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Study Abroad in Greece!
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University Honors Program Blog
Intellectual Omnivores Unite
Check out the following refreshing perspective from UHP Peer Advisor Nicky Cacchione!
72 hours ago, I was sitting in Buenos Aires, Argentina about 5,000 miles from our beautiful Foggy Bottom campus. I had just been on “vacation” (lol all of an abroad semester feels like a vacation… but just go with it) in the province of Salta in Argentina and had seen Las Salinas Grandes, which are these incredible salt flats (seriously look up some pictures it’s nuts!), but all of a sudden, I found my semester abroad turned upside down. Now, I find myself writing this blog, after 24 hours of straight travel, in a friend’s apartment here in DC. To say this isn’t how I expected things to turn out is an understatement, and I know I speak for a lot of people when saying that sentiment probably resonates with you all. However, in the face of all of this uncertainty, tragedy, anger, sadness, and confusion – I want to implore the UHP community to do something that seems almost too hard to do right now: find the silver linings.
I think for all of us, these are incredibly stressful times. Personally, I have no permanent housing until my lease starts in mid-June, I am out thousands in planned personal travel, I can’t see relatives in fear of spreading the virus, I was thrown back into a culture I didn’t think I’d experience for another 50+ days, I had to abruptly say goodbye to newfound friends abroad, and the GW I was forced to come back to is almost completely desolate. To be honest, I can’t, and don’t even feel bad for myself in all of this. There are people dying, losing their jobs, and losing their homes. There are high school and college graduating classes of 2020 that aren’t sure if they will get a proper commencement, and are now positive it won’t be when it was expected to be. There are even other students like myself, who were abroad, who had only been in their respective locations since the first week of March. No matter how bad, or comparatively “okay” your situations are to any of these people, I think now, of all the times in the world, it is time to stay positive and take comfort in the small things.
For me, the first silver lining was reaching out to my business fraternity pleading with someone to let me crash at their place, not expecting anything of it, only to be received with 8 text messages from different people, some who I barely am close with, saying that I could use their apartments. The next was a 6-hour flight home from Panama with a friend that I had wanted to get to know better on my program, we talked the whole way. The others have included unexpected reunions with my best friends here at GW who I didn’t expect to see until May at the earliest, monument runs instead of crowded gyms runs in Buenos Aires, and support of a GW community on my return from abroad (thanks for the free toilet paper guys, I didn’t realize how hard it’d be to find some).
For all of us, it can be the fact that we are blessed with technology. We have the ability to keep in touch with all of our friends through this fiasco via facetime or video games or whatever platform you choose. Or it could be that some of you get to see your families earlier than expected – hold them close even if they get on your nerves, because family is forever. More trivially, maybe you were not having the best semester academically; well now you can choose to take that tough UHP class pass/fail and it won’t affect your GPA. Moreover, do you know how many tv shows and movies and books we are all about to get through? Choose one with a friend and call them about it after every few episodes (if anyone still needs to watch the Marvel Universe movies, your boi is making his way through those as we speak). Regardless of what it is, there are silver linings to every situation: yes, even COVID-19. The process to find them isn’t easy, and they aren’t going to fix the problems that the world has right now at all, but if there is one thing I learned from being abroad in Buenos Aires, it’s to smile in the face of uncertainty, and learn to relax because a lot of things just aren’t in our control. On the contrary, what is always in our control is what we do to try to make ourselves happy.
So UHP, I’m happy/sad (great Addams Family reference right here if any of you get it I already love you) to be back so soon with you all – keep lifting each other up on social media and posting pictures and workout routines because you are all gorgeous and strong, keep drawing fruits and veggies and tagging your friends, and keep on finding the things throughout this that are going to make you happy.
I hope to see you all soon – stay safe and healthy!
Much love,
Nicky Cacchione
The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Ryan, a junior studying English, creative writing, and linguistics.
My name’s Ryan. This is me, perched with aquiline grace upon a rock on the Pacific coast of Chile as I naturalistically sip on a crisp, refreshing Coca-Cola. Beneath my prolific brand influencer appearance, though, you might be surprised (or, if you’ve spent a lot of time with me, entirely unsurprised) to know that I sometimes have trouble figuring out what’s the best path for me.
Now, hold on, I see you getting ready to fling your laptop across the room, enraged that you’re being engaged in a philosophical discussion. But stick with me! My story doesn’t have any Plato, Lao Tzu, or Lola Ralkowski—but it may still be a good example of how you, as a uniquely wonderful Honors student, can choose the path that’s uniquely you.
Like I said, I sometimes have trouble figuring out my way, especially when it comes to separating what’s best for other people from what’s best for me. In the case of this story, my indecision manifested as a battle between two forces: the desire to study abroad, and my, shall we say, temperamental relationship with milk products. Although I have many, many eccentricities (you can ask Mary and Ben), one of my most iconic is my anaphylactic dairy allergy. Eating it in any form, from butter to cheese to chocolate, can potentially send me to the hospital. Cool, huh? Typically, I don’t have big issues with it, but when it came time for me to consider studying abroad, I thought about it a lot.
What would I do in another country for four months? My caution and general allergy paranoia meant that I didn’t feel very comfortable eating local food, but I certainly couldn’t eat dairy free chips and granola bars for that much time. But still, I felt pressured to do that anyway—pressured by the looming judgmental voice saying that studying abroad for a whole semester is what everyone does. What was I, a fragile loaf of bread in the oven of life, to do?
Then, like a clarion call from the highest Heavens, the idea came to me:
(Actually, it was from another UHP student who I sat with in Math & Politics. Don’t let anyone tell you that G-PAC requirements won’t help you in life.)
Summer Study Abroad.
That’s how, after sophomore year ended, I spent the first month of the summer in Valparaiso, Chile, somewhere I’d wanted to visit since I was 15 (as I said, I’m a slightly weird person). Even though the food selection in Chile was, well, slim for me (butter is actually one of three major food groups in Chile, along with bread and instant coffee), I only had to manage that for a month, instead of four, and I got a hugely valuable experience out of it.
Now, what’s the lesson here? Am I saying that everyone should have the exact same study abroad experience that I did? Not really. There were plenty of ups and downs for me, and it doesn’t fit everybody: some people would do better in a different country; others would want to stay a longer or shorter time; and some might want to go abroad on their own time, rather than in study abroad. And hey, that’s okay!
So, you’re looking ahead and planning your time at GW, don’t feel like you need to do anything just because it’s “what everyone does.” Deep down, you know the things that are best for you—so have faith in yourself to do what you want to do.
The following blog post was written by peer advisor Allie, a CCAS junior studying economics and math. Allie is abroad this semester and writing from London with love!
Hiya! I’m currently studying abroad in the lovely city of London and having a wonderful time (if you are considering going abroad, I highly recommend it). Whenever I am talking to friends back home and they ask me how I’m liking London, I always answer that London is a great city filled with so much to do and I am constantly taking advantage of new opportunities.
I knew I only had a couple months here so I’ve been making sure to try as much as I can and really see what the city has to offer me. I am constantly looking for new things to do—whether it’s getting recommendations from friends or even the friendly salesperson or waiter, searching online for unique things to do (yes, secretldn.com has become my most visited sight), or searching social media for those trendy places. Now I do this in DC as well, but here’s the difference, this semester, I’ve actually been going to these places.
My freshman year a friend of mine who was a senior told me “I did more cool DC things my freshman year than all other years combined.” Obviously, I assumed that I would be different and that I would always push myself to leave Foggy Bottom, but I haven’t. I got so caught up with my GW life that sometimes I forgot to go live my DC life. So, I am challenging you—whatever year you are or if you are a professor or whoever, go out and do something cool in DC.
Below is a list of my usual excuses as to why I should stay in Foggy Bottom and here’s the advice that I wish I had given myself.
“It’s final season, I have to work”– 1. Study breaks are important so let your next study break be something cool in DC. 2. Why not try studying in a cool new place? A trendy café? A museum? 3. You need to eat so how about you go to a cool restaurant rather than something in your comfort zone.
“It’s too expensive” – 1. There’s a bunch of free stuff in DC. 2. Set yourself a budget. I did this and originally thought it would be limiting, but instead its led me to take advantage of more opportunities because I was comfortable staying within the budget I set.
“None of my friends are around”– Go by yourself. I was always worried that people would judge me for doing something alone, but in reality no one cares and being by yourself can be really nice.
“That’s out of my comfort zone. I don’t want to do it”– Sometimes it is fun to try something different. Even if you don’t like it, it may make for a funny memory and you never know, maybe you’ll love it.
So please go out and explore, I know I plan to once I’m back.
P.S-If you have any DC or London recommendations, let me know (not sure if you could tell but I like finding new things to do)
Peer advisor Dylan is a senior in the Milken School studying public health.
Wow, another GW kid went abroad! Groundbreaking.
Well, just like half of GW, I went abroad. To put it blankly: Abroad was one of the most rewarding but trying experiences in my life—and I would recommend it to anyone.
When choosing a program, I knew that it was important to me to choose something a little more atypical. There were a lot of contenders, but I ended up being a part of CET’s Public Health and Development program based out of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. My mother was thrilled!*
*My mother was the furthest thing from thrilled.
When it came to planning, I was very bad at it. I didn’t know much about the city, how to get around, or even how to say, “hello” in Vietnamese. However, that did not stop me from departing on February 12th for what would end up being one of the most incredible experiences of my life.
My first few days in Ho Chi Minh City (more commonly referred to as Saigon) was the capital of South Vietnam pre-1975. The city was, and still is, a cultural hub and blends Vietnamese tradition, French colonization, and Western influence in a haphazard way. My program paired me and the other American participants with a local Vietnamese roommate who studied at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities. My roommate, Thông, was majoring in Japanese Studies and we bonded over our love of food and memes.
The program was very small—only 4 American students—and is the primary reason the program proved to be so difficult at times. I am a fairly social creature so this small pool of potential friends was cause of great concern. But, I took this challenge in stride (after several dramatic phone calls/facetime sessions with friends and family at home) and tried to use this as an opportunity to engage with Saigon outside of my neighborhood. A lot of my neighborhood travel centered around visiting different cafes considering just how popular and delicious coffee was in Saigon. Vietnam houses a very large growing region in its central highlands. Also, aside from just coffee, Vietnam has amazing food. To this day I dream of the next time I’ll get to have cơm tấm, bún thịt nướng, or bột chiên.
There are so many experiences I had abroad that I could talk about now. There was the time I saw an abandoned water park, ate crickets, regularly rode around on motorbikes, climbed down a waterfall, attended a break dancing competition, saw a former emperor’s mausoleum, walked through a rice paddy, and sailed aboard a dragon boat. But, there was something so incredibly special about Vietnam that no amount of words could summarize. Vietnam was the first chance I had to be on my own and rely on myself. Saigon will forever have a place in my heart and 500 words is not nearly enough to tell you how. You’ll just have to see for yourself.
The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Sydney, a SEAS sophomore studying biomedical engineering and currently studying abroad in New Zealand! You can learn more about Sydney here.
As with most great things in life, studying abroad is not easy. Don’t get me wrong, it is a beyond amazing experience that I absolutely wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. But it isn’t all fun and games. Sure, it’s a lot of fun with a fair number of games, but there are still many of challenges along the way. Here are some helpful tips to help you survive the time of your life.
The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Sammi, an SMPA junior studying political communication and art history. Sammi is also currently abroad this semester in Florence. You can learn more about her here.
My study abroad preparation began a few months into my freshman year at GW. Being the type-A planner that I am, I started to research study abroad programs for the spring semester of my junior year before I even knew what I was doing with my life for the next semester. Over the next few years, I decided on a program, arranged my four-year plan to fit study abroad (see they are helpful!) and applyied to my program. After being accepted to my program in late August, I began researching packing lists and advice for studying in Florence and studying abroad as a whole.
All of that being said, there are many things that I did not plan for in my multi-year study abroad preparation. I am going to share a few pieces of advice that either nobody told me before going abroad or that I heard but did not take to heart. Hopefully by reading this, you will be spared some of these difficulties (albeit minor difficulties) in your own study abroad experience. If not, I hope you will be amused by my random stories (see #2). Here we go…
#1: Document your time abroad
You have probably heard this a million times. So have I. Yet, when I arrived in Florence, I forgot entirely about my nice leather journal I got for Christmas and only took my camera with me on weekend trips. Documenting the day-to-day activities, even if it is just what you eat (I would love to have had a tally of how many slices of pizza I have had), helps you remember the days that comprise your everyday study abroad life. I have only been in Florence for five weeks, but I am already forgetting what I did in the days before I started classes. Find a medium that works for you—private journal, online blog, photography, video—and stick to it. You will be thankful for this when you get home and your family asks you what you did while abroad. I have a million pictures from this “Sound of Music” tour I went on in Mondsee, Austria (because the scenery was gorgeous) and other weekend trips, but only a handful from my days in Florence.
#2: You will miss American food/snacks
Everyone has that one snack that you would willingly eat for the rest of your life. For me, that is Hot Cheetos. After a few weeks of trying to decipher what the Italian snacks at the supermarket were, I started to miss my Hot Cheetos, which are nowhere to be found in Europe. I am lucky enough to have a few people visiting me from the US throughout the semester that will supply my Hot Cheetos need. I also had no idea how much I would miss burgers. Most of my meals during my weekend in Paris were burgers and fries (I know, pathetic) because I had not seen them in Florence. Now, I know of three restaurants within a five minute walk from my apartment that serve good burgers for those days I start missing American food. Before you go abroad, look up what items aren’t sold in your study abroad location (peanut butter, ranch dressing, Hot Cheetos, etc.) and decide whether you realistically can live without them for a semester. If not, pack some with you before you leave.
On a rainy day, I decided to explore some of Florence and I caught a photo of this saxophonist playing “La Vie en Rose” outside the Duomo. Now, I stop to listen every time I see him.
#3: Dedicate time to explore your home city
This lesson is one that I repeatedly told myself I would abide by before arriving in Florence and one that I find to be extremely important. There is a reason you are choosing to study abroad in a certain city, so make sure you give yourself the chance to explore it. I made a plan to travel at most every other weekend so that I could spend my other weekends exploring Florence and surrounding Tuscan towns. Despite this plan, I have traveled 4/5 of the weekends that I have been abroad. Although it has been absolutely amazing to visit cities like Budapest and Paris, I have not allotted the same time to enjoy the equally amazing city of Florence. Either travel less on the weekends (your bank account will be happy about this, too) or set aside a few hours every week to explore a new neighborhood—going into shops, trying out restaurants and visiting museums.
Studying abroad is a privilege that most people are unable to experience. While it may feel like it is a norm at GW, it is important not to take this opportunity for granted. These lessons are by no means life changing or even in the top 10 pieces of advice for study abroad. However, they have helped me, and hopefully will help you, make the most out of our time abroad.
The following blog post was written by peer advisor Eamonn, an ESIA junior studying international affairs and philosophy.
I embarked on my semester abroad at Trinity College Dublin having spent my first two years of college in Washington D.C. at the George Washington University. Washington is a vibrantly cosmopolitan city, featuring an effervescent milieu of ethnicities, occupations, creeds and political perspectives. Like the city it occupies, George Washington is an intellectually diverse institution, with students and faculty drawn from across the globe. Yet for my first two years of school, I was utterly negligent of these assets offered by city and college alike. Painfully obsessed with getting ahead, I drastically abridged the possibilities of student life. My semester at Trinity was an immense achievement precisely because it stood opposed to the narrow conformism I had let myself sink into back home. At Trinity, I rediscovered my intellectual, cultural and social freedom. At Trinity, I became a better, fuller person.
Intellectually, Trinity was diametrically different from my experience at George Washington. Foremost, my international affairs major was nonexistent there. Entitled to enroll and receive credit for courses across the swathe of the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy, I ended up taking classes far beyond the pale of my usual studies: imperial Roman history, contemporary theories of ethics, and the philosophical foundations of monotheism. Alongside my more standard fare of modern history and political science, this diverse combination of classes was immeasurably broadening and enriching. I learned new methods of critical analysis, new mediums to express argument in and essentially, new ways of thinking. Many of these classes hold no formal relevance to IA, but for that very reason, have enhanced my understanding of it. Without making the decision to go abroad and enter a new academic environment, I never would have had the courage to break the traditional confines of my studies.
Culturally, I became conscious for the first time. Never one to deviate from my favorite haunts and daily routines at home, studying in Dublin motivated me to participate in a wider world. Without familiar habits to collapse into, I went out to see the astonishing country I was living in. I came to love Ireland’s primal beauty, became attuned to the nuances, contradictions and energy of Ireland’s people and engendered an appreciation of how the Irish consider themselves before history’s arc. I hiked across the country’s rugged, lonely hills, spoke, laughed, ate with its occupants in cities across the island, and pondered the successes and tragedies that clothe Ireland at the nation’s chief heritage sites. These were accomplishments I was hardly aware could be had back in Washington. Now I am brimming with eagerness to turn this newfound cultural sensibility towards home. I am likely to find startling things in familiar places because of it.
Socially, Ireland challenged me in ways I was completely unaccustomed to. For the last two years, I have had a consistent circle of friends and an unswerving daily habit. For the most recent four months, I was separated from my friends, connected through only a shaky phone service to my girlfriend, and denuded of the little things that created normality in my life, from my preferred breakfast cereal to how I pay for meals at a restaurant (unless you practically simulate having a stroke don’t expect the waiter’s attention). These changes were jarring, at times, tormenting. Yet they were in finality salutary, giving me poise and resourcefulness. Further, Ireland made me more empathetic. Denied my familiar relationships. I went out to create unfamiliar ones. This led me to play soccer with the Trinity team, to go cheer on vying Gaelic Football clubs with the locals at their pubs, and to form friendships with students studying abroad from around the globe. In these efforts, I could not simply rely on mutually shared values or understandings. I had to genuinely work to appreciate what someone found serious, what they found funny, what made them cry, and what made them get up every morning. Doing this was at times awkwardly unsuccessful, but it was conclusively rewarding.
I went abroad to Ireland with a vague desire to change my surroundings. I came back with the clear knowledge of having changed myself for the better. My mind is broader and sharper, my social horizons more diverse and flexible, and my commitments in the world imbued with a sense of the universal. This last element, so difficult to explain, but so important to what I have become, was defining of my time in Ireland. It is a sentiment begotten by my experience abroad, an intuition that through the intellectual, cultural and social differences I have witnessed, I now have a more complete idea of how we are all the same. It is this similarity, a mutuality of dignity, compassion, suffering and resilience, which I take away as not only fundamental to my immediate future, but to my character. In this sense, studying abroad was life-changing.
The following blog post was written by peer advisors Ellen, a sophomore in GWSB studying international business. You can learn more about Ellen here.
After taking 12 years of Spanish language classes, conversing with my teachers and peers during class just wasn’t enough anymore. I was reading, writing, speaking, and even dreaming in Spanish by the end of my junior year of high school. I read Spanish literature, listened to Latin music, and could converse with native speakers with ease. In one year I was going to begin my education at GW majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Chinese, leaving no room for further pursuit of the Spanish language—but I wasn’t ready to give it up yet, I couldn’t give it up yet. Something was missing.
I knew I had to go abroad. This was the only way I could gain closure on my Spanish experience and head into college with no regrets. I wanted to go to Spain so badly that it hurt, but I had no idea where to start and how I was going to finance the trip. I talked to a classmate who studied in Seville as part of a summer program, and thankfully, she was kind enough to coach me through the application process. I wrote my application essays in Spanish, she edited them, and I earned a partial scholarship. I saved money from my part-time job to finance tuition for the program, and my family picked up the airfare as my high school graduation present. With the support of my friend, teacher, and family, I was able to make my dream a reality—I was finally going to Spain.
Early June was high school graduation, and two weeks later I was on my way to Sevilla, a city in the province of Andalucía in Southern Spain. The journey was my first time flying alone and internationally—and after two layovers (one of which was a 10-minute sprint through the Portuguese airport due to my flight being delayed) and three planes later, I finally arrived in Seville. My time there was unforgettable. I met amazing people, my Spanish improved tenfold, and I experienced a completely different way of life. I couldn’t stop smiling walking along the cobblestone streets, the sweet smell of fresh bread in the air, the sound of accordions in the background, and the sun shining on my skin. I was amazed by the history, architecture, and breathtaking views of Reales Alcázares, the royal palace of ancient Muslim kings, La Giralda, the third largest cathedral in the world, and the legendary Plaza de España. Studying in Seville truly felt like a dream, and provided the perfect ending to my Spanish experience.
The most meaningful part of studying abroad wasn’t the sites, the food, or the language, but how I grew as a person. I took the initiative, sought out the necessary resources, and proved to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to with hard work and the support of my friends and family. By the end of this trip I was a pro traveler and a more confident, knowledgeable, and independent woman. If you are dedicated, you can turn your dreams into reality and live your life with no regrets, but the first step is to believe. And although I dearly miss the Spanish bread, gelato and beautiful buildings, I was excited to come home and share my experiences with my friends and family who helped me get there.
The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Alyssa, a senior in CCAS studying anthropology and French. You can learn more about her here.
From my sophomore year of high school, I wanted to study abroad in a foreign country for an entire academic year. My history teacher that year had inspired and challenged me to throw myself into a new culture, new language, and new group of people. However, it was always a vague idea and not something concrete for me to hold in my hands. My first two years at GW were about making that idea a reality, though at times I felt as overwhelmed as Bilbo serving thirteen dwarves and a wizard at his house. I had to schedule my classes just right balancing them between Honors and my major and my general education (just as perilous as the dwarves cleaning up Bilbo’s house). Then I had to find the perfect program, apply to it, and get approval from my departments and from Study Abroad. But, it happened, after a long spring semester I had found the perfect program—a language immersion program in Paris through Academic Programs Abroad.
Finally, the day was here. I was stepping on the plane that was about to take me off American soil and to the adventure that would be the rest of my year. At first, I felt like Bilbo—dashing off with my possessions, contract in hand! Yet, when I landed in the Paris airport after little sleep, I had to navigate the French train system by myself and started to regret my decision. I stood there in the Paris airport, jet-lagged, barely able to communicate, and with far too much time to think as I waited 6 hours for my train to arrive. I had just left everything I knew and loved—my house, my parents, my friends, my dog—to live in this place where I knew no one and could not even speak to people with my own language. I was stuck here until May and while here, everyone’s lives would move on without me.
Yet, even from my first day in Paris, I knew I made the right choice. There were hardships—getting lost in the city, or eating in the university cafeteria on the first day. All those little hardships helped me prove to myself that I can do anything if I take a deep breath and jump into any situation. I met one of my good friends on the first day at the university table when I finally got up the courage to eat with another lonely person at a table. My program challenged me to come out of my shell. Each adventure allowed me to learn more about myself—how do I react with being in a new city by myself? How do I represent myself in a language that is not my own? While wandering around France and Europe, I found the answers to these questions and more.
Now that I am there and back again, I realized my fears about life moving on without me, were just fears. I am back at GW and better than ever. Of course, life kept moving for my friends while I was in France, however, my life kept moving too. Though it sounds cliché, studying abroad for the year was the best decision of my life. I did not just grow in regards to my language, or academics, or even travel savvy. I grew. I came back as a person who was more confident, more open, more knowledgable about the world outside of the US. As Frodo Baggins said, “How do you pick up the threads of your old life…when in your heart you know there is no going back?” There is no going back to being the same person after you have walked among different people, spoken a different language, and lived a different life for a year. However, the life experience, the language skills, and the fantastic relationships you gain are vaux le peine (worth it). I highly suggest going abroad for a year, because while “wandering” around the world, you might just find yourself.