After spending an entire semester in Greece, my identity has definitely changed for the better. In my initial post, I regarded my identity as having pros and cons. As of now it’s safe to say that I can add more pros, than cons. I’m able to converse with different people on the street in basic Greek conversations and understand what is being said while in conversation. It has allowed me to open my eyes more to experience a different culture and its’ culture shock.
However, the only con is how I wish I could have gained some Greek native friends, along with my new friends from the U.S. That’s the only thing that I regret not doing during this semester. What I noticed in Greece with some of my new CYA friends are how some of them are like-minded and others are not like-minded. They possess advantages and disadvantages, but who doesn’t! I realized that some come from a background where religion doesn’t play a fundamental part in their lives, have different political ideals, and identify themselves based on how they truly feel regardless of what society “wants them to be”. I can only respect their opinions/beliefs and not assume that they’re wrong. As a friend, I always try to be understanding.
Even though the semester is over, and I am back home in the United States, there’s still feelings of happiness and sadness that I possess. The happy feeling is towards the appreciation I have for the CYA program and the impact of the Greek language and culture has on me. My yearning to continue learning/speaking Greek back home is going a long way. I decided not to throw out my Greek workbook from class, but to further use it to help improve on my speech and understanding of the language. Lastly, I’ll tell ya this much; God works in strange ways and only through him can we experience what his messages/signs are. I feel as if he allowed this opportunity to complete a semester abroad in Greece, in which gives me the chance to share my memories with others so they have the opportunity to have a glimpse at what they can be involved in too.