CYA (College Year in Athens)

One piece of advice that I would give to someone going abroad, in general, and specifically in Greece, is that learning the basics of the native language is essential for a fully immersive study abroad. I had absolutely no experience with Greek and took a basic level of Greek language and culture class at CYA.

While I have always had trouble and anxiety surrounding language-learning, I loved my professor at CYA and felt so comfortable practicing my Greek in her classroom and in my neighborhood. Almost everyone in Athens can communicate with you in English, but whenever I at least attempted to use my Greek, I found that people were far more receptive to me. Learning and practicing Greek helped me make connections with locals because people were so excited to understand why I was learning the language and almost always offered to help me with my homework (whether I asked or not).

Learning the language is both a sign of respect and an extremely helpful tool in battling a sense of isolation in a new culture.

An average week is different for everyone. I did have some regularity to my schedule, but often enjoyed not knowing how my days would end up.

In the mornings, I would always go to the local gym about a half-mile up the street, shower and then go to class. I would have program-provided lunch between classes and then head to one of my three favorite neighborhood coffee shop. Coffee culture in Greece is huge (I went to a coffee shop on average once to twice a day). I would then spend my evenings with friends by going to dinner, going out in other parts of Athens, or exploring the tourist/local parts of the city.

I would have classes from Monday-Thursday and would spend most weekends either traveling around Greece or taking a few side trips to other countries.

One of my biggest fears about going abroad was that I would feel completely isolated from my environment and that I would shut down and miss out on important experiences.

I overcame this fear by both challenging myself to get out of my comfort zone while also cutting myself slack by taking time to myself when I needed it. Small moments of bravery led to some of the most impactful experiences: trying out Greek with someone I don't know, intentionally getting lost in a new neighborhood, volunteering with a local organization. Yet, it was also so important for me to recognize that it is ok to need alone time and that designated alone time can actually help lessen a sense of isolation.

I learned so much by simply observing my surroundings at coffee shops alone and going for daily runs around the historical sites and natural landscapes.

In short, remember to take a breath and find a contact where you are to mediate the situation. As long as you are in no immediate danger, you truly are ok. Take everything as an experience in and of itself.

When I was in Crete, a massive storm hit the island and my friends and I found ourselves stuck on the island for two days longer than intended. It was initially extremely stressful to figure out how to handle delayed and canceled flights in a foreign language and unfamiliar place. Yet, after we took a deep breath, my friends and I found that Aegean Airlines was more than willing to pay for our hotels, food, and transportation.

When my friend became sick in Athens, another friend and I took her to the hospital. We were all overwhelmed by the unfamiliarity of the procedures in Greek hospitals, but called our program and had them translate for us. It's ok to ask questions and to ask for help!

The most exiting stories come from students who, when they arrived in Athens, were away from home for the first time, not certain on what to expect or how to continue with their academic and working careers but following one semester or a full year at CYA they managed to find orientation and meaning by discovering a talent, a theme for research, a new science that they would like to serve and because of this they decided to make a major but fulfilling change in their life which became the starting point for their future excellence. This is what makes CYA is a life changing experience!

I would certainly choose the brand new Gap program we created for this fall!
Learning from the Ancients: a Hands-on Approach to Life from the Ancient Times to Today's Healthy Living is a solid 10 week program on Greek language, culture and history. Participants will spend 5 weeks at an Athenian seaside excavation site learning next to Greek university students and under the instruction and supervision of CYA faculty and the director of the excavation. The rest of the time will be spent visiting Athenian landmarks and points of cultural interest, learning Greek and traveling within Greece. Lastly, participants will spend a week on the island of Kos at the "Ancient House Hippocrates Garden" where they will learn how to plant and tend herbs and coexist in harmony with cedar trees, vineyards, and the fruit bearing trees of the garden under the guidance of Julie Zafeiratou, the owner of the garden.

The uniqueness of CYA lies in the people who work for CYA: first-rate faculty who are distinguished in their field of study and research and who, each in their unique way, guide students through their classes and study travel to discover and love Greece and it's wonderful culture. We have a team of CYA staff who are always available to provide support, assistance, guidance, numerous tips and ideas for exploration and a loving word when that is most needed. We are a team and we love what we do! I felt especially proud of the Short Term Programs team and the greater CYA team when we hosted the Cedar Crest College sophomore expedition to Athens in March 2019 with 165 participants. Also, it was a superb experience and we were all thrilled when CYA hosted the 3rd European Conference of the Forum on Education Abroad in 2016.

Under the shadow of the pandemic that has turned the world and our lives upside down and has shaken our sense of stability, I strongly believe that the biggest factor for success is flexibility that goes along with adaptation and adjustment to whatever each day brings. In order to be flexible you need a solid and stable base which you can in a sense "expand" but where you can always return to and from there move on again to the future step. The next and equally important ingredient for the success of any company, are the people who comprise it and breath in life to each and every little thing that makes the company actually be. CYA has both these ingredients!