If you don't already know, my name is Kiki Lewis and I am a sophomore at Pacific Lutheran University with a double major in History and Classical Studies. This coming spring semester I will be spending 5 months abroad in Greece studying and living within Athens through the College Year in Athens program. I applied and got accepted into the program last spring and have been nervously awaiting my trip ever since.
And, well, it's getting close. T-31 days until I board a plane headed to Greece (well, actually headed to Chicago, then to Munich, and then to Greece).
I've already got the essentials: passport, visa, hiking shoes, luggage, and too many clothes to pack. I have been told by my program to pack light, but I have always been an over-packer. With only a few last minute items to acquire when I come home from school over winter break, I will be ready to go on January 8th.
I won't lie, I have had some nervousness and even doubts about being out of the states and away from my homes for so long. I was afraid of missing out on relationships with my friends, big campus events, and most of all becoming distant from everyone. As the months have progressed, I have gained a new confidence within myself and am determined that everything will be just fine. From nervousness to excitement, I am ready to live out each adventure that awaits me on the Mediterranean.
When I first arrive in Athens I will have to wait in line for a taxi, and with what little broken Greek I know, find my way to the University Center where I will pick up my apartment key. From there I will (try to) find my apartment and start to move in before 6pm, as an orientation will begin back at the University center.
Athens is one of the safest cities in the Europe per CYA faculty, so I am not too worried about my well being (don't worry mom, I will still be cautious and safe at all times). Our apartments are anywhere from 2-10 minutes in walking distance away from the University Center in the Pangrati neighborhood within Athens. They are supposed to be fully furnished with a kitchen, bathroom, and 1-3 bedrooms, meaning I could have anywhere from 3-5 flat mates living with me.
As you may or may not know, I am going over before the semester begins to participate in a two week excavation project at the Voula (Aixonidai Halai) site where I will spend 6 hours on site followed by 2 hours in the classroom learning about and doing archaeology for 10 days. The official semester begins on January 23rd and my roommates will be moving in to our apartment and I will finally be able to meet them. The program is still in the process of roommate matching and figuring out the apartment situations, and hopefully I will at least know who my roommates are two weeks before the semester begins.
As for classes, I plan on taking 5 courses during the semester which include History of Sports, Games, and Spectacles of the Graeco-Roman World, The Orthodox Church, Modern Greek 101, Ancient Greek: Attic Tragedy, and The Topography and Monuments of Athens. Many of these classes are on site so I will really be able to contextualize my learning. I will also have 4 field trips where I will be visiting Italy, the Peloponnese, Delphi, Thessaloniki, and a spring break with 10 days to spend how I please (hopefully traveling!).
All of these wonderful opportunities increase my excitement for this amazing experience, and though the culture shock will be hard at first, I'm sure that I will want to stay in Greece forever and not come home at the end of May. (Don't worry, I'll come back...maybe)
