The Semester My Life Began Past Review

By Rachael Bittick (University of Michigan - Ann Arbor) - abroad from 08/28/2017 to 12/15/2017 with

CYA (College Year in Athens) - Semester/Academic Year Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

This program was more than worthwhile, it was really remarkable and impactful. I learned how to not be so afraid of the opportunities that life presents us. I learned that I am a much more fluid person than I believed, and I still have a lot to figure out about who I am, but this semester abroad was truly the beginning of that process. This program has inspired much of the work I've continued to do since returning home, and as I prepare for my undergraduate graduation, I am moving forward by trying to be more involved with CYA by working with the program as an ambassador and a campus representative.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	The on site instruction, field trips, and passionate instruction of the professors really took these courses to the next level. Even the courses that were somewhat outside of my majors were more exciting and engaging than required courses I've taken at my home university.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The on-site administration of the program was outstanding. There were always people around to help and the staff was very welcoming and communicative.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Living arrangements were taken care of for us and were very close to the classroom building, so getting to class was very convenient. Also, apartments came with dishes and the essential necessities so we didn't have to worry about that.
* Food:	The food was great! The program provided very healthy and culturally authentic meals for lunch Monday through Friday. For all other meals, food was very cheap, the local gyro shops had DELICIOUS 2 euro gyros, while there were three very close options for local grocery stores, and a weekly farmers market with amazing and fresh produce.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I felt incredibly integrated with the local culture. My professors worked to integrate the city in several ways into our daily classes and the neighborhood was so welcoming and nice.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes If I could do it all over again, I would choose the exact same program and I would elect to have gone for the full year rather than just one semester. This experience was sincerely life changing for me. Between the people I built relationships with, to the course instruction and the experience in my field of study, this program exceeded all of my expectations and helped me learn not only about another culture but about myself as well.

Finances

* 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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	About $100 per week unless there were other social events that were more expensive
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Budget your money after the first two weeks so that you have an idea of how much money you need on a weekly basis. Also, set aside a certain amount of money you want to keep specifically for souvenirs and social events.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language	I was not actually in the language courses, but even so, the professors and locals encouraged learning simple phrases.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans
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?	The field trips (both required and optional) The instructors. The encouragement by staff to explore the city and the country.
* What could be improved?	University of Michigan orientation for full semester students Budget assistance. Clarity of grading processes.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I had had a better idea of the specific costs of things like transportation, groceries, phone bills etc.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.	The Academic or Linguist You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Ancient Greek and Aegean Art and Archaeology
Course Department:	Archaeology
Instructor:	Hüseyin Öztürk
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was challenging in the sense that there was a lot of information being covered, and for someone who has never studied archaeology, many of the concepts were foreign to me. However, the instruction was always very entertaining and engaging, and the on site instruction was extremely helpful for retaining and understanding the information visually.
Credit Transfer Issues:	This credit did transfer, however, at the University of Michigan, it will not count for the archaeological anthropology requirement for the anthropology major, which was frustrating.

Course Name/Rating:	The Culture of Modern Greece: The Ethnography of a Culture in Transition
Course Department:	Anthropology
Instructor:	Aimee Placas
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was sincerely incredible. Aimee lead us in anthropological discussions about several very prominent cultural topics in the heart of Athens such as death practices, gender expressions, and even the specifics of the local neighborhood. We took several trips around the Pangrati neighborhood area to learn about the culture and the local ways of living, which were very valuable experiences. The class was not particularly challenging in it's course load or the quizzes. I elected to take the course at a higher level and was able to work with Aimee one-on-one to design an independent ethnographic field work project, which gave me invaluable experience in the field as an anthropologist for the first time. Class participation was very active and about the equivalent to my home institution, but my home classes are also equally as small and intimate. Assessments were based on four small quizzes about the readings and discussions we covered, and for my higher level grade, I was assessed based on my continual progress in textual research, interviews and fieldwork throughout the semester, with a final poster presentation.
Credit Transfer Issues:	There were no issues with credit transferring.

Course Name/Rating:	The Religions of the Middle East: A Comparative Approach
Course Department:	Religion
Instructor:	Despina Iosif
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was a relatively basic introductory class about the three major monotheistic religions of the Middle East: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It was a relatively easy and straight forward class that was easy to follow with the readings from the textbook. We got to visit several local churches/mosques and one temple and learn about these religions at the local museums. The only challenge was a lack of understanding for expectations for the tests. But Despina adjusted results to make sure grades reflected student efforts. The essays were also productive because we got to choose our own topics of interest, and we lastly created a presentation on one of these essays.
Credit Transfer Issues:	The credit transferred without problem.

Course Name/Rating:	Modern Athens: Space, Art, and Urban Cultures
Course Department:	Anthropology
Instructor:	Hypatia Vourloumis
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was amazing! Hypatia is an incredible social activist and she was always so honest and real with her students. We were constantly taking field trips around Athens, to the top of Mt. Lycabettus, Anafiotika, and ventured to several public squares to do observation, hold class discussions and meet people. Assessments consisted of one presentation, thorough readings, weekly written reflections, three longer written pieces and one final reflective paper.
Credit Transfer Issues:	The credits transferred without problem.