Lauren Vaccaro
Education Abroad
My STEP signature project was participating in the Engineering of Ancient Greece study abroad program this May. Our program included a week of classes at OSU and then two weeks in Greece seeing many historical sites and experiencing the Greek culture that we discussed in class. We visited the cities of Thessaloniki, Kalambaka, Crete, Naflio and Athens with stops on the way to each.
During my study abroad program, my view of the world was extensively broadened. While I had been to other countries, I had only been to large cities within those countries and never felt like I was immersed in their culture. In addition, this trip provided me with some insight into what I want to do in my career as a chemical engineer. Lastly, this trip helped me transform into a more independent and outgoing person as I travelled by myself for the first time.
Upon landing in Greece, I felt immersed in the culture immediately as even embarking the plane on the runway, was a new experience for me. Throughout the trip, I tried to soak up as many new experience as possible. I tried a new dinner almost every day and always voted to explore more rather than go back to the hotel. So many things were different in Greece. I think my most favorite was that their day did not start until 9 am. I am not a morning person so I would love a later start time at work. No one in Greece ever seemed to be in a hurry, except out tour guide, and it made me realize that Americans rush through life too often.
The first stop on our trip was to Thessaloniki in northern Greece. Before travelling, our class had discussed the large history of the city as well as its modern day struggles. As the second largest city in Greece, their traffic has become very congested and the city has been trying to build a metro for years. After all the planning was complete and construction started, it was stopped because ruins were found of an ancient town square. Once in Greece, we were able to listen to a presentation on the metro project from their project manager and visit a couple construction sites. While this experience was more tailored to civil engineering, I was still able to understand most of the details of the project and learned that I would love to be involved in an international engineering project one day.
I have always described myself as in introverted person so before this trip, I was nervous about making friends with my peers in the program. Before we left Columbus, I felt like I had made friends with a couple girls and by the end of the trip I felt comfortable having a conversation with everyone on my trip. Most days on the trip, I was the one to initiate conversations, lead the way during non-scheduled outings and interact with locals. I feel like this trip really helped me become a more outgoing person and confident in my ability to travel on my own in the future.
Altogether, my experiences during my study abroad have expanded my world view, increased my confidence and helped me find a new path to explore in my future career. Having knowledge of other cultures and ways of life is the most valuable tool a person can have. It allows you to connect with others on a more personal level. I plan to use my knowledge in my future career to connect with coworker and maybe pursue a path in international engineering. Personally, I have found that I am a more outgoing person that I have given myself credit for in the past. I also learned that I am in my element when I have to find my own way from one city to the next. I plan to use this valuable knowledge to travel in the future.