The question was asked, “Why do you want to go to Athens, Greece for an educational abroad trip?” As a fan of history and traveling, Athens presents exciting new adventures in a new country for me to visit. One major factor I had to address was that I would be gone during my daughter’s high school graduation, so I had to sit her down and discuss everything from the timing of the trip to how her personal feelings played a major role in my decision. Her words to me were “This is a huge opportunity and you can’t miss it!” Next was the factor of price and how I would afford it. My parents donated a substantial amount towards the trip, I also set up a GoFundMe and finally paid out of pocket for the remaining amount.
How do you prepare for a trip like this? As a retired Army veteran I am use to packing for overseas trips, so I made a list of the common items (clothes, toiletries, etc.) and then tried to think through a day in my life here at home and what I used regularly. I then added these to my list and would update the list every weekend leading up to the trip. I then found a medium-sized box to place items for my trip into it. If I purchased something, especially for the trip, I would put it in the box. One important item was a 220 – 110 converter and adapters for Europe.
Currently, we are flying into Newark airport which is having issues with air traffic controllers and other things, and it does create some anxiety for the trip. How am I dealing with the anxiety? Trust in your faculty and understand they will keep an eye out for any obstacles that may occur. Also, I am excited as I have been to several countries such as Germany, Ireland, France, Austria, and Mexico and now I get to add to the list Greece! The first thing I am going to look forward to is the sleep I will get on the plane!
For this trip, I want to learn how to apply my graduate school courses to real-life experiences. I also want to understand their culture and how to provide better care for these patients. On a personal side of the trip, I want to see the historical landmarks that are located in Athens and soak in the experience of Greece.
