Greece in Hindsight

Kelsey Last January, I was stuck on campus, living in a deserted residence hall, and taking a class that didn't even fulfill any requirements. I managed to make the most of it by meeting some new friends, but as I watched my friends studying abroad upload pictures regularly onto Facebook, I knew that something was missing. I kicked myself for not choosing to study away for Jterm, but I had been too scared to even look at the list of trips during my freshman year. However, I knew that I could conquer that fear, and so I kept a close eye on the Wang Center's website, waiting for the list for Jterm 2011 trips to pop up. When they finally did and I saw a trip to Greece on the list, I just knew this was the one. A chance to take a fascinating class that will fufill a GUR in a country I've never visited but have always wanted to? How could I possibly pass that up?

Fast forward to December. While I had been absolutely ecstatic in April when I'd found out I was accepted, as the months drew closer I began to get more and more anxious. By December, as January loomed over my head, I was practically kicking myself for deciding to go on this trip: "How could I possibly think I could handle this? It's going to be so much stress, and all I want right now is a relaxing Jterm. I don't want to have to deal with being pushed out of my comfort zone. It's called a comfort zone for a reason: because I like it here!!" I was pretty much freaking out about it for all of Christmas break, and though packing made me excited again, I was still a nervous wreck when I showed up at the airport on January 7th (and the troubles with my ticket didn't really help anything).

When we arrived in Greece, I was awed by Athens. The beauty of the Acropolis lit up at night, the cozy cafes in the Plaka, the ancient ruins everwhere. Despite it all, I was awfully jetlagged for the first few days. I don't think I slept more than two or three hours a night for the first four nights we were in Athens. That lack of sleep made it much harder for me to enjoy sightseeing and to cope with homesickness. At one point, I was again kicking myself for choosing to go on this trip: "Why did you think you could handle this? You can't handle being so far away from home on your own like this."

Luckily, things changed. I can't pinpoint exactly what it was that clicked, but maybe it was just that first full night of sleep. I became much more excited about being in Athens and realized that I needed to take advantage of this amazing opportunity I had been given. How selfish could I that I was in this marvelous city and complaining? I'd already missed a couple of fun nights out and I knew I couldn't afford to keep doing that. I was in Greece to test my boundaries and yet I hadn't done a very good job at that yet. By the time we got to Rhodes, I was feeling alive; I was joyous to be in this beautiful location and I wanted to be awake every second so I could fully appreciate it. I went out to cafes at late hours of the night, I made desperate crepe runs to the Old City, and I even tried some new things. I finally succeeded at pushing myself out of that pesky comfort zone of mine.

In the end, I am so glad that I chose to go on this trip. I feel like I learned so much, not just about history or culture, but about myself. I now know that I AM strong enough to handle change, and that I can enjoy it too. Greece was a fantastic opportunity, and while it may have taken me a bit too long to realize that, I think the struggles that I faced taught me a very valuable lesson that has made me a better person. Comfort zones may be, well, comfy, but you'll never learn anything if you never test yourself.