My experience abroad affected me in many ways. It taught me how to appreciate a new culture. By navigating my way through Greece and learning about all the different things it does differently from the United States. I was able to overcome the hurdle of culture shock and learned to embrace this lifestyle that I was not familiar with before going into this program.
My experience helped me learn and improve my ability to communicate in a non-English speaking environment. Being around locals everyday has taught me to notice their language. It encouraged me to be more patient. Every interaction I had while in Greece I was adding unfamiliar words to my vocabulary and deepening my understanding of the language. For example, there was no way to avoid the language. From speaking with the locals, my professor, tour guides, and my TA, to ordering food at restaurants, signs posted in stores and even reading the advertising pinned up around town.
I learned so much during my stay in Greece. I learned that it is common to see stray cats, particularly every corner you walk you will see a stray cat. I learned the atmospheres in restaurants on how you must pay for the water, ask for the bill, and something that shocked me was you do not tip as big as you normally would in the United States. I took a cooking class during my time here and I learned how to make spinach pie and Mosaiko which is a chocolate biscuit log. The feta cheese in the spinach pie was the freshest feta and best tasting I have ever had. The dessert had a chocolatey and sweet taste and a warm scent. I learned how to Greek dance and am extremely excited to teach it to my family back home. Those are just a few things I learned; however, the list could go on and on. There is so much to learn while in another country.
A myth I had when joining this program was that making friends while studying abroad will be too hard. I signed up for this program with two of my best friends. I was scared that I would not meet anyone or connect with anyone on the program, so I did not want to go alone. However, that is just a myth. My program consisted of 27 students in total including myself and I can honestly say that I got close to everyone. We all connected so fast, and I was not expecting that. Being close with my classmates made group dinners/lunches, group activities, and even lectures more fun and enjoyable. I was even able to connect with my professor which was meaningful.
Sharing my story of me being abroad allows me to be vulnerable and connect with others whom I am sharing it with. My story does relate to other students because before this experience I was just a sophomore in college who wanted to experience something new. Any student at MSU (Michigan State University) who is interested in exploring a country can experience this. No matter how many stories I tell explaining this experience, no one will fully understand how amazing this once in a lifetime opportunity was, I feel that every parent, student, friend needs to try it out to be able to experience it for themselves instead of just hearing about it.
Overall, I could not have asked for a better time while abroad. I cannot emphasize enough how inspiring study abroad has been for my academic and professional career. I was able to immerse myself into the business culture of Greece. I could not have asked for a better professor, TA, and 26 other students to do this journey with.
Name: Olivia Piklor
Status: Junior
Major: Advertising Management; Minor: Business
Hometown: Macomb, Michigan
Program: Business Law, Ethics and Sustainability in an Emerging Global Market in Greece
Resources & Funding
Eye on Africa
African Tea Time
