READ FIRST

It’s Monday August 9, 2010 and we are all back home following another successful year on the Journey to Greece program. Posts covering Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday on the trip (August 4-6th) are now up. This includes photos from the Farewell Reception on Thursday night, which you can see here (please click).

ONE FINAL NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Even after being part of the Journey program for three years, it is still very difficult for me to say good-bye. While we may have traveled together to Athens as strangers or mere acquaintances, we part ways from one another as the closest of friends, or what I like to call the “Journey family.” This year was no exception. The departure of Session #1 following the Aegean cruise sponsored by NHS was bittersweet: while Session #2 students looked forward to another 3 weeks in Athens, they also had to say good-bye to the friends from Session #1 they met only one week prior. Now, us on Session #2 recently faced a similar challenge and separated from one another after spending an unforgettable 4 weeks together.

It really is hard for me to accept this change is lifestyle and go back to my “American” life. While many might think of the historic sites, shops, and vivid nightlife when Greece is mentioned, I think of my “Journey family.” I think of going to a kafenio with other students in between classes, sharing stories about back home while relaxing in the apartments, or my personal favorite: comparing the “Grenglish” our pappous and yiayias use back in the States. From sing-a-longs on weekend excursions to eating homemade rizogalo, this 2010 Journey is unique like all the rest. We all have vivid stories from spontaneous events that we will share with excitement when people back home ask: “how was Greece?” These are just a few reasons why it’s so hard to realize this is the end of this year’s Journey to Greece Program. In my personal experience with saying good-bye to those on the Journey, I feel like the most I can do is continue these lifelong friendships by staying in contact with fellow students and having their presence live on through the stories I tell about my time in Greece.

To all the parents, friends, and others who have followed the blog and E-Bulletins, I hope you enjoyed reading all of the reports and seeing everything that has been posted. Thank you very much for your comments on the blog and emails in support of everything I have done in coordination with Dr. Dimitriou. I would also like to thank Mr. Leon Stavrou and Mr. Bill Shuyler from Hellenext: The Next Generation Initiative, which provides this internship. To Dr. Jim, it’s been a pleasure working with you again this summer. Whether at Coffee Break reviewing photos for the blog or meeting at Centrale to work on an E-Bulletin, our meetings were always a lot of fun while talking over frappes and freddos. In addition to thanking our program director, I would also like to show appreciation to our other two program counselors, Mr. Lou Eleopoulos and Ms. Tina Papadopoulos.

Finally, I feel like I need to reiterate my thanks to my fellow interns and students on the trip. As I said before, while the amazing opportunities on this trip make it an once-in-a-lifetime experience, the people I met along the way are what really made it meaningful. Greg Anderson once said, “Focus on the journey, not the destination.” In this case, the journey included making friends while on the course to see historic sites that most people only dream of seeing. Being able to visit such places was simply enriched by experiencing them with close friends. While the bond created by being fellow Greek-American is strong, experiencing the Journey together reinforces it to the strongest friendship possible. Much like 2008 and 2009, I will never forget the students, memories, and experiences on this 2010 Journey to Greece. To everyone on the trip: again, I cannot thank you enough for creating experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life.

This concludes the daily reports for the 2010 Journey to Greece blog. The final newsletter, E-Bulletin #5, covering our last week in Athens will be available in the next few days.

If you have any comments or would like to contact me, I can be reached by email at jskarzenski@ucla.edu or j.skarzenski@sonsofpericles.com

Thanks again for reading!

- Joseph J. Skarzenski
Hellenext Intern/Editor

In the morning everyone who was leaving Greece met to board our charter bus that would take us to the Venizelos Airport. Upon arrival, we all checked in for our flights. Many of us had breakfast together after checking in to spend just a little more time together. After eating, those of us on different flights were forced to say good-bye and part ways.

One last group photo in front of the UINDY Campus Building

It’s Thursday and I cannot believe this our last day in Athens. Honestly, I remember arriving and meeting Session #1 students as if it were yesterday. Our last full day in the city began with classes. Students in “Art and Architecture” had their in-class final essays this morning while students in “Greek Politics and Foreign Policy” continued their class presentations that included a variety of current and historical topics such as the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Greece’s Relations with Israel, the Military Junta, and others. Greek Language courses tested students with both giving oral presentations in Greek as well as standard written exams. In the afternoon, students in “Olympic Games” had their final exam after giving their final presentations yesterday.

Session #2 students from California at the Farewell Reception

Roommates of the "Mitropoleos" apartment at the Farewell Reception

Local members of AHEPA joining us to celebrate the last night of the Journey

After a full day of classes, presentations, and shopping, we all met back at the UINDY campus building one final time. From there we walked to the UINDY Cultural Center located in Plaka at the foot of the Acropolis. There the UINDY staff and members of AHEPA Athens HJ-1 and Glyfada Chapters greeted us for our Farewell Reception. After receiving some warm remarks from Vice-Chancellor Dr. Peter Wilkins, Program Director Dr. Jim Dimitriou, and HJ-1 Chapter President Dr. Kosta Kozyrakis, we walked upstairs for one last group dinner. I can’t imagine spending our last sunset in Greece this summer than with a rooftop dinner of fresh barbecue with friends I have grown to love over the past couple weeks. As the sun set, students mingled with each other taking photos and also took the opportunity to introduce themselves to local AHEPA members present. The reception concluded with one more group photo on the rooftop.

Dr. Dimitriou with members of the UINDY Staff

Following the reception some students walked to the stores in Plaka to finish up some last minute shopping. Many immediately returned to their apartments to pack their luggage in preparation for their departure Friday morning. Later, many of us celebrated our last night by going out to bouzoukia in Glyfada to end our trip with an authentic “Greek night.”

Session #2 group photo at Farewell Reception

To see more photos from the Farewell Reception, please click the link below:

Photos – August 5, 2010

On Wednesday students continued their final week in Athens with classes and finals. Many students have been turning in essays, projects, and other assignments to wrap up the classes they have attended for the past two and a half weeks. The balance of the day was left to students to meet with relatives, prepare for their last day of class, and shop for family and friends back home.

Session #2 in front of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion

Following sunset at Cape Sounion

It’s Tuesday and classes are starting to slowly wrap up. Students have been turning in final essays and making presentations in their classes. Following the regular schedule of classes today, we met back at the UINDY campus building in the late afternoon for our trip to Cape Sounion. We traveled there by private coach bus and arrived just in time for a beautiful sunset. After taking a group photo and seeing the famous column where Lord Byron signed his name during the Greek War of Independence, we walked around the point and enjoyed the setting sun at leisure.

Sunset at Sounion

Upon nightfall we assembled at the cafe outside of the historical site before getting back on our bus. From there we continued our night by going to Glyfada for a group dinner at the famous George’s Steakhouse, the oldest traditional taverna in the area of Glyfada. Following a very filling meal of fantastic Greek cuisine, we concluded our night together by going across the street to the acclaimed ice cream and dessert shop, Pagatomania.

Dinner at George's Steakhouse in Glyfada

Our evening in Glyfada together was a fantastic way to spend one of our last night’s in Greece. Before we know it, classes will be over and we will find ourselves at the UINDY Farewell Reception, realizing our time on the Journey is nearing its end.

To see more photos from today, please click the link below:

Photos – JTG August 3, 2010

We are back in Athens for the last week of this year’s Journey to Greece program. This past weekend was planned for students to spend time visiting relatives, places, and sites they wanted to see while here in Greece. By Sunday night we were all back together for the last week of classes and planned activities.

Mr. Anthony Georgopouos, U.S. Embassy intern, speaking to students in the "Greek Politics and Foreign Policy" class

On Monday we had a regular day of classes. The “Greek Politics and Foreign Policy” class had a special guest speaker, Mr. Anthony Georgopoulos, who is an intern at the U.S. Embassy in Athens. Mr. Georgopoulos spoke to students about what he does at the embassy as an intern, providing some personal commentary of the current affairs of Athens. He also explained in detail the steps students must take in order to get involved with a foreign service internship, i.e. working for an embassy.

Following classes, students had the balance of the day to prepare for upcoming exams and work on final papers and powerpoint presentations for their classes.

The new E-Bulletin #4 is published! Please click the link below to download it. It will also be available to download at the official AHEPA Journey to Greece website.

JTG – E-Bulletin #4

Lecture from Capt. Rigos in the class "Greek Politics and Foreign Policy"

Capt. Rigos with Session #2 students at lunch

Friday began with a regular class schedule. Students in the class “Greek Politics and Foreign Policy” had a special guest lecturer today, Capt. Evangelos Rigos, Director of the Hellenic Electronic Center (HEC). Captain Rigos began his presentation by introducing his organization, HEC and its online community of Greek and Greek-American academics, students, and others in the community. The main part of his lecture focused on an issue Capt. Rigos has spent a lot of time advocating, the Greek genocide. In addition to providing a historical background on the event, Capt. Rigos explained how current activists including some involved in HEC are working to make the issue of Greek genocide universally accepted.

Following class, Captain Rigos joined the entire Journey group for lunch at our local taverna. He announced that all students on the 2010 Journey to Greece program will be the charter members of the new student forum on the HEC website. This forum will be a new place for all 337 Journey alumni to connect with professors in their academic area, learn more about current academic research, and be exposed to other opportunities to further their education in college. We are very grateful to Capt. Rigos to reaching out to the Journey students in providing them with a new means of communicating with members of the Greek-American community, specifically academia-related.

Below is some video footage of our dance lesson with a member of the Dora Stratou Greek Dance group.

Make sure you check out the written report and photos from our “Dora Stratou Night” below.

Private Greek dance lesson from a member of the world famous Dora Stratou dance group

Today we had another full day of class. In the afternoon we began our trip to the Dora Stratou Greek Folk Dance Theatre and Production Company, located at the famous Philapappou Hill. We had the unique opportunity to receive an exclusive 2-hour Greek dance lesson from a performer of Dora Stratou. Those learning how to dance for their first time had an amazing time learning Greek dances from various regions including Peloponnessus, Crete, and Thrace. We then walked from the Dora Stratou’s private dance studio to the public theatre to watch the night’s performance featuring dances from such regions as Samos, Thrace, Crete, Epiros, and Peloponnesus.

After the performance, students went out to dinner and started to plan their last week in Athens.

To see more photos from our night at Dora Stratou, please click to the link below:

Photos – JTG July 29, 2010