I apologize for slacking on getting this post up, as our Greece week long Educational Field Trip was Oct. 1-5. But nonetheless, here it is:
We left gloomy, rainy London on Monday morning for hot and sunny Athens, Greece. Prior to our departure, we had a short orientation and we were hyped over the packed itinerary.
It included a walk to the Parthenon and Mars Hill, a bus ride to Delphi, a “hydrofoil” boat ride over to the Island of Aegina and another bus ride to Corinth. The hotel we stayed at for the duration of the trip was in Athens, located a short walk away from the Plaka (an area with lots of shops and restaurants).
We visited various museums and other historical sites, which were pretty interesting. Though we were split into two groups to make it easier on the tour guides who were—we’ll just leave at this—also interesting.
The EFT came up quick as we felt as if we had just arrived to London and now we were already rushed off to Greece. However, the temperature change was much appreciated, especially for me—being born and raised in Southern California, then adjusting to London’s weather has been quite the experience.
To briefly go over the Greece trip, my favorite parts were spending a day on the Island of Aegina and hiking up to the top of the Acrocorinth in Corinth.
Our day on Aegina was definitely the most relaxing as we had nearly five hours worth of free time to explore and hang out with friends. Some of our group drove ATVs around the island, and others swam in the Mediterranean Sea. The rest of us spent time in the shops, and admired the ocean views.
On the other hand, the hike up to the Acrocorinth wasn’t relaxing, but it was satisfying. It’s basically a castle on top of a steep hill, and there’s a trail up to the top. Someone said it was a couple miles, give or take a little.
The hike really wasn’t too bad, and the 360-view was gorgeous.
Plus, on the way down, a girl from Germany struck up a conversation with me. She was on a two-week field trip with her class. We talked about everything from the places she had traveled to, to about what the German school system was like, to how their trip was going.
It was enlightening as she told me, in fairly good English—although I think at some points she had no idea what I was saying—that she knew German, English, French, and bits of other languages since she had visitors who “couch surfed” at her house in Germany.
My knowledge of foreign languages is limited to Japanese (barely), and after meeting this girl and so many others in London, I’ve been inspired to delve into more languages.
She was extremely friendly, and after talking for about 30-minutes we parted ways at the bottom of the trail.
As corny as this may sound, that short conversation reminded me of why studying abroad is so important. In London I’ve made friends with people from South Africa, France, Nigeria, Jamaica and other places. Then in Greece I met this German girl who was the same age as me.
Each person carries with them a unique perspective and background shaped by their culture. To live life only being exposed to Americans seems like a shame.
There are nearly seven billion people in the world to meet.
I’m finally understanding why Pepperdine stresses applying for an IP for sophomore year, and why we’re rushed through the process less than a month from the first day of school. I can confidently say that stress and split second decision-making was more than worth it.