Grecian Odyssey: A Look Back

The Honors Program just completed its Grecian Odyssey tour, where thirty-five students and two staff members traveled to Greece from May 6th through the 16th. We asked our students to blog about the journey, so each day is written from the perspective various students.  Today's post includes contributions from Kiana Ziegler, a senior Fine Arts and Commercial Art double major; and Emma Garver, a May 2019 graduate of the Honors Program, who majored in Early Childhood Education.  Thank you for following our journey!

At 3:15 am, we gathered in the hotel lobby one last time to head to the airport.

As we rode the bus seeing Athens for the last time, I took a few minutes to reflect. The last few weeks of senior semester were definitely busy and crazy, defending my capstone, preparing for graduation, moving out of my apartment all before also packing for this trip. I had been looking forward to this trip since the beginning of my senior year and my expectations were blown away once we arrived. I could not imagine a more wonderful way to start off summer and my entrance into actual adulthood! Everyone I talked to prior to leaving was jealous of my chance to go on this trip and upon coming home they were even more jealous once I started sharing my pictures and stories of what I had been able to experience.

I can’t believe today is the last day of my Greece trip… it seemed to last forever, but at the same time it flew by.  It was amazing having the opportunity to experience all the history and culture the country of Greece has to offer. One of my favorite parts of the trip was getting to see the beautiful views from every location. From the view of the city at the Acropolis, to the Mountains of Delphi, and the rocks at Meteora they were breathtaking and many of my favorite pictures. It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that areas of Greece are older than our country as a whole. Learning about ancient Greece has always been one of my favorite topics growing up, especially all the Greek gods and myths to go along with them. Having the opportunity to see them in person satisfied the younger child in me and fulfilled my desire. It was a gorgeous, mountainous country on the water. The natural beauty of Greece was breathtaking, and left a stronger impression on me than anything else. The land itself had a sense of history, an age and personality that has stood the test of time, empire after empire. I loved exploring the city, with the voices of many of the younger generations spray-painted onto the walls. But there was a sense of reverence for the land that was essential to the soul of the city. Our tour guide, Christiana, summed it up perfectly on our first day: “Seas and mountains. This is Greece.”

I decided to be a part of this trip on my own and without knowing a single other person going, but sometimes that is the fun of it! (I made a great friend the same way as I did when I went to Ireland) Shortly after starting classes I grew close with a girl I sat next to and we knew we would room together. Knowing we would need a group of three to walk around with we made friends with two other girls who were very similar to us. (Wanting to take gorgeous pictures of everything we could) I came home with more people I am lucky to call my friends now and closer connections to others I unfortunately will not get the chance to see much now that I have graduated. However, what we experienced on this trip is something I will always treasure and have stories to tell for ages.

I was lucky to have been able to travel to Ireland two years ago with the Honors Program and then also Greece this trip. I have such a love for traveling and the opportunity to be a part of these trips fed my desire to see the world. (It also makes me long to see even more countries and beautiful places). I was able to check some amazing places off my ever-growing travel bucket list. I am so thankful to have been able to participate in these trips through the Honors program and I will have memories of them and Ashland forever. Deciding to go on these trips may have seemed like a leap of faith but they are so beneficial to the experiences I was able to have.

I would not trade being able to be a part of these trips for anything and know when I am older and talking to my grandkids these are stories I will continue to tell. Because going to Ireland, Scotland, and Greece were once in a lifetime opportunities and I am blessed that I made the decision to take them and fly.