In the Fall of 2023, I studied abroad in Athens, Greece. This was a nerve-racking experience for me as I have never been to Europe or lived in another country. 

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I took four classes during my time there. They were Business in the EU, Environmental Science, Environmental Geology, and the History of Jazz & Blues Music. The classroom setting differed greatly from the American system I was used to. The biggest difference was that instead of having multiple tests, homework assignments or projects, there were only two tests (midterm and final). This stressed me out a lot. Additionally, I conversed a lot with my Greek classmates because I wanted to learn more about their culture and lifestyle. 

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In Greece, the locals were kind and helpful to foreigners. Almost all of them knew English so it was easy to talk to one another. I attempted to learn some Greek, but it was not the easiest since the alphabet is different. However, I was able to say some basic phrases, like thank you and please, which the locals appreciated. Navigation in Greece was relatively easy as signage was in both Greek and English. 

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In other parts of Europe, I practiced my dependence and grew in confidence with solo traveling. I went to Spain by myself and spent a day alone in Italy. I became more comfortable with doing activities alone as that was one of the cultural norms in Europe. When I went to France, I felt proud of myself for being able to converse with the locals as I had studied French in high school and college. It was a unique experience to be able to understand the native language instead of having to rely on others to know English.