Challenging but irreplaceable June 01, 2022

By A student (Anthropology, Webster University) - abroad from 08/20/2021 to 12/18/2021 with

Webster University: Athens - Odyssey in Athens

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

That I am capable of pushing myself to get out of my comfort zone and that in doing this there is a chance to grow. I also learned to trust myself more and value my own experiences and opinions as much as I value that of others. It was absolutely worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	I enjoyed the topics discussed in the courses, the creativity that was encouraged by my instructors, and that standardized testing was not employed as a measure of understanding/success in these courses. I did feel that there was a lack of organization and communication between faculty at times.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The student affairs faculty were great with communication! Dina Skias was always in contact with us and easy to get in touch with if we needed anything. I felt she did an excellent job of informing us about planned events, excursions, and travel details.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Housing was comfortable and I loved my roommates. The only complaint I had was how long it took to turn on the heat in the winter - this was related to other tenants in the building so it wasn't the university's fault.
* Food:	The coffee and food in Greece is amazing. Grocery stores were affordable and just a short walk from the apartment I stayed in. If you don't mind a slightly longer walk there is a large open air produce market and a fish/meat market across the street from that. The quality of products sold here is great and there is a wide variety of seasonal produce available.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I felt fairly well integrated with the local culture. I think this would have been enhanced if I had studied Greek or of the language class was being offered when I studied abroad.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	I did not have an experience with healthcare here. I was required to be vaccinated and screened for different diseases as part of the visa application process. The program was clear about all information I needed to obtain from my primary care physician for the visa.
* Safety:	I never felt unsafe in Athens. It is always important when travelling to keep your money/wallet/passport secured and to look out for pickpockets. If you use good sense then there should not be any issue.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* 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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	I am not sure maybe around 30 euro, it varied if I was travelling or shopping
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	If you are souvenir shopping in plaka and something is quite expensive, there is probably many other stores that sell the same thing for a lower price. Look around before you commit to buying something if you are trying to save money where you can. Buying produce at the market is cheaper than at the grocery store so if you don't mind the walk thats the way to go. Bring a water bottle with you, water was pretty inexpensive from kiosks, but 1,50 euro adds up if you buy water several times a day or several time a week - the tap is safe to drink and does not taste bad so a reusable water bottle may help cut costs.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	excursions location people
* What could be improved?	official language course in person classes
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	How hard it can be to be in a different country for a whole semester. Sometimes things happen back home and it was a learning curve to realize I could do nothing about it and that I couldn't change it even if I were on the same continent. I felt like I had a loose understanding of this before going, but I definitely did not consider just how challenging this could be.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.	The Academic or Linguist You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Introduction to Linguistics
Course Department:	Language
Instructor:	Dr. Susie Michailidis
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course challenged me to think critically about topics that appear in my everyday life (language). I appreciated the wide variety of literature we were provided because it enhanced my understanding of linguistics and the role of language in social interaction. Dr. Michailidis was knowledgeable not only about the topic of linguistics, but also about history and was able to orient the class global environments/events occurring in parallel to the focus of our discussions. I participated more in class than I typically would at classes at my home campus, afterwards I felt more confident to participate in my classes upon returning for the spring semester. We were assessed through papers that we presented to the class and the class discussion that followed.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I had no issues transferring this credit

Course Name/Rating:	Modern Greek History/Society
Course Department:	History
Instructor:	Nomikos/Michailidis
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course offered several field trips that were interesting, however, the lectures of the class were not directly tied into the field trips so they seemed a little bit random. Additionally, faculty had some communication issues with what was assigned/due dates for activities related to these field trips. I found Nomikos to be well informed and clear in his lectures. There was not much class discussion of the information presented. We were assessed through papers, I learned a lot in detail about events in Greek history from independent research conducted to write these - which I thought was kind of fun!
Credit Transfer Issues:	I had no issue transferring the credit.

Course Name/Rating:	Topics in Anthropology and Community Service Learning
Course Department:	ANSO
Instructor:	Dina Skias
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class was challenging in the sense that I did not always want to go to the places I had committed to volunteering, but pushing through my off days made it more rewarding. Dina was very knowledgeable about the institutions I volunteered at (Archelon and Caritas Athens), she brought us to visit and meet those responsible for volunteers and was very helpful in answering whatever questions she could/helping us reach out to both places if needed. This class was entirely participation - hours logged at each location and personal journal entries to cover experiences for each day spent there. This offered a lot of room for self directed consideration of the experience and I experienced personal growth as a result. We were assessed based on participation (completing the necessary hour requirement and writing thoughtful journal entries).
Credit Transfer Issues:	I had no issues transferring this credit.

Course Name/Rating:	Advanced Topics in Archaeology: the onsite experience
Course Department:	ANSO
Instructor:	Dr. Michailidis (and Dina Skias)
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class was challenging because of the amount of time covered in the lectures - it can be difficult to keep AD, BC, and modern day events straight to create a linear and global appreciation of history. Dr. Michailidis was knowledgeable about all topics covered and the global events during each time period as well. I participated in the class more than I would at home, discussion and questions about the information presented was encouraged greatly. Dina led excursions/field trips to different sites that were discussed in the lectures given. These trips brought the lectures to life and made our class discussions more meaningful to me because I was able to see parts of the history with my own eyes. Grading/assessment was through written papers about a topic of our choice that was presented and discussed in class. I felt this was appropriate and a lot of fun because it encouraged exploration of topics we didn't get into in detail in class and I practiced skills like research and composition in a context quite different from what I am used to at my home campus.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I had no issue transferring this credit.