Sarah McCully, Foreign Correspondent

I’m abroad in Athens, Greece this semester, and I’ve been here about a month already.  After spending much of summer 2014 in Israel, I was itching to travel again. I didn’t have any international experience before that, and I came home feeling like I had only scratched the surface, like there were so many other things I should be doing. Yet after months of restlessness. I arrived in Greece feeling still. Classes and program trips gave me a routine, and the idea of branching out too far from that structure still makes me uneasy. The language barrier is intimidating, much more so than I expected. Maybe I’m overly anxious, but I’ve found myself tracing familiar routines and places; I can’t speak well to the people here in their language, and that constantly makes me feel guilty.

But here’s the thing: it really shouldn’t. Americans have the unique luxury of hearing their language when they travel. Odds are people will speak English wherever you go. But that isn’t the case with the languages spoken by the majority of the world. Becoming fluent in another tongue is extremely hard and extremely humbling, and it’s something I believe everyone should have to do. And I’m not talking about taking Spanish in high school: I’m talking about needing to learn and speak a language in order to survive in a different place. Luckily for me, Greece is the friendliest place I’ve ever been. It’s pretty obvious to anyone who looks at me that I’m not Greek, but people I’ve never met are genuinely curious about who I am and why I’m in Athens.

Here’s a typical example of the wonders of Greek hospitality: my flatmates and I were walking back from a souvlaki place when we saw a woman who works for our program in a random bar. She immediately recognized us and, despite not knowing our names or speaking any English, pulled us in to join her and her group of friends. It turns out that they had collectively been meeting at this place for over 20 years, and they bought us drinks and asked us questions—about Greece, about ourselves, about everything. We struggled to speak the same language but not to communicate, and I think that’s the most important thing I’m learning here. It’s normal to feel uncomfortable, as long as that feeling doesn’t prevent you from having a life.

It’s also been refreshing to have a drastic change of pace. Wesleyan is, after all, a small place, and having a new set of faces, customs, weather, and scenery has been invigorating. In Greece, it’s normal for people to sit at cafés for hours on end, drinking coffee and talking with friends. It’s the most relaxing atmosphere. Traveling is the easiest it has ever been for me, even if it does necessitate sketchy airlines and cheap hostels. Sometimes I have to step back and soak it all in, in case I forget how lucky I am to be here. I mean, I’m going to Rome next weekend, and I’ll be in Egypt and Turkey for spring break. When did this become my life?

I came here to study archaeology and Classics, and I knew it would be the best place in the world to do that. But I hadn’t anticipated relating to the modern vibrancy of the city as much as I do. Greece recently held significant elections, and being here in the middle of such a politically significant time has been eye opening. There is no political apathy here, no voter registration campaigns. I’ve seen carnival floats covered in parliament caricatures, old friends screaming at each other about the new prime minister in bars, and more demonstrations and rallies than I can count. Everyone here cares about the future of the country and its politics, and I know I’m going to miss that passion and activity when I come back to the States.

And then, some things are not so different at all.  I’m still facing midterms next week and I’m still feeling underprepared.  I’m planning a viewing party for the “Game of Thrones” fifth season premiere with some friends, and mac and cheese is still the easiest thing to make for myself.  Being away from Wes has been more surreal than I imagined, but I’m hoping that I’ll come back better for the experience.