If I had to pinpoint one important lesson I've taken away from my experience in Greece, I'd have to say it's the realization of how little I've seen of the world. Growing up, my parents took me on vacations all over the United States. Every summer it was something new - Washington, D.C., New York, Yellowstone, Hawaii, Florida. If someone were to ask, I can safely tell them I'm a seasoned domestic traveler. However, when you look at a globe you really start to realize the United States is not the entire world. Sure, we're big and take up a good chunk of North America. But when you compare that area with the rest of the world, you realize we're really not that big at all.
Then I traveled to Greece. I hiked around Athens every day for at least 50 miles, traveled to Rhodes and saw Turkey outside my hotel balcony, and took a bus trip from the Greek mainland to the Peloponnese. And once again I thought to myself, "This isn't enough. Greece isn't even the size of Oregon! How can I ever think of myself as a well-informed person if I haven't even seen the world?"
It's a valid question. But I think I need to remind myself that even though Greece is just a tiny corner of the planet, going there has increased my knowledge of the world a thousand times over. Just those three weeks in Athens and Rhodes were enough to open my eyes to a whole new way of looking at the world. Maybe three weeks in Greece doesn't compare to someone who's spent their entire life traveling abroad (the Jolie-Pitt children, anyone?), but it's a start. A very good start indeed.
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