Gillian – Greece

June 21, 2024

Blog 2

Γειά σου (Ja sas-hello and goodbye here)!

I have officially been here a full week and finished our first week of classes! We have class Monday-Thursday as it’s only five weeks, so we are definitely getting the study in study abroad. The classes are about 2 and a half hours long, which at times can be a lot, but in each class, you get a halfway break to stretch and get a snack from the café downstairs.  Our teachers teach in English, and they understand the learning curve of the different school systems.

I’ve meet so many new friends. Some were from California, some from New York City, and some Greek friends, of course. Also, there are a lot of UNCW students here, which is really cool as well. Our dorm is only 13 residents so we’ve gotten really close and went on a trip to the beach together on the first weekend!  However, I will say we did have an incident of dehydration in our group, and I learned how to call an ambulance here, which is 166 instead of 911, and spent some of my weekend in a medical center here. Which was an interesting cultural experience but was a bit stressful, making sure she was okay and well enough to leave. Though no need to pay for that treatment which was a huge culture shock to just have them confirm she could leave and no cash being exchanged at any point.

So far I’m loving Greece and learning a lot of new words and my new goal is to be confused with a true Greek after ordering perfectly in Greek. Which we are learning in my understanding Greek life and culture class so hopefully I can be successful.

We had a few days of orientation and got to know each other. We had a few days of orientation and got to know each other, which felt very much like the first week of college. The top view of the city and these boat bars are super fun. We even have a pirate one, so you know I had to do the ECU thing.

The school also sponsored a beach day at Haldiki Beach in Kailthea, and honestly, it’s surreal to find out the clear, bright blue water isn’t photoshopped.

Either way I am so excited for everything we have planned of the Athens trip this weekend and getting to see the site of Delphi the oracle. As a Greek mythology nerd and a fan of the Percy Jackson books it’s hard not to be anxiously waiting to see everything.

Either way αντιο and talk soon!

June 3, 2024

Blog 1

Hey everyone! My name is Gillian, and I’m a double major in psychology and sociology. I’m about to study abroad in Greece for five weeks in the second-largest city of Thessaloniki!

I’m doing this program through ISEP, so it’s slightly different from an ECU faculty-led program. I went through all the normal steps, but I went through the American College of Thessaloniki instead. I chose this program as I had already completed my general education requirements and felt I should get the most out of this summer. So, the credits this program would give me courses that would count toward my degree, unlike most of the ECU lead programs at this point in my degree.

I am currently going through all the meetings and the icky parts of getting ready to go, but a group of us who applied through ISEP already have an Instagram group chat where we can connect and plan trips!  A lot of people have planned trips for each weekend to make sure they get the most out of being abroad.

They are already so kind, and you can feel everyone’s excitement. Truly, I can’t wait either, as I just connected with my roommate for five weeks, and she’s great, even doing this program through UNCW. My goal is to be able to hold casual conversations in Greek and meet many new friends, so let’s hope I succeed! I’m starting the program on June 13th, and it goes through July 20th, so it’s not super long, which I did like, so I’m not away from home too long.

Either way αντιο and talk soon!