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!