By ABBY BRAVO
Editor-In-Chief
It feels like just yesterday I was writing about my first weeks studying abroad in Greece, my beginner’s advice and my hot water issues. Now, I have hot water and there are only a few weeks left until I am back in Albany with you all.
It feels wrong to not mention what is going on within the Saint Rose community right now and my heart hurts not being able to physically stand with you all and demand answers. The way I found out was no less jarring than those of you on campus as I was contacted by a journalist asking for my comments as the “board of trustees voted to close the school today.”
At the time, I had not heard anything about the closures and thought it was not true. About ten minutes later, all of the news outlets began reporting the same thing. It was a whirlwind getting in contact with friends and professors on campus to piece together what was going on.
Seeing the resilience of everyone on campus from afar has been inspiring and has made me even more proud to be a part of our community.
This news has allowed me to reflect in a different way on my study abroad experience and how it feels to completely leave the place I have called home for the last three years. It was nerve wracking, but extremely rewarding, and I would not trade my time abroad for anything.
This entire experience has been a whirlwind of emotions, and I think it will be a while before I can completely understand what I have done and seen during my time here. There were bumps along the way, as expected, and not everything worked out like I had planned, as expected.
If you are scared or worried about studying abroad, remember you are able to set your own pace and adjust as you need. There is a misconception that studying abroad is just a vacation where you take a lot of trips and party every night. For me, the majority of my time was spent on campus, in classes, or trying to figure out how to study.
These things like classes or studying can act as an anchor when beginning a study abroad semester even though everything else is intimidating and brand new. It took me almost two months before I traveled outside of Greece just because I wanted to feel settled and comfortable in Athens before I traveled out of the country. I was able to learn my surroundings in my neighborhood as well as see a lot of amazing locations within the country like the Acropolis in Athens among other historical sites, the monasteries of Meteora, and the Oracle of Delphi. I felt like I was missing out at first, but once I did leave to visit The Netherlands and then again to Austria, it felt so much better knowing I had a home to go back to in Athens.
Of course there are moments where I wish I had done things differently when it comes to friendships or interacting more with my campus community, but being here in Greece has been a huge way for me to learn more about myself. I learned how I handle stressful or unexpected situations, how I handle being entirely alone with myself, and what I want to change. I have grown so much as a person and am genuinely so proud of myself and grateful for what it added to my college experience as a whole.
Try to keep my words in mind as you continue on to your next chapter of life. A fresh start is not as scary as it may seem, you did it once when coming to Saint Rose and you can do it again no matter where you land, whether that be a new university, starting a career after graduation, or studying abroad. Remember that, as we have seen with the closure of our college, nothing is guaranteed and taking a risk like studying abroad may be exactly what you need.
