My Time in Athens

I can't believe it's already March. In a little over a week from now I will have been here in Athens for exactly two months. It feel as if just yesterday I was arriving at the airport, moving into my apartment in the Pangrati neighborhood, and getting lost for three hours as I attempted to find the academic center that I later learned was less than three minutes away. I would like to to think that I have come a long way since then--thanks to my classes, the educational trips I have gone on with CYA (to the Peloponnese and Delphi), and the independent exploring I have done with my new friends here (both around Athens and this entire country).

Through my Aegean Art & Archaeology and Philosophy classes, I have gotten to know Athens as it once was: the nexus of Western civilization and sociopolitical thought. We have discussed and explored the many sites found throughout this ancient city, as well as the museums in which the best of Hellenistic culture is displayed.

Through my Contemporary Greek Politics & Society course, I have gotten to know Athens as it currently is: a complex city at the nexus of European Union affairs. During our first week, less than three days before the parliamentary election, our professor took us to a rally organized by Syriza, the leftist party that was accurately forecast to win and is now in the process of attempting to deliver on the many promises its speakers made at this event. Most prominent among these presenters was Alexis Tspiras, the charismatic young leader of Syriza who was sworn in days later as Prime Minister.

Through my Service Learning class, I was given an internship placement at the Greek Forum for Migrants, an non-profit community-based organization that advocates for the social and legal rights of minorities. In this capacity, I have designed literature that has been distributed to immigrants explaining what a "hate crime" is and what recourse they have. Many of them do not speak fluent Greek, and English tends to be the language most of them have in common to a degree. So I was glad I could be useful in disseminating this important information. As I have learned through conversations with my colleagues, minorities is Greece have been historically mistreated by the Greek government. However, the Forum is hopeful that they will have an ally in the new "progressive" Syriza-led coalition.

To this end, I have learned as much talking to my colleagues at the Forum--as well as the taverna owners, bartenders, cab drivers, and of course Greek people my age--as I have in any of my classes. Everyone I have met is eager to share their opinions on politics, religion, romanic relationships, popular culture, sports, and just about anything and everything else you can think of. In turn, they are equally interested to hear my opinions, as someone new to their city. This experiential education has greatly complemented my academics, and together have profoundly enriched my worldview. I look forward to it continuing to do so.

Alexis Tspiras leading a rally of the Syriza party days before becoming Prime Minister of Greece

Sun setting over the Panathenaic Stadium with the Acropolis in the background

The sun rising over the National Archaeological Museum in Athens

The Greco-Roman sculpture collection at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens

The Peloponnesian canal

Sunset in the coastal city of Napflio 

The view from Palimidi Castle in Napflio

Statue of King Leonidas in Sparta

Entrance to the main stadium at Olympia

The village of Kalambaka, as seen from an Orthodox monastery in the mountains of Meteora

One of the many floats from the Carnival parade in Patras

The sanctuary of Delphi