Based on your experience with CYA, what are some of the benefits of spending a semester or summer abroad? How has studying abroad contributed to your personal, academic, and professional development?

Studying Abroad has allowed me to gain a larger appreciation for the rich culture of such an old, rich place. It allows you to experience a way of life that may be contrary to anything you may have known. By spending time alone in another country, you both gain a better understanding of the country you study in and also take time to reflect on your life back in the States- which is eyeopening to many.

How was the political climate in Greece different from what are you used to? If applicable, describe a time when you had to navigate a political conversation during your time abroad.

It is interesting because similarity to the the United states, there has been a rise in police confrontations with people and growing social unrest. Although being here for me, seeing, talking and even interacting with the police has been alarming in that I don't fear my life when I do. Many Greeks have asked me why police brutality is so prominent in the United States, and what it is like to live in the United States. In those cases I have answered with honesty- that police in America are extremely violent, were forces created to continue to enslave and discriminate against black and brown Americans and that the mentality in life for the most part in the culture In the US is every man for himself. This is something I greatly saw as different in Greek culture, which is way more focused on group and community.

please select any of the following that apply to you, and that you would be willing to share about your CYA experience with other students:

Student of color, Finances while abroad, Religion while abroad

Favorite food in Greece?

Pastitsio

Favorite class you took at CYA?

The Orthodox Church and Sociology of Dissent