I will never regret it. Past Review
By Rebecca R (Anthropology & Classical Culture, Ball State University) - abroad from 05/22/2013 to 06/27/2013 with
KIIS: Greece - Experience Greece, Summer Program
A lot has happened to me since returning home from Greece. Home was just like I had left it, and yet at the same time, everything had changed, if only slightly. I remember around week four in Greece I had developed the feelings of homesickness. It wasn’t culture shock; I don’t think I was there long enough for that to happen, but simply weariness from an absence from familiarity. In all honesty, much of the weariness I felt was not from the place I was in, but from the people around me. Maybe it was just the introvert in me, but in the last week and a half in Greece I found any excuse to wander away and leave idle conversations behind. I made many lifelong friends in Greece, and our experiences together I will never trade, but I also will equally treasure the adventures I had with only myself, just in a slightly different way. When I’m with others the experience is different in that it’s shared and what I take from it is values in community and culture and how people, in general, exist together in a world not unlike mine. I listen to them talk and laugh and in turn talk and laugh with them. In this, I know, I am not alone. But when I am alone is when I can learn about me. As cliché and obvious as that sounds, it’s true. The experiences I had with my travel group showed me who I had potential to be. Someone who used to hide in her room and dread communal interactions had found inside herself the switch to engage, learn from, interact with and experience the presence of other people. Being with others taught me to be comfortable and enjoy a pace faster than my norm. It was exhilarating…it was breathtaking…and it was new. But I also learned more about myself from the slower pace I like for myself. It was comfortable and peaceful and I could enjoy the moment of calm and the steady familiar feeling of my own heart while in the rare and precious moments it skipped beats at the beautiful sights in front of me that I was witnessing. In my first trip (I believe I was too young to truly appreciate anything) I learned great life lessons but if it did leave anything impaction it was to infect me with the travel bug…the itch to go out and do it again and again and many times over again. What this trip gave to me is friendships and lessons about myself. I learned I can be adventurous and bold, that I can conquer my fear and also know when to let it keep me at a comfortable and safe pace. Like the travel bug before, I caught on this trip the photography bug. In these travels I learn more about myself and others and the world in which we live in. And that’s what growing up is about. It’s a new kind of wonderment if not of magic then of beauty, of lessons, of life and of love for this world that I call home.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It was a new way to learn, and for me, a hands on/ immersive learning experience was just what I needed to fully appreciate my education. Instead of just sitting in a classroom, expected to always understand what is being said, I actually got to see, in my life what it is we were talking about. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
2 1/2 star hotels are a lot nicer than you would expect. They know how to take care you you. |
| * Food: |
Restaurants are fun to go to every once in a while, and the food is suburb as well, but sometimes it was nice to go to the local market and pick up some authentic foreign brand food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Not as much interaction with locals as I would ideally want but full immersion includes understanding and knowing the language. So for this program it was nice to be able to stick my toes in and take what I could get from this trip. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Felt completely safe, the entire time. If I didn't go looking for trouble and stayed conscience of my surroundings, I was fine. The danger level is no different than being in any other place on earth. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Tried to keep with in a budget of $150 a week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't spend it all on souvenirs. Get small things for family and friends (easily packable) and one or two things for yourself, save money for food (don't go out to restaurants for every meal) most worthwhile purchases are for the experiences and side trips and most importantly remember that their is an exchange rate. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | 0 |
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? | Not all electronics are chargeable. Check if the need batteries. |
