Program Reviews

Hello, my name is Alvin, I am from California, Los Angeles. I go to San Diego State University and I chose this program because I am fulfilling a physiotherapy and I believe that the physiotherapy program here is good and I chose Greece because it is an area I’ve never explored before. So far my internship here has been very interesting, I’ve learnt a lot, also I’ve seen the surgery room so I got to experience a new field. So far it has been pretty good. Greece and Athens, I have explored a lot. The team that runs this program are very helpful, they have really been very responsive back to us. Overall this is a pretty good program so far. I think it is a great opportunity

I am Abbie and I just finished my Bachelors degree in West Texas A&M, entering the vet school in the fall. I joined the internship here at Attica Park Zoo, for just for 4-weeks, one month and I am staying in Athens. I am here for about 2 weeks now, half way through, and I love it and I got to do a lot of different veterinary things. I have seen all kinds of veterinary things on animals, anything from darting animals with vaccines, sedating them and performing surgery and performing autopsies. The apartment that I stay at is really nice, it’s a one bedroom and it has anything you need to be by yourself. I got a lot of support from the zoo and the people from the program. I got to explore Athens and went sightseen from the Acropolis to Mt Parnitha and got to see wildlife in the zoo and in Athens

Hi, I’m Jada Forbes, I’ve come here to study physiotherapy from the US I chose my internship because I felt like I wanted to do something to help people, healing people and caring for people but I didn’t think I wanted to be a surgeon or like a medical doctor or anything, I just wanted to help people recover from surgery or recover from whatever they’re suffering from. As for highlights here, I was in the ICU care unit and I absolutely loved it down there. It was so cool to wear the robes, the gloves- it’s so cool. Also in OR I’ve seen knee replacements, that’s why I’m upstairs dealing with the physiotherapist. They are usually dealing with that stuff to help them recover and walk. Doing exercises and things like that. Another highlight, probably has been with my physiotherapist I think is the hardest. I love his, he is so helpful. Any questions that I had, I just asked and he explained along the way. He loved teaching and made jokes and was very sweet. For coordination I definitely think Cerca has open arms. Any questions I needed – one time I got lost, so I texted them and they were there in a matter of seconds. So, they gave me all that I needed, like to the metro, to the bus, just getting around here they made it really easy and just made it feel very close to talk, very comfortable being here for five weeks. Yes.

Hi, I’ m Elias, I am from Edinburgh in Scotland. I chose Cerca as part of my University elective. I am completing my Master’s, so I’ve been working in healthcare for a number of years now, but I thought this was a great opportunity. It’s quite rare, I think, to find a place where it has both a great clinical aspect as well as a great place and great people. But I think this is what really attracted me to this program. I’ve walked around the world in many different countries, I’ve done many electives overseas and, like I said, generally you find a nice place or a nice hospital. I think Athens is the perfect mix of both to be honest. It’s an amazing city, so much to do in your time off- great two weeks.

Hello, I am Megan Baxter, I am from Virginia and I go to the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. I chose Athens, Greece for my medical internship through an internship abroad because the experience it gave me and I’ve never travelled outside to the world nor had I seen the medical practices in Greece, so it was really interesting to see. I got to stay within a twenty minute metro ride and it was super fun. I have stayed with a couple of girls from other internships and it was really cool to see what they got to experience as well, and I know they loved it just as much as me.
Also, I got to see the Acropolis, I got to see all around Athens, try the amazing food and I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone that hasn’t seen the world or whether it’s psychology or medical. They offer so much. You couldn’t have a better experience than this.

Hi, I’m Summer Traub and I am going to the University of Iowa. I did the dental internship here in Athens for three weeks. I got to work with an amazing dentist. He explained what he was doing as he was working with patients, which was very helpful to my learning.
I got to see a variety of things from basic cleanings to extractions and I also got to observe the different techniques that the dentist got to use. Here in Athens I loved getting to make personal connections with the dentist and the patients who I got to see who had multiple cases through my time here. Outside of the internship I loved getting to explore a new culture and the city and the islands that I got to travel at the weekends. The city is amazing, there’s so much to do. It’s a very safe place. If you plan into interning abroad I
definitely recommend going through Cerca. They have great accommodations even from the airport pickup to the apartment I was staying at and even to getting me used to the metro and the tram helping me to find my way to the clinic on the first day.

Hello, I am Megan Baxter, I am from Virginia and I go to the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. I chose Athens, Greece for my medical internship through an internship abroad because the experience it gave me and I’ve never travelled outside to the world nor had I seen the medical practices in Greece, so it was really interesting to see. I got to stay within a twenty minute metro ride and it was super fun. I have stayed with a couple of girls from other internships and it was really cool to see what they got to experience as well, and I know they loved it just as much as me.
Also, I got to see the Acropolis, I got to see all around Athens, try the amazing food and I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone that hasn’t seen the world or whether it’s psychology or medical. They offer so much. You couldn’t have a better experience than this.

Hi, i am Tom , i am from London in the U.K . I currently study physics at Imperial and i am finishing off my degree. I am thinking of applying for medicine next year and continuing all my higher educations to become a doctor. I decided to join Cerca Abroad because it would give me the opportunity to, basically, have a look at all the different specialities that are on offer and see if I would be interested into working in any of them and as a doctor at all, because i want to be very thorough and take care of my decision. The highlights of the experience, I would say, I particularly enjoyed being in the operating rooms. Like, it is an amazing opportunity and experience in that they would literally allow you to watch any operations going in the operating rooms, which is something that not many students in the U.K have access to. So, you can literally ask if you can have access to the operating room and observe. The doctors are very friendly as well. They would talk to you , they would guide you through the surgery , even me as a physicist with my lack of medical knowledge, they would still talk me, giving me their time of day. Which i didn't expect at all. So, these were really good aspects of the experience and i had some really friendly , welcoming people on the way as well. They would make sure that i was introduced to the surgeons and stuff like that. So, yeah, i really enjoyed that aspect of the experience and in particular that. When it came to the coordination between myself, Dennis and George's and Cerca Abroad in general , i felt that it was pretty good in general, as we knew what we had to do. Like when we were picked up from the airport on time, like the keys, the sort of organization about our housing and stuff like that-the organization and that was all very smooth and seamless. So, you know, good job there i suppose. So, as well as the medical aspects of the internship , I really enjoyed getting to know Athens and Greece in general. As in like, the city is historic . It has the Parthenon in the center. You really feel the weight of the history . It has a very nice vibe as a city. I particularly enjoyed exploring the Plaka and Psiri touristic areas. The buildings are beautiful, you know. I used to enjoy walking around with the other interns, so we got off to know each other. So, yes!

Hi, my name is Casey, I come from Brooklyn, New York, and I am currently pre-dental so I decided to do this internship to get a look at what being in a dentist’s office feels like. I’m working with many people to see different techniques and see how different patient relationships are introduced. One of my favorites is to see the different techniques they use in Greece. Especially with the materials they use, make crowns and all the different ways that they implement their studies versus how the United States implements their way of learning their dentistry and using our patients. And I love Cerca Abroad- it was super easy- they picked me up from the airport, our accommodation was ready for us and there was always someone there at the counter to ask how you’re doing and anything that you need at the moment. Athens was gorgeous, we got a metro pass and went to see the whole city. Everything is within a 15 minute walk away or a 15’ train right away, so it was accessible and beautiful here. I would recommend this to anybody.

Hi, my name is Lydia, I am from Kentucky in the U.S. I decided to come here, to Greece, simply because I have not visited here before. I wanted to do psychology because my major in college was speech language psychology, so it’s related to behavior mindset and brain therapy, so I figured that working in a general psychology workplace would be really helpful for me. And it was. I worked teaching beneficiaries who had multiple disorders such as schizophrenia, ADHD, and multiple personality disorders, bipolar disorder etc. and we were able to implement activities and work with them, while I also learnt Greek and teach them English. It was a very good experience. I’ve never experienced something like this before.
As far as living in Greece, that has been even more life changing than anything I’ve experienced before. Living in a city- I come from Kentucky, which is a little more rural- so I’ve never taken the metro before. I usually have to drive my car everywhere- here I did walk- and that was a really learning experience, needing to get to work every day. Also, everyone around us was speaking a different language. It was interesting using our non- verbal communication like facial expressions and gestures to communicate with people around in public- even at work.
I was able to meet a lot of cool girls. My two roommates are from Texas and California and it was really nice to bond and go to work with them. We’ve developed really good relationships. They were helpful and easy to communicate with. It’s just been a phenomenal time. I’m going to miss it. I wish I could go back.