End of the odyssey
I think the general consensus among the Odyssey in Athens students is that this semester flew by. Two months ago, we arrived in Greece ready for three months of fun, adventure and new experiences.
Over the course of the trip, we’ve climbed mountains, explored ruins and soaked up the sun on exotic beaches. Now, we are starting the final stretch of our journey abroad.
From the day I arrived in Athens right up until today, Greece has been full of subtle differences to my life at home , and living here has been a great opportunity for me to expand my horizons and see the world through a different culture’s eyes.
For example, Greeks love to look nice; everyone always dresses up for class. I quickly learned that my days of wearing sweatpants and Uggs to class everyday were just a distant memory. After a week or two of looking like the quintessential American tourist in sneakers and jeans, I traded them in for a more Greek look.
Once I got used to the clothing differences, I started noticing other little differences in the culture and even just the day-to-day life in Greece.
Something I was not expecting was the amount of stray dogs in the street here in Athens. They are everywhere! They run the streets like they own the town, and I swear they have an uncanny ability to pick Americans out of a crowd to follow and harass them. There have been evenings that my roommates and I have walked home followed by a pack of four or five stray dogs.
Some changes here in Greece have not been so dismal. In fact, some changes have been downright fantastic.
Adjusting to life inside our apartment has been a challenge also. When we do laundry, we don’t have a dryer. Sometimes wet clothes are hanging on every available space in our tiny little apartment.
Also, hot water isn’t as easy an amenity to access as it is in the States. If any of us want to take a hot shower, we have to flip a switch in our fuse box and wait 20 minutes for the water to get warm. Yes, it is as annoying as it sounds.
Some changes here in Greece have not been so dismal. In fact, some changes have been downright fantastic. The weather here is amazing. Its mid November and I’m wearing short sleeves and dresses. The nightlife is a blast and the food is amazing. Also, the scenery of Greece is incomparable to anything I have ever seen. It is absolutely breathtaking at times.
The last few months have definitely been an amazing opportunity for me. It’s taken a little adjusting, but Athens has become my home away from home, wet laundry, stray dogs and all.
