GMC Study Abroad

Tina Kane '10, psychology major

Greece Study Abroad

Summer 2009

Spending the Summer in Greece

This past summer, I studied abroad in Greece for three weeks through Arcadia University. I was interested in Greece because of its geographic beauty and interesting history. I had a great time and I would definitely do it again.

This is an opportunity that not a lot of people get. Studying abroad is a lot different than going on vacation. Not only is it less expensive than a vacation, but it is a completely different experience. I did things that a vacationer wouldn’t necessarily know about. For instance, my classmates and I went on hikes, ate new foods at different restaurants, visited many museums, and explored the shops, just about every day. We also got to travel to different cities and sleep in hotels every few days. This was one of my favorite parts of my trip. Besides this, I met people from all over the country and the staff was very educated and helped me to adjust and get the most out of my experience abroad.

Even though I had help adjusting, I still found some things rather strange. First off, some of the locals did not realize I was American and began talking to me in Greek. I didn’t realize I’d fit in so well! Another thing I found funny was that they have Pizza Hut in Greece. However, it was a lot different from a typical American Pizza Hut. In Greece, the tables are covered in white linens and customers order wine with their pizza! It was very upscale and unusual to me.

Besides that, I found the showers and toilets very challenging to get used to. The showerhead was located near the bottom of the shower. To use it, I had to take the showerhead out of its holder to shower myself (instead of having the shower head just spray water from above). The toilets had flushers hanging from the ceilings and I was not allowed to throw toilet paper into the toilet! Due to the poor plumbing, toilet paper had to be thrown into the trash can.

All in all, my entire trip was a journey of learning. Yes, I learned through the lectures, but I think I learned more about myself and others through my experiences in Greece. I am very grateful to have gotten the opportunity to study abroad. My advice to other students is to definitely take advantage of this great program.