STEP Reflection

Amanda Sonntag

STEP Reflection

31 August 2016

STEP Reflection

1. For my STEP Signature Project I studied abroad in Greece. The program I participated in was called Crossroads of East and West, which involved taking a classics course centered on ancient Greece and the Byzantine Empire and how it influences the country today. We traveled throughout mainland Greece for three weeks seeing prominent sites that contribute to the ancient and modern history of Greece.
2. Traveling in a different country (the first country I have traveled to in my adulthood) was eye opening. Going to Greece I had some knowledge of its current state with its economic troubles and political unrest. I had figured that the country would be in a similar state as America during the recession in 2008, however, Greece was much different, in particular Athens, the capital of the country. Some parts of Athens seemed depressed, especially on the outskirts of the city. There was one part of the city where the anarchists live and that area was littered with graffiti, you could not find one bare wall or building. One of the first days we were in the city we saw people cleaning off the outsides of their city bank because someone had vandalized it and threw paint at it. The authorities in Greece were very passive and do not do anything to prohibit people from vandalizing the city.

By seeing all of these things I realized how privileged we are in the United States. That even in our financial crisis we still had law enforcement to protect us and protect our country. The biggest protest during the 2008 recession was Occupy Wall Street, which for the most part was peaceful and not violent. However, the actions taken in Greece have a more permanent and illegal factor to them. I was astonished that the authorities do little to nothing to protect the citizens of the country. When in Greece I learned to be a more open-minded person and a more thankful person. I realized that people live quite differently in different areas of the world and that not everyone has the protection like we do in this country.

3. Events and things that occurred during my trip that have enlightened me to be a more open-minded and thankful person include being exposed to the “sketchy” neighborhood of Athens, traveling to different parts of the country, and having an extremely knowledgeable professor. As described in question two, I traveled to the outskirts of Athens a bit. Between being shown the anarchist neighborhood as well as wandering with some fellow classmates to the outskirts of the city gave me a good view of the overall city. It allowed me to not just see the touristy and commercial parts but also the areas where people live and where “real life” is sustained. The city is mostly comprised of touristy things and venues like the Parthenon and the shopping around the city center. However, outside of this area seemed poverty stricken and restless with people who want change in their nation.

Traveling to different parts of Greece also showed me the different lifestyles that Greece has to offer. Before going to Greece I could probably only name a couple of places and those places would include Athens and a couple of islands. Who knows what the second largest city in Greece is? No one, this includes the people who went on this trip, until we got there. Thessaloniki seemed to be more of a bustling city for locals. It kind of reminded me of New York City, you had your historical parts, your business sector, the waterfront, and a ton of shopping. I think being in this city for a week gave me a better view of what life was like in Greece. It seemed to be less poverty stricken and in my opinion had more culture. Like I stated above Athens is a city strictly for tourists but in Thessaloniki I was able to people watch and learn a lot more about the population of Greece.

We were also afforded the opportunity to have a very knowledgeable professor who had lived in Greece for half of his life show us around the entire country. Our professor was able to give us insight to some of the things we may not have known about if we had traveled with somebody else. This allowed me to learn more about the life of Greek citizens and what they do on a daily basis. All these things contributed to my development over this past summer.

4. This program has been such a crucial part of my journey to becoming a receptive and gracious person. These characteristics that I developed while abroad will come in handy when perusing my future career as well as in life in general. One day I hope to be an athletic director at a major university. In any job it is imperative to keep an open mind and be open to people’s ideas. No one can be successful without having a strong foundation and getting some help along the way, so by being receptive and open-minded it will allow me to communicate better with coworkers as well as superiors. Being gracious is important in any facet, whether it be at work and being thankful for the people working with and around you or being gracious in a home setting around your family. It is important to show people that you care and being gracious is a component of that. Overall the skills I developed abroad and that I continue to develop from this experience will stay with my for the rest of my life.