Caitlyn Baird
Education Abroad
For my STEP signature project, I participated in an OSU College of Engineering study abroad program to Greece. We first spent a week at OSU learning about and studying Greek culture and the ancient sites we would visit in Greece. The following two weeks were spent traveling all over Greece.
Before my trip to Greece, I never really appreciated history or culture. As an American, it can be easy to loose sight of the importance and beauty of embracing one’s history and culture. Too often, we forget about our past and the memory and knowledge of those gone before us. My time spent in Greece helped me to change my view on these topics and helped me to grow a desire to preserve and embrace history and culture. Greeks are so very proud of their past and strive daily to maintain their traditions and culture.
The first aspect of my time in Greece that influenced this change was experiencing all of the ancient sites. Every one of these stops impressed me; from the engineering concepts they included in the designs to the ability of maintaining these sites for thousands of years, these marvels were definitely awe-inspiring. Getting to see so much beauty found in Greek’s past, encouraged me to love and find beauty in the history and culture around me.
The next aspect that influenced me greatly to change my point of view was my everyday interactions with the Greeks. From tour guides to bus drivers to people on the street, everyone seemed to have a deep love for their country, culture, and heritage. Out of all of my daily interactions in Greece, two influenced my change the most: the first was a curator at a museum in Thessaloniki and the second was our first tour guide.
The curator worked at a museum with a science focus that covered ancient Greek technologies. When the curator showed us through the museum, her pride and joy for her country and culture was so evident. The way she spoke about her country’s past sparked an excitement in me about the Greek culture and gave me a tangible model for what it is like to embrace one’s history and culture.
The tour guide who impacted me the most traveled around with us in Thessaloniki. His name was Menelaous. He had a vast amount of knowledge and passion for the Greek culture and history. Each site we went to, he had an endless amount of interesting facts and figures. Every question that our group asked about the sites and cities, Menelaous was not only able to give us a general answer, he was able to give us deeper background info on the topic. His love and pride for his country was so evident; Menelaous demonstrated to me the beauty of having a great understanding and knowledge of your country’s heritage and culture.
This change in view will inspire me to embrace my culture and learn more about my heritage. This will lead me to being a proud citizen of the US who has a deeper understanding of our past. I will be able to preserve and pass on this knowledge and excitement to future generations.