Airplane Food is Better as a Vegetarian

The very first morning as I arrived at the airport, I realized that I had never once met a single person that I would be traveling with. I had been busy my previous semester and had an exam during every single pre-departure orientation. I had no clue who to look for or where we were meeting. Basically, I found the group I was supposed to be with through sheer luck and the fact that the group was large and full of twenty-something travelers. I probably looked like a crazy person. I had been unable to sleep the night before and I had to leave my house in Michigan by 4:30am in order to make it to the airport in time to check-in with the group.

As I went through the United Airlines check-in process I came to the realization that my passport was valid for exactly 28 days after it had to be. That stress is something I literally never considered or checked into. Like I never even really considered that I needed to renew my passport until that morning as I was running around my house at 4am making sure I had everything I needed for my summer adventure. Thankfully it all worked out and I got my bag checked and our time in the airport began.

We flew from Columbus to Philadelphia, had a 3 hour layover, then flew from Philadelphia to Athens and had a 6 hour layover. Finally, after over 28 hours of traveling, we boarded the 45 minute flight to Corfu. Landing in Corfu felt almost surreal. We arrived by flying onto this runway that seemed way too short and way too close to the buildings around it. Walking out of the airport into the bus felt like a dream. Though I slept for most of the transatlantic flight, I was exhausted.

As we boarded the bus with all of our luggage, I couldn’t help but laugh. There were 24 of us total, with the majority of the students having severely overpacked. We had been traveling for over 24 hours by this point, and all of the sudden we were 7 hours ahead of our normal time zone. While it would have been 10am at home, it was 5pm in Athens and we were starving. We probably looked so American it hurt.

Traveling was fun. I got to know some of the people I would be living and studying with for the month, and I got my first taste of Greek food. Let me tell you: if you are vegetarian looking to study abroad, Greece is a great option. The food is amazing and the people are so willing to work with your eating restriction.

Hindsight #2: Packing is an art. Roll your clothes and take less than you originally plan. A carry on bag and a personal item should not both be necessary for the trip from home. Trust me: it is way easier navigating the airports with just a backpack and a checked bag. Don’t be that person that brings so much they are almost overweight on the departing trip.

Hindsight #3: Jetlag is real. Drink tons of water, sleep on the transatlantic flight, and try not to take a nap before bed. Also make sure you understand the time difference. Your friends and parents will not be happy when you try to call them and it’s only 4am their time.

Arriving at the airport in Columbus.

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My seat on the plane… (Sorry I didn’t take many pictures of this…)

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Every Story Has a Beginning

Sitting at dinner at Kanoni Cafe (a must-eat place) one evening overlooking the beautiful lake that contained the most beautiful monastery and the even more ironic runway, Dr. Joyce asked me why I decided on this particular program. This was an intriguing question since I really hadn’t thought about it too much. I was in the STEP program and I knew that of all of the experiences, study abroad was the most appealing to me. The only problem was, I had no idea where to go or what to study.

I began applying to tons of programs at even more schools, however I found that I was most interested in programs that would send me to a part of the world that I had never been before. I have spent a good amount of time in Central and South America, so the next obvious choice was Greece. I ended up in Corfu on a whim. I read through the program description and I thought the pictures were pretty, so I applied.

It was only later on that I realized how popular the program is and how lucky I was to get a place in it. When I was notified of my acceptance, I was all of the sudden terrified. I don’t speak any Greek and I didn’t know the slightest about Greek culture. I spoke with my family and my friends and they helped me to realize that this is the idea of a study abroad.

Hindsight #1: Don’t go somewhere just to prove to yourself that what you know to be true is, in fact, true. Go somewhere to grow in yourself and learn from experience instead of from a book.

The Corfu International Airport, just after landing.

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The Ariti Grand Hotel, my home for a month

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The Vlacherna Monastery, directly to the left is the runway at the Airport.

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Went Greek

Σα βγεις στον πηγαιμό για την Ιθάκη,να εύχεσαι μακρύς ο δρόμος – Cavafy

This quote symbolizes exactly how I feel about my journey. The translation reads as follows: As you set out for Ithaka
hope the voyage is a long one. To me, this shows how important time in a foreign land can be. This quote is an illusion to the Odyssey. It essentially means that travel is not about the destination but rather the journey. If Odysseus had made it straight home after the Trojan war, the great epic that we all know probably never would have stood the test of time. The journey, not the destination, is the true value of an experience.

This past May, I have had the adventure of a lifetime. I grew as a person and I had experiences that I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams. This is just my way of sharing with the world my experiences in Corfu, Greece during Maymester 2015. I hope you enjoy my pictures, my adventures, and my hindsights.