Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.
For my STEP Project, I studied abroad in Athens, Greece through a program called THYESPA with other OSU Modern Greek students as well as other Modern Greek Students from all around the world. Each day, I took a Modern Greek class from 9am-1pm and each week, the program took the students on a field trip to a different significant site in Greece. While we weren’t in class, we had the opportunity and freedom to explore Greece through different islands, restaurants, and historical sites.
What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.
During this experience, I had the opportunity to learn a whole lot about myself and the world. Firstly, this trip made me a more confident student. The whole entire class was taught in Greek, so I was taken out of my comfort zone whenever I had to ask or answer a question in front of the class or even to make any friends. Next, I learned that it is important to put myself out there and take every opportunity I was given. It is easy for me to say no and decide to take a nap or relax instead of going on an adventure, but during this trip, I made an effort to say yes to everything that was thrown my way, even if it didn’t initially sound interesting to me or if it would take me out of my comfort zone. This trip made me more appreciative because I was given the chance to have such unique experiences.
I also learned a great deal about the world we live in. As a Greek-American, my family partially practices Greek culture, but having the opportunity to be immersed in this culture, I gained a whole new appreciation. In addition, I was exposed to the struggling economy of Greece. I got to witness the poverty in Greece and it opened my eyes to different lifestyles that I am not used to seeing where I grew up. When people think of Greece, they imagine the beautiful islands and beaches, which I did get to visit, but most aren’t aware of the drug used, protests, refugees, and poverty. This trip helped me view both the good and the bad of the country that my ancestors are from.
What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.
Many aspects led to my change/transformation. To begin, this program was for students from all around the world. While most of them spoke English very well, there were some in my classes that knew only a couple words of English. Because of this, communication was difficult and it forced me to use the Greek I previously knew or was learning during my classes this summer. This made me grow as a Modern Greek student because I had to come up with ways to explain my thoughts and ideas in Greek to these other students, even if I didn’t have a huge vocabulary.
In addition, when speaking to the locals who own restaurants or shops, we tried to speak as much Greek as possible for practice. This really took me out of my comfort zone because all of them know English since Athens is a big tourist city, but we chose the more difficult route to better ourselves as students. This overall helped with my confidence as a Greek speaker. Our group was treated with so much more respect when we gave an effort to speak Greek. It showed that we weren’t just some American tourists. When these locals found out that we had Greek heritage, they would tell us, “Being Greek is great. Never forget about your Greek roots. We are so proud of you for making an effort to learn Greek and pass it down to future generations.” This meant so much to me because it really validated the reason that I went on this trip: to be able to better my Greek and be able to pass down my amazing culture to future generations.
Lastly, living in Greece in general really helped with my transformation. I had the opportunity to become familiar with the whole city, the good and the bad. Each weekend, when there was no class, we got to travel to different places around Greece to see the difference in landscapes and lifestyles outside of Athens. These destinations included islands such as Aegina, Hydra, Milos, and Rhodes, and inland places Metehora and Kalamata. Seeing these different places exposed me to the different landscapes and lifestyles in Greece. For example, on the island of Hydra, there are no cars so people use donkeys to get around the island. In Kalamata, we visited my friend’s dad’s village where he was born and he goes back to visit every summer. The village life was way different than the city life. Everyone knew each other and none of them really knew English. It was so interesting to see these differences on this trip.
Like I mentioned before, on this trip we witnessed the good and the bad. Living in Greece isn’t all good. We were exposed to some of the extreme poverty throughout the country. Homeless people lined the streets, gypsies walked around trying to sell balloons or tissues, even using their kids to try to steal money from tourists. In addition, there were refugees everywhere living in poverty. One thing that I witnessed that I never saw in America was the open drug use. I witnessed people in a park using hard drugs in one of the bad neighborhoods of Athens, Omonia. Throughout this journey, nobody in our group was harmed by any of these interactions. All in all, there were too many aspects from this trip than I can fit into four paragraphs. This trip for me was an amazing experience and it affected me in many different ways.
Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.
In the end, this change was extremely significant in my life. Now, I am able to speak better conversational Greek. I can communicate with some of my family members and gain more respect within the Greek community in America. In the future, I can obtain a Modern Greek minor with these credits that I earned abroad. I will be able to pass down this culture through the generations and keep the Greek culture alive in America. This is very important to me because it shaped who I am today and I want it to do the same for my children one day. Growing up in a Greek community is a blessing, and I’ve gotten to witness that here in America and in Greece.
I also learned significant skills while studying abroad. I am now more confident when speaking Greek and I learned that it is important to take myself out of my comfort zone in order to improve as a person. That is now apparent because if I would’ve stayed in my comfort zone and spoke English the whole time, I wouldn’t have learned as much. This trip exceeded my expectations and I would even consider doing it again in the future to try to test into a higher Greek class. Without this STEP money, it wouldn’t have been possible. I am so glad I had the opportunity to experience this transformation and I can’t wait to see where it takes me in the future.
Stephanie, this sounds like a great opportunity for you. I’m glad that this trip connected together so many aspects your life, and it’s awesome that you were able to visit and explore the country that’s connected to your ethnic background. I applaud your passion for sharing what you learn with your community and family back home. Thanks for sharing!