Such a special experience!

While my time at CYA was a little non-standard due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it was still a phenomenal experience that impacted me as both a student and a human being! I participated in the program through a specialized program made in partnership with my college (Wellesley), so my time in Greece was also a little shorter than usual — we were on a quarter system during the pandemic, so I was only in Greece for 6-7 weeks, but the typical CYA student spends a full semester abroad! It's definitely a bummer that the pandemic/shortened term prevented me from taking part in the cultural activities that are usually offered (like joining local workout groups, babysitting, volunteering at the farmer's market, or learning how to carve marble!), but I still feel like I got to enjoy a whole lot of Greece! Through the CYA program itself, I got to travel to Nafplio, Kalamata, Olympia, Mystras, Sparta, and Delphi for a field study! This experience was genuinely life-changing — I fell in love with classical art and the history of the religious sites I saw, and I've actually decided to declare a second major in classical civilization with the hope to focus my study on classical religion! I think one of the best parts of Greece (and this program) is how many "ins" you have. Whether you're interested in history, or architecture, or art, or religion, or literature, or natural spaces, it's an INCREDIBLE place to be! I found myself feeling frequently overwhelmed by how cool it was to physically be in the spaces where stories I've read for YEARS were actually told (or even took place)! It was especially wonderful due to the weird period of time when I was in Greece. My time with CYA overlapped with the reopening timeline set in place by the government, so I got to explore places like Delphi and the Parthenon before tourism reopened, and being able to be in those places without the noise and bustle of hundreds of tourists was really really special. Aside from Greece itself, I really loved the academic program at CYA! Due to my shortened schedule, I was only taking one class with CYA (plus a virtual class from my home institution), but it was one of the BEST courses I've ever taken. My professor, Eleni Fassa, was so kind and enthusiastic, and she totally reawakened my childhood obsession with Greek myth and religion! We used the landscape of Greece as much as possible in this course, having classes at the Acropolis and at the sites on our field study. I just have so many good things to say about my time with CYA! The courses were amazing, the sights were amazing, the museums were amazing, the people were amazing, the food was amazing, GREECE was amazing! I highly recommend it!