I’ve been in Athens, Greece for a little over a week now, and I already know that this is going to be a lifechanging semester! My classes are fun, the town I’m living in is beautiful and completely walkable, and public transport makes traveling to other islands and countries so easy! I absolutely love my life here, but from talking to other participants in my program, I’ve gathered that not everyone is as starstruck as I am. I’m not blind to the differences between my life at home and my life here, and there have definitely been some unexpected twists since moving in, such as the twenty minute uphill walk to our school, or the fact that I’m sharing a living space with 11 other people. While these things definitely take some adjustment, I’m confident that I can overcome them, along with any other differences I discover along the way!
Another thing that I’ve noticed is how easy it’s been to make friends, which is something I was worried about prior to arrival. It’s important to keep in mind that almost everyone is in the same position, and if I had to give one piece of advice, it’d be to go out and do things the first few days! Even if you wouldn’t normally go out, even if you’re tired, use whatever energy you have to go to the meetups and activities. Putting the effort in from the beginning allows you to meet so many different people before groups start forming, and it makes it so that even after you’ve found your people, you’ll have so many familiar faces around campus!
