Thanksgiving Weekend in Athens, Greece

As for many of the study abroad students, this was the first year I have ever not been at home and with my family for Thanksgiving. Instead, I spent the weekend that I am normally spending with my family, in Athens, Greece. Mariah and I chose to go through Richmond University and go on the weekend trip to visit Athens. I absolutely loved spending my weekend there experiencing the Greek culture. Since this is my last trip until I go home, I have already experienced a few other cultures, in places like Ireland, Spain and around England. I could instantly see and feel the difference in Greek culture in comparison to the other cultures I have seen. Not to generalize, but from the experience I had, the Greek culture is welcoming, enthusiastic, cultured, fun and much more. I know many people, including my own family were worried about visiting Greece,  considering their economic state, but I went without fear and learned that this should not stop people from visiting this beautiful country. It is a shame that their internal issues have slowed their tourism.

                I gained this view of their culture because of the people I met while visiting the country. When going out to eat, the waiters and stuff were fantastic. There was two times where our group received “on the house” desserts from the staff. I do not believe that this gesture was for a larger tip or some other motive; they were being very welcoming and generous. On top of that, every single Greek person I spoke to was multilingual. Not only do most people speak Greek, but they also speak English, and very well at that. This made experiencing the culture easier if we were to encounter any issues. It was a great experience to get to speak with shop workers and see how enthusiastic they were about their items. I understand they are trying to get you to eat at their restaurant or sell you an item, but they never forced it too much. Everyone I encountered was friendly and willing to talk. I learned quite a bit from our tour guide who went around to the sites in Athens for about eight ours. Our guide, being from Greece, was very knowledgeable about the history and the culture. She answered any of out questions, and we received first hand knowledge about the culture and what the people of Greece enjoy and much more. I will not forget this amazing experience and highly recommend visiting differing cultures to see the differences first hand! 

Harry Potter: World Wide Attraction!

As a last hooray for our management class, we all decided to go on a Harry Potter Studio Tour.  It was amazing to see so many behind the scene things from the movies.  One of the workers on the tour said that the majority of the items, either small or big, were in the films themselves.  Talk about clever recycling by the studio.  Several of us went and did green screen shots of us riding in the Weasley family flying car and on broom sticks, though not many actually bought the pictures.    After seeing all the inanimate/ still-life props there was an open area where they had Sirius’ motorcycle with side car, a Butterbeer stand (not real beer, more like cream soda), the Nightbus, # 4 Privet Drive, Potter Cottage, and Hogwarts Bridge (which you could walk across!).  After that were the living props, creepy yet cool.  Then there was the art and scale models, and after that a walk down Diagon Alley.  To finish the tour you got to walk around a large scale model of Hogwarts and then through a wand shop with the names of every person who was a part of the film on a box (I found J.K. Rowling’s pretty easily).  You end up in the gift shop at the end where you send a lot of time and money getting things.  Personally I got a scarf, a pin for a friend, and a book called “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” and spent a large amount of money, so worth it.

Now it may seem like the great icon of Harry Potter is just that, an icon meant for one nation to capitalize on.  But it is so much more.  It started as a book in Scotland that no one thought would explode to the size it is today.  While on the tour I saw people who were from all over the world there.  Old, young, couples, families, school trips; I’m pretty sure just about every type of person you could think of that likes Harry Potter was there.  Harry Potter is so much more than a book about a young wizard saving the world; it’s a book that brings people from all over the world together through just the connections of loving that heroic young man.  I bet if there is one thing that the far off future will remember is that Harry Potter was a book the took the world by storm and became an icon, not just for a country, but for a generation of people found across the globe.  Talk about a real victory of overcoming social boundaries.

When In Rome... Don't Get Lost

Fall Break was approaching which also meant that my birthday and trip to Italy were right around the corner as well. I was very excited to be spending my 20^th birthday in another country and away from my family for the first time. The weekend had finally come and after being delayed two hours in Heathrow we had touched down in Rome. It still being early morning, I thought I was hallucinating when I saw my parents greeting me at the gate in Italy. They had detoured from where they planned on being for their anniversary and met me in Rome to wish me a happy birthday. It was overwhelming to see them because it was completely unexpected. After I got a hug and a kiss in we were already off to our sightseeing tour bus.

We were officially on our own in a foreign speaking country. It was extremely exciting but at the same time it was kind of scary. Although there were seven of us on the trip, there still was not really comfort in numbers. None of us had phones that worked in Italy and none of us knew Italian other than the most basic words. If we had gotten separated for any reason I don’t really know how we would have found the other person. Only one of the people in our group had an itinerary with directions to each place. Along with being unprepared for diving into a new culture, only a select few had keys to our hostels; there were not enough keys for all of us.

On one point during our trip we were all visiting the Vatican but got split up because not everybody wanted to pay to get into the Sisteen Chapel. Another group member and I went back to the Colosseum to explore the Palantino and half way through the ruins we had realized we had no idea how we were going to meet back up with our group. Thankfully we had recollected that we made dinner reservations at seven so we were appreciative for the fact that we would surly find our group again. We did end up meeting back up with our group and had a phenomenal family dinner.

Going to Italy taught me that you should never blindly travel to another country with limited knowledge. Always have a sense of direction as to where you are and definitely bring a translation dictionary with you. It would be wise to have a dictionary because I got yelled at on a bus for using an invalid bus ticket and I had no clue as to what the guy was saying. I had made the poor assumption that he would know a little bit of English to explain, however it is not always the case. The trip definitely broadened my perspective on different cultures and it was surely a great experience that has furthered my traveling experiences. 

London Town

Piccadilly Circus with my mum.

During the Fall break I was fortunate enough to have my parents come and visit me. Seeing my parents helped me a lot because I knew that they really missed me and it made me happy that they could see me again. I was happy to see my parents as well. My parents stayed at a hotel located near the tube stop Fulham Broadway and popular big football (soccer) stadium called Stamford Bridge. This location was not too far away from Richmond but I stayed at my parents hotel for the week. I took my mom shopping at Portobello Road, Piccadilly Circus, and Oxford Circus. Since I had already visited these places prior to my parents visit, during class trips and touristy trips with friends, it was convenient to navigate my way around London. It was very impressive to show my parents that I knew my way around such a big city- as we hail from a small city in New Hampshire.

Stamford Bridge on match-day

The highlight of my parents visit was going to Stamford Bridge the day Chelsea played Manchester United. Chelsea is one of the biggest and arguably the greatest football (soccer) team in all of Europe. Chelsea is also my favorite club team in the world and I have been a fan for a long time. Manchester United is another powerhouse in the football world and they are Chelsea’s biggest rival. Therefore, when the two teams play each other the world tends to stop and watch them play (or at least my world does). My parents were not able to get any tickets to the match as a game of this profile was sold-out months in advance. However, because my parents hotel was located so close to Stamford Bridge, I went to the stadium with my mom just to view the pre-match activities. Even though I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to watch the match in the stadium, I embraced the atmosphere of just being at the stadium just hours before the match. There were a lot of people surrounding the stadium- either taking pictures or socializing while drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette (a cultural activity). One of the most exciting occurrences, while being at the stadium, was seeing the Chelsea players get off the team bus and walk into the stadium. I had never expected to see the players and being so close to them and getting pictures was an exhilarating experience that will stored in my memory for life.

Chelsea players departing the team bus

Later that day my parents and I went to a pub, down the road from Stamford Bridge, where a viewing of the match was available. There were a lot of passionate Chelsea and Manchester United fans in attendance. My dad, a Manchester United fan, and I clashed during the match as we usually do. My mom, who is always keen to stay neutral when it comes to football teams, enjoyed watching her two “boys” dispute the match. It felt as though we were back at home in our living room watching the match, except we were all in London. As a football fan, the experience of being in a pub and watching a football match just made me appreciate how amazing this opportunity of being in London has turned out to be. Even though we didn’t get tickets for the match, that I wanted to go to so badly, I was really happy to spend time with my parents after being apart from them for so long because we still had a great time being together. The time that I spent with my mom and dad at the pub will always be more memorable than the scoreline of the match or even the match itself as I have learned to cherish family time.

A Journey Through Food

Switzerland

A few weeks ago I went on fall break with another SEA student and his parents and we journeyed from England to Switzerland and throughout Italy.  It was an amazing trip and we all had a great time enjoying the sites and everything that the countries had to offer us.  We saw numerous places throughout Italy since we drove to each place that we stayed at.  There were many differences among Switzerland and Italy and throughout the Italian cities as well.  For example in Sargans, Switzerland the culture was more relaxed and based around farming, but in the city of Venice it was much more chaotic and focused around the tourist attractions and the city life itself.  These were drastic differences and very easy to spot as we traveled from destination to destination. 

Restaurant in Rome

            There was one key similarity that we all seemed to pick up on throughout the trip and that was the hospitality that was given throughout these European countries as well as the high regard for their food.  While we did go to a few different countries for meals and shopping the atmosphere was the same, minus the language difference.  All the shop owners/restaurant owners were overly accommodating and they took so much pride in every meal that they cook.  One meal in particular stood out to me and that was in Rome, Italy and it was at small mom and pop owned restaurant.  The owners were husband and wife and the husband was the one who waited on us and he was very outgoing and friendly.  He recommended certain items, and you could see the passion he had for his food and meals that he was about to serve to us.  He even gave us some complimentary bruschetta for us to have!  Meals like this do not come along often and to see just how much someone can care about their food and reputation is amazing and something that I will never forget.  Overall the atmosphere and meals were outstanding and to be able to experience a meal like this with the care and passion that was added was remarkable.

This was a huge contrast to back home where you are likely to find chain restaurants, with bad service and frozen meals.  All throughout Europe on our trip we found excellent meals, hospitality, and a history to go along with it! Truly a journey that I will never forget and one that truly made its mark on us!

My Week in Italy

Over fall break, I spent the week exploring different parts of Italy. The journey was incredible and it was absolutely a once in a lifetime opportunity. There were seven of us all together; Jess, Allie, Brooke, Colleen, Joe, Mike M, and I, and we all started out in Rome. We spent two days there and did a hop-on-hop-off bus tour. It was indescribable to be able to see everything within The Vatican, go inside the Colosseum, see the Fountain of Trivi, and countless other things. While in The Vatican, we went to the Basilica as well as the Sistine Chapel and experienced all of the history that was there.  We were even able to meet up with some of the other SEA people, which was great. We then took a train into Florence where we stayed for another two days. Although there was not as much to see or do, it was a great place to experience. Once again, we had both days on a hop-on-hop-off bus and it was a great way to see everything the first day so that we could decide what to go back to the second day. The architecture in Florence was amazing. The following day we took a train to Pisa to see the leaning tower. We were all aware that it is about the only thing to see in Pisa but it is something that you could not miss. We were able to go inside and climb all the way up to the top where we could see everything. Learning the history of the leaning tower was great, how it was not safe to be in for a long time; all the things I had been clueless about. Finally, we made another two day trip to Venice which was breathtaking. Although it poured wind driven rain the entire time we were there I was still in awe. Our experience in those two day only made our trip more memorable. When I imagine Italy, Venice is what I see with the gondolas and most transportation being by water. I would not take back any part of my trip and I learned so much. I wish I could do it all again. 

The plastic "boots" we had to buy to survive the rain and flooding in Venice.

An Extraordinary Journey

The Swiss Hotel we stayed at

Over the break, I went to Italy with my parents and a friend from our SEA program. The trip was unforgettable, but what I took away from the trip was even more valuable to me. We traveled all around Italy, Switzerland, and Austria over the break, spanning 2700 kilometers over seven days. You could definitely say that I got a taste of many different cultures and languages while in these various countries. At the same time, I got to take a good look at the way Europeans do business and how customers are treated.

This is a Venice street market

Traveling is a great for looking at the way Europeans do business, and that is exactly what happened to me. While over in Switzerland we stayed at a local family-owned bed and breakfast. They bent over backwards to accommodate us, not to mention they spoke flawless English. It impressed me that they spoke English so well because I assumed that in order to do business with another country we would have to learn their language to communicate. No matter where we went, this was also the case. In all the cities and towns we stayed in the people we were dealing with spoke English. To me, this shows just how expansive our American/British economies are. Because we are such a major force in the world, people feel the need to speak English in order to be competitive among the travelers in their region. While traveling in Italy it exposes you to a totally different cultural experience that you might have to deal with in future business ventures.

Coastline of Monterosso, Cinque Terra

Italians do business much differently than we do in America. The environment in Italy, and all Europe in general, is much more relaxed. For example, in Italy, most of the businesses from around 1 until 4 in the afternoon are closed. Entire little towns are shut down; nothing happens and everyone goes out for a relaxing lunch. This is totally different from the States. We are lucky if we have a half an hour for lunch, but this just shows the vast difference in business etiquette between cultures. The importance of this is huge because if you want to deal with businesses from Italy in the future, you will need to understand their culture and business practices in order to have successful dealings. Without this knowledge, you might offend your Italian counterparts and not even realize this. Even though my trip was about seeing the picturesque countryside of Italy, seeing first-hand the way Europeans do business was just as striking.

            

It's the Final Countdown

Coming back from Fall Break it dawned on us that we only have a little over a month left to our semester abroad. Although it was great to experience other countries and cultures, I realized that there is still so much more of England that I have yet to experience. With such a short time left and so many things left to do, Jess, Allie, and I decided to brainstorm a list of all the things we really want to do before our time in the UK is up. By compiling a list, we can better organize our limited weekends in order to fully utilize our time wisely with the places and activities we want to experience the most.

A couple of months ago, I was frantically trying to plan as many trips to different countries as my funds and class schedule would allow. I have already been to France, Ireland, and Italy and will be travelling to Greece and Portugal this month. With the upcoming trips, I only have about three more weekends in London. Before leaving for England, my goal was to experience as much out of as many countries as I could. After seeing so much of other countries, it is now important to focus on soaking up as much British culture as I can. I do not know when or if I will ever get an opportunity like this again so it is important to me to make the most of it. By making a list of things we would regret not doing, we can now take better advantage of the limited time we have left to experience all we can out of London. Although it was important to me to travel to other countries, it is just as important to see and do all that I can in England. 

One of the items on our to-do list was to see a musical in London. While visiting the quaint market at Covent Gardens, Jess and I decided on a whim to visit the London Theatre Bookings kiosk. We asked without high expectations if they had two seats left for any musical for under £40. To our surprise, they had two seats left for the musical “Rock of Ages” for just under £30. Jess and I bought the tickets and spent the night in Covent Gardens enjoying an interactive, fun, and impressive production of the musical. It was so much fun seeing the performance and singing and dancing along to our favorite 80’s rock songs. Checking this experience off the to-do list, I have realized that it is possible and important to still make the most of my time in England. I am grateful to still have the chance to seek more of what England has to offer and I am glad to be able to experience it with such great people. 

Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher

I think one of the best things about studying abroad so far is definitely the travel opportunities and fall break was definitely a week I will remember.  Jenn and I started the week off in Barcelona and then made our way to Liverpool and Ireland at the end of the week.  One of my favorite places we went however was a 14 hour bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland.

It was here that we were over 300 feet above sea level while looking out at a gorgeous view.  The amount of time spent on the crowded bus was well worth it because we got to see plenty of sights along the way too, including a tour of the city of Galway.  Most of the time it felt like the bus was zooming down these little roads in the middle of nowhere and all you could see was the landscape and hills for miles.  At some points it even felt like our group of people on the bus were the only people in the area.  The bus driver made frequent pit stops and we even stopped at a little pub for lunch where we had amazing chicken tenders, or should I say chicken “goujons.”

I had never seen anything like this before and it really opened my eyes to the Irish culture and a whole different way of life, especially when I saw all the little tiny houses in villages which seemed to be out in the middle of nowhere.  I couldn’t believe that people actually live out there in the hills with the sheep, horse, and cow wildlife.  I was truly amazed by all that I saw.  It is still hard to believe that there is more to Ireland than just the city of Dublin, which is where our hostel was.  I enjoyed Dublin a lot too, but I think having a break from being in the cities like London, Barcelona, and Liverpool was a good refresher.  It gave me time to realize that there are so many more different places in the world that I haven’t been to yet and I can’t wait to discover even more in my last 2 trips of the semester to Greece and Portugal!

The Olympic Atmosphere

Munich Olympic Stadium

Israeli athlete memorial

When I was first accepted into the SEA program I was excited to not only see and live in London, but for the opportunity to travel to other countries as well. One of the places that I most wanted to try and get to was Munich, Germany in order to see their Olympic Park. Since the London Olympic park closed at the conclusion of the Paralympic games, I was unable to get a chance to explore that stadium but visiting Munich’s stadium while in Munich was entirely feasible. Last week during fall break I was able to do this along with my friend and fellow sport management major, Colby Kenny.

Being there in the Olympic stadium I was able to fully understand the impact that the Olympics have on a culture and how the 1972 Munich Massacre affected the world. During the Olympics, people come together in order to cheer on their nation as it competes for dominance within a specific event. This could be seen even after the Olympics here in London as all around the city still are displays of nationalism praising the efforts of English efforts. During the 1972 Summer Games however, the world came together to mourn the 11 Israeli athletes and German police officer that died in a standoff between Palestine terrorist group members.

The Olympic Games are a staple within worldwide society as it brings together people from over a hundred nations to compete against one another, not only for themselves but for their country. After seeing Munich’s stadium and the memorial for the killed athletes, however, I realized that these games are for more than one athlete or one country but society as a whole. People are showing the strength and abilities of mankind and how, as humans, we are able to triumph through tragedy.

Studying abroad has expressed this same atmosphere seen both throughout London and Munich’s stadium. All of us SEA participants have been able to come together as one and support each other the way fellow countries did for Israel’s athletes, and that is the best experience so far.