My experience abroad affected me on a personal level immensely. I have never been abroad before my studies in Greece and my perspective of the world and myself has completely changed since. Being abroad showed me how much there really is out there. There is so much beyond America and before going I didn’t realize that. I never would have thought of going anywhere besides America on a vacation, but now I can’t wait to go back to Europe and explore everything I haven’t seen before, unlike just going to Florida for the 18th time in my life.

Personally, I think I grew as a person while abroad. I have never been put in a situation so unfamiliar and far away with no one I knew, but I am so thankful that I was put in that situation. I was able to learn so much about myself and try new things on my own, which is something I would have never done in America. Although I went there alone, I met so many other amazing students also studying abroad who I ended up becoming very close to and even going on weekend trips with! To add to that, Greek people were always so welcoming and nice to me and never made me feel out of place.

Before going abroad, I thought that the schooling over there was going to be super hard and I was going to struggle, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Whenever I had a question, not only my teacher but other students as well were always quick to help me answer it and make sure I didn’t have any confusion. While attending class is mandatory there, you don’t have homework, which allows you to spend your time not in school exploring and immersing yourself in the culture. I enjoyed how when I left the campus, I didn’t have to think about school until the next day because it really gave me time to see everything I wanted to see because I had so much free time.

Overall, studying abroad is something I will always remember and cherish. I can confidently say it was the most fun month of my life, and I can’t wait to go back to see Greece and all the new friends I made!

Name: Sydney Ross
Status: Junior
Major: Communication
Hometown: Battle Creek, Michigan
Program: American College of Greece