Author: mparr@rollins.edu

After being home for a week, I have now had sufficient time to reflect on my study abroad experience. Adjusting to real life has truly been a bittersweet experience. Although there were many things I missed about the US and my home, I am now dealing with the missing my new found second home, Athens….

As my classes here in Greece finally come to a close, I am looking ahead to finals and wondering where the semester went. Although everyone told me that my study abroad semester would fly by, I didn’t expect it to in a blink of an eye. I sit here and recap all of the amazing…

As our semester finally begins to wind down at College Year in Athens, it is exciting and bittersweet to see our spring break on the horizon. Unlike most programs, our break is reserved for the end of the semester to align with the Greek Orthodox Easter, and leaves us with only a few weeks of classes…

This past week, myself and my fellow classmates spent our time exploring Northern Greece, known to its inhabitants and historically as Macedonia. We stayed in Thessaloniki for the week, and experienced a city that was considerably younger and more progressive than Athens, while also exploring ancient archaeological sites in and around the city. Although I…

This past weekend myself and my fellow classmates traveled to historic Delphi as part of our program requirements. The more I travel with CYA, the more I realize how diverse and unique Greece is, not only in its history but also in its landscapes. Historically, Delphi was the most revered of all the ancient oracle…

This past weekend, I finally left Greece to explore the rest of Europe, with my first stop for this semester being Rome. It was amazing to see the difference between this historic city, and the one that I am not calling my temporary home. I loved everything about it; the cobblestone streets, the ancient ruins…

In an unfortunate, and maybe miraculous, turn of events, I have recently been suffering from the loss of my iPhone while abroad. As I was visiting the Temple of Poseidon, Poseidon decided to claim my phone. Initially, my first thoughts were of the photos now lost to the abyss, and the shear feeling of loss…

After having officially survived my first two weeks in Athens, I can easily say that this amazing and charismatic city has already altered my opinion of its history and its people. In such a short time, I have already realised that this place is about so much more than the ruins that typically grace its postcards…

Today, I embark on quite possibly the most exciting and terrifying journey of my life. I am traveling to Athens, Greece where I will be immersed in Greek culture from January to May. Through this experience, I hope to gain a better understanding of a culture besides American culture, practice and learn a different language,…