Through the Mountains

On Saturday we went to the Gorge. It completely exceeded my expectations. The scenery of the gorge was more beautiful than anything I have ever seen. It was very peaceful to walk through the mountains and be surrounded by nature. While walking, I thought about the people who once lived in those mountains and how their lives must have been. The mountain villages are very isolated and I can only imagine how close their communities were. Reaching the end of the mountain, we all felt a great feeling of accomplishment. Although most of us were sore the next morning, I thought it was absolutely worth it and I would love to go again in the future.

The Past 3 days...

The trip so far has been great for me however emotionally it has been highly demanding of me. Coming from Boston to Alikianos has definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zone. For the past three days especially I have been dealing with many difficulties and have been generally very tired throughout the day. Dealing with it is very hard, especially since many of the people don’t knowme well but two people have helped me a lot. My roommate Yasmin has helped me greatly and Professor Vamvakas as well. I am usually not great at dealing with my personal issues but speaking with both Yasmin and Dr. Vamvakas has helped me to get through it. I really try not to bring my personal problems into the program, but it’s very hard considering that everyone is always with each other all the time. Privacy is something
that I have forgotten about but it’s a good thing, at least for me because it keeps me distracted from my issues and makes me focus on the courses which are my priorities as of today. In any case, I know that many more emotional challenges are going to come my way but I know that at least here I have people who I can talk to and that
I know care about me.

The Gorge

The Gorge was a breathtaking experience. Before going to the Gorge I was very worried that I would not be able to walk the 14km. Once I got to the Gorge and saw the beautiful view, I knew that all of it would be worth it. Going through the first half of the Gorge I focused mostly on taking in the view and being at one with nature. Once we started the second half of the Gorge I felt challenged. Walking over the rocks I felt as if I would fall into the water every time, and also walking across the bridges I was worried that I would fall, but I did not. In fact, the Gorge was not as physically challenging as I convinced myself it would be beforehand. Being able to cross the line and finish and realize that I had just done the longest Gorge made me feel very proud of myself. I would come back every year if I could and do the Gorge because the view and the feeling of accomplishment after doing so is something I cannot put to words.

The gorge hike was an amazing experience. We were able to see so many amazing things and have a good time together! The hardest part of the hike was climbing to the top of the Ottoman fortress. After finishing the gorge I still felt like I had plenty of energy to make the hike......then it started. Going up to the Ottoman fort was steep and difficult but that hike up showed the essence of team work and togetherness. Micheal and I fell behind on the way up but when we got to the top the rest of the group was up there waiting for us and cheered us on to the top. The hike was worth it and I am not only happy that I completed it, but that I completed it with such an amazing group of people.

Blue Team for the W I N

The Blue Team decided to get creative with our shirts! we made headbands and armbands so we were more unified (and because we looked amazing). We split the team up so that we could get to the scavenger hunt objects faster than the other team! We ran around Alikianos finding the scavenger hunt items and having a great time! It was amazing to see the village, and have a good time with the Blue Team. Blue Team: 11/11 Locations Gold Team: 3/11 Locations

Strength (Post 4)

Driving down the hill on the bus coming back from a long weekend, I am filled with a lot of different emotions, but mostly I feel both a sense of relief and accomplishment. On a more personal note, this time last year, being extremely ill, I would not even be able to walk from the bus, at the top of the mountain, to the sign labeling the start of the gorge (approximately 30 feet). Today, I am healthy and was able to walk the gorge completely with minimal stops. With every step I made that I almost fell or the exhaustion that took over my disabled arm and leg, where I wanted to stop, I reminded myself of the complete control I had and how I had the ability to do it. This wasn’t just a hike down a mountain to me but a way of proving my own strength to myself. Strength is not something I take for granted and was something I didn’t realize until it was taken away from me. There are a lot of people that don’t have the chance to do many of the things we have been doing on this trip and I am grateful for it all and the perspective I have that lets me be so thankful.

Women in Greece

Being from a multicultural background and being raised in a society that is very similar to Greek, it wasn’t too surprising for me to see that people were a little sexist. The women are the caretakers of their households and have greater responsibilities than men do. They work, cook, take care of their children while also dealing with many other tasks that come along the way. The women here are amazing because they manage to do so many things at once. This is not new to me since I saw the same things in Armenia for most of my life. It was sure interesting to watch Americans who were raised in a totally different society, observe these differences between their society and Greek society. Many of the people during the discussion with Professor Smirles at the coffee shop shared what they saw in society differently and I, for the most part, was thinking how all these sexist things were part of Greek life and Armenian life as well. For the most part, many people in these societies (Greek/Armenian) don’t see many problems with the sexist norms that they have, however, I think at some point they become problematic. It is a huge issue for women in these societies whether they recognize it or not and surely is a concern for society as a whole. I recognize these issues and truly would want to see a change, but yet understand that it is very hard to change a norm in a society which is often times looked down upon. This is an issue in Greece, in Armenia and many other countries around the world. One thing that I think is crucial to recognize is that these biases exist and try to address them at least on a personal level in order to contribute to change which is going to be very hard to achieve.