History, Food, Fun, and Free Wine Past Review
By A student (English Literature, Political Science, CUNY - Baruch College) - abroad from 06/14/2013 to 07/22/2013 with
College Consortium for International Studies (CCIS): Thessaloniki - American College of Thessaloniki
It truly, was one of the best decisions I've made during my entire collegiate experience. I honestly, grew close to so many of the other students and at the same time met some people that enriched my experience that I'll may never see again. My experience abroad made me value living in the moment even more than I did at home. Sometimes knowing nothing will bring more joy then having all the answers. All you can do is laugh when your lost and people give you crazy looks because you mispronounce the language. Being an outsider is a truly rewarding experience. It makes you challenge not only the local's cultural experiences but your experience back home as well.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I took two classes over the short summer program and honestly it did not match the rigor of classes at my home university. I was extremely grateful for this fact but seriously, your paying for an educational experience not just a good time. This was not the fault of my instructors however, who both were some of the most informed men on the subject but because of the diversity of the students. Many came from various majors and didn't have enough background on the subjects for the professors to increase the substance of the course work. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Truly friendly people although I did not interact with the administration much. This is actually a good thing because I didn't run in to any administrative problems will studying. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I really liked the housing. It was a quaint apartment building, lacked some of the US amenities but overall I felt extremely comfortable there. Our neighbors were extremely friendly and the apartment was in a pretty safe neighborhood. On the other hand, the housing was pretty far from downtown (about and 1 hour walk) so even on beautiful nights you'd hate the commute. |
| * Food: |
Only one reason dining in Greece would be a problem for you- if your a vegan. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The truth is if you do not have any Greek ancestry, you probably won't walk away feeling like you added a layer to your identity. However, Greeks are incredibly friendly people, and mostly interested in learning about other cultures- especially American culture. So, expect random people asking you where your from, where you go to school,etc. However, at the same time many younger Greeks stick within their parea which makes the nightlife scene kind of interesting. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Being in Thessaloniki was the safest I ever felt when just wondering around with friends. I never worried about being alert for certain types of crime like you have to be in most cities. There are some things that are important to newcomers in Greece for example, people will stare at you if you look different. I had the notion that Greece was as diverse as say the UK or France. It is NOT. Thessaloniki is not Athens or Santorini. But generally, this really did not affect my trip at all. However, there were a few sexual and racial incidents that happened on the street to other students and myself. Not to scare you, if you can handle a city like New York, Thessaloniki is a piece a cake. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
This solely depends on your preference to dine out or at home and whether you like to party a lot. Pretty much ate out and went out dancing every other night which got to be pretty expensive. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 150-170 euro a week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Be honest about your spending habits at home. If you go to restaurants every weekend at home, your probably not going to want to cut back overseas. Realistically, budget things that you know you don't want to pass up on. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Many of the American students took Modern Greek and I believe they were the ones who utilized the language the most during the experience. However, after knowing essential phrases no one really tried to push the language. On the contrary, many of the local students wanted to practice their English. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Speak in the native language first. If your wrong what's the worst that can happen? |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Nothing. Just dive in. |
