During my time in Greece, I felt more attached to and connected with my studies and major. As an archaeology and anthropology major, I get to learn about all of these really interesting events, beliefs, and cultures and I have enjoyed all this but something about getting to be in a place that has such a different approach to handling the past was fascinating.
Getting to see how other countries handle cultural heritage is always interesting but getting approach archaeology and anthropology within Greece from an academic setting with professors to guide me through in real time was an absolute delight. I was not sure if I was going to enjoy certain classes or trips, but I ended up loving each and every adventure I ended up on. Getting a look at archaeologic sites that I’ve always heard about on the walk to class was something that I never got used. I had one class on archaeology and topography which met on top of the Acropolis for half of the semester, I get to experience history in a way that it is not always experienced in the states. There have been extensive restoration projects by the Greek Government which have aimed at making cultural heritage more accessible and consumable to the public. This has led to great efforts of dissemination by the government.
Outside of academics, during my time in Athens I got to travel to a slew of nearby countries and vastly within Greece. I ended up seeing castles, monasteries, ski mountains, island beaches, rooftop bars, and more. The scope of options was vast and incredible no matter your interests or mood.