita. I tried foods I never had before like sardines, or foods I never heard of before. I learned about producing food and food sustainability. I was able to visit markets and buy from local farmers. I learned about the difference in food production from Greece compared to America. For example, feta cheese in Greece is made with sheep and goat milk, while in America it is made from cow's milk. The feta cheese in Greece was much more creamy and less salty. Another big difference from the two countries was the texture of the honey, which I am obsessed with their honey. They have a huge emphasis on the use of olive oil, nuts, and limit as many processed ingredients as possible. Food is a major aspect to their culture also because of social reasons. Dinner usually takes over 2 hours and this is when individuals have the opportunity to talk to each other rather than just eat. It was really nice to be able to appreciate food, but treat eating as an experience rather than a requirement. Eating my way through Greece was something I could also relate to my mom and the things she taught me. My mother was a fantastic cook, always encouraging me to try new things. We always would eat gyros together, but she was never afraid to try something new, or drive far for good food. Even though this is something so simple, it was important to her to make sure I embraced other cultures through their cuisine. My mom's desire to adventure and explore all aspects of life truly have shaped the individual I am today. Without her desire to learn more, I never would have taken the opportunity to travel. I am so grateful to have her passion instilled within me and I cannot wait to see what other journeys I go on in which I can relate things back to her.
