THYESPA Program in Athens, Greece

My STEP Signature Project involved studying Modern Greek Language at the University of Athens in Athens, Greece. The course I took and life I lived was a complete cultural immersion into the Greek way of life.

The largest change I noticed was my view on the world. After being immersed in such a new and foreign culture, I couldn’t not view our way of life in the United States with a different lense. A drastically different lense. After existing in a society that is far more relaxed than the United States, the transition back to this hustle and bustle is quite difficult. Something small, yet so indicative of our cultural differences that I noticed in Athens is that people go on walks (in Greek, a “volta”) just to see their city and exist with other Athenians. They just take a stroll, strike up a conversation with a complete stranger if they feel like it, and just interact with their surroundings (I observed this occurrence frequently from my daily post at a coffee shop right in the heart of Monastiraki). I cannot remember the last time I, or anyone I know has done the same. Even in a country that is doing extremely poorly economically, people still seem to love their lives, and appreciate the small things: the sky on a cloudless day, the heat of the sun when you first walk outside, and drinking coffee with friends (by far the most common activity I noticed). The poverty that I witnessed also helped to shape my worldview in an incredible way.

My view of the world changed as a result of the poor and poverty (in specific locations) that I witnessed. Never in my life had I seen refugees, and so many homeless people. Due to the economic crisis in Greece, and the influx of refugees (the result of the EU sending them to Greece), I saw things I have never seen before. Individuals, mutilated, with extreme burns, growths, missing limbs, just lying on the side of the street. The first time my eyes fell upon one of these individuals I was in shock. How are people that clearly are in need of assistance just abandoned in the gutter? I was informed that there simply is not enough money to help the people in these situations. I was and still am very deeply saddened by the fate of these individuals, and I hope Greece can fix its many economical problems to help those in such dire need.

One day in class, to highlight the Greek spirit and hope (I think), my professor asked the class whether or not we noticed that there is an economic crisis in Greece. An American classmate and I answered yes, citing the poor, poverty, and refugees we saw in the streets downtown. We were unaccustomed (thankfully) to these cites, having grown up and spent most of our time in the United States of America. However, most of my classmates said that no, they did not notice that Greece is in an economic crisis. I was incredulous that people didn’t notice. Didn’t they see the refugees? The blatant poverty of certain areas? The individuals outside certain metro stops begging for change? Before I continue, I must note that all of my classmates save for me, one other American and a Canadian girl were from Ukraine, Russia, France, Brazil, and Bulgaria. I asked my classmates why they didn’t notice. One of my classmates from Ukraine (his name sounds like Roman, but I haven’t a clue how to spell it) said that simply, people were still smiling. I asked him what he meant, and he told me that he was a refugee. The “Russian military intervention in Ukraine” had uprooted his entire family. They had to leave their village  (in the Donbass region of Ukraine) because war had broken out. Never before had i met someone (close to my own age) who had seen war or violence in his own country, let alone in his own village. I was absolutely shocked. As a result of these experiences, I have grown to appreciate my life in The United States of America far more than I ever have before.

The last interaction that has caused my world view to shift has to do with the question my professor posed. She asked the class whether or not we noticed that Greece is in an economic crisis. Having grown up and been spoiled (for lack of a better term) in the U.S., many things I saw as a result of the economic crisis in Greece were completely new to me. However, listening to stories from my classmates and professor, I realized the remarkable spirit present in Greeks. Their economy is in shambles, the unemployment rate is extremely high, and yet, people try their best to live happy lives and appreciate anything and everything they can. They try to not let the extremely unfortunate economic situation they are in destroy their happiness. As a result of this interaction, I try to look at the positive aspects of things when I am faced with an adverse situation. In addition, I try to appreciate the good things I have, because I know that these things could be taken away from me in an instant and there are plenty of people on this Earth who are more appreciative of far less.

This change is not simply significant, it is monumental. I believe that I am a significantly more appreciative and optimistic person as a direct result of my STEP Signature Project. I believe this matters because optimism and appreciation are good qualities to have, and I feel as though I was lacking in them (a bit) prior to my Signature Project. In addition, as someone who wants to pursue a career in the medical field, I believe that optimism and appreciation (even for the small things) is paramount. Now, I wake up everyday and actually think about all the luxuries that we take for granted in our day-to-day lives. In addition, I am extremely thankful and appreciative that I have never had the misfortune to witness war with my own two eyes, as I think about what my classmate said quite frequently. Lastly, I am extremely appreciative for the STEP Program for allowing me to have the experience that I did.