Over 60 students from many U.S. and Canadian universities have participated in Greek in Greece over the years. If you’re an alum, please feel free to leave comments containing effusive praise (or even criticism if you really must), photos, links to your own sites, etc. Also, please return to this site from time to time, respond to questions from interested students, arrange reunions, etc. And, please send the URL for this site to other alums whom you may be in contact with.
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- A study abroad program for students of Classical Greek
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June 27, 2007 at 2:44 pm
I went to Greece as a part of the Greek in Greece Program in 2003. To anyone who is even beginning to consider the possibility of participating in 2008, all I can say is: do it. It is not just that you will get to visit many of the places that you’ve been studying in books. It is not just that you will get to travel throughout one of the most beautiful and fascinating countries in Europe. It is not just that you will get to enhance your knowledge of ancient Greek with elementary knowledge of Modern Greek. More than all of that, studying in Greece with Bill and Steve can actually change your life. Most prospective students have probably long since begun to worry about what they’re doing with their lives. There’s nothing like spending three months doing nothing very practical at all to give you some much-needed perspective on that question.
If you’ve survived enough Greek to qualify for participation in the trip, then you’re almost certainly a serious student. Easily one of the best qualities of the OU program is that you will be studying with other serious students. Opportunities to study abroad abound, but very few of them offer the chance to spend time with serious people instead of people whose ambitions mostly involve drinking, shopping, and having ‘the study-abroad experience.’ Of course, serious students also like to drink wine (and there is plenty of wine to be had in Greece — and Ouzo, too), to eat (plenty of good food in Greece, though you might not go there just for the cuisine), and to have a good time. The difference is that serious students also want to learn and to think; for them that’s part of a good time. Just think: you will spend three months living with people who actually want to spend six hours or more every day reading Homer and Plato. The chances are that you will actually like most or all of your fellows, and you may even develop lasting relationships with others. Intellectual procreation in the presence of the beautiful can do that to people.
Another excellent feature of the program is the faculty. For some students, the idea of spending so much time with the professors might seem like a drawback. Bill and Steve will live with you and eat with you in addition to studying with you. You will certainly not find yourself bemoaning their presence, though. They actually want to spend time with students, and you will actually want to spend time with them. I can remember several occasions in 2003 when different groups of us had to bargain over which of us got to invite Steve to dinner on any given evening. You might occasionally grumble at the amount of work they assign you, but by and large you’ll enjoy them.
Bill and Steve will not try to be your parents, however, so you don’t need to worry about feeling oppressed. If anything, they will demand a greater amount of independence from you than you will initially want for yourself. Instead of telling you where you’re going next, for instance, Steve will probably tell you to decide that amongst yourselves and let him know. Instead of taking you to dinner and helping you communicate in Greek, they will leave you on your own to figure it out for yourself. Your fellow students will bear the same burden, of course, so you’ll do just fine. The point is: the faculty won’t try to micromanage you or keep you on a short leash.
I could go on, but I’ll probably just make you all sick. So I’ll stop and let others fill in the details from their own experience. It should suffice for me to say that my time in Greece was not my only experience studying abroad, but it was far and away my best experience. If you love to read Greek and to think in dialogue with the Greeks, then it will probably be yours as well.
June 27, 2007 at 6:51 pm
I also went to Greece on the 2003 program and I agree completely with Dave’s assessment. For starters, the literary of this trip sets it apart from other study abroad opportunities in Greece. My fiancée studied in Athens on a different program and had to spend a ton of energy trying to get out of the city on weekend trips to get a feel for the rest of the country. This program provides a great balance between getting the feel of Athens (a wonderful city) and getting to explore the rest of a very diverse and beautiful country. The program is language intensive, which should be a major selling point for serious students. Ohio’s faculty is very thoughtful about how they teach Greek and they teach it very well. Unlike Dave, I was not an Ohio student. I went to Carleton College in Northfield, MN. Students from other schools- rest assured, you will love Ohio’s department. While modern and ancient Greek are at the core of this trip, the archeological and historical components are very strong as well. It would be difficult, probably impossible, to really “get” Greek history without ever being on site. For any student, the Greek in Greece trip is a chance to truly and earnestly immerse yourself in Greek. It’s wonderful. Do it.
And it must be said though it will seem cheesy written on a website, this trip is life changing. You will come back with new perspectives, new passions, and rich memories. People you travel with on the trip might even become some of your closest friends and most respected advisers.
July 3, 2007 at 8:21 pm
Dave and Phil have pretty much covered everything so I won’t repeat.
I went on the trip in 2005 and loved every minute of it. I have been on other study abroad programs which are based in one city; while a family-stay experience is certainly enriching and (from me) highly recommended, one misses out on exploring all the little corners of a country.
When people ask me where I was in Greece, I answer, “basically everywhere.” Every island has its own unique flavor and wonderful, inviting people. Hospitality is still thriving (ask me for stories), it’s beautiful everywhere, and to me, modern Greek is the most beautiful language I have ever heard spoken. The last few days I was Greece I would stand by native speakers just to hear them talk, because I knew I wouldn’t get to hear such beauty when I came back home.
Along with Greek language and history, study abroad programs like this one don’t just allow for personal growth, they force it. You will learn about yourself in regards to how you relate to people, how you tackle the unkown, and how you fare being away from friends, family, and comfort. (Incidentally, the people on the trip become your friends, family, and your comfort). Developing close relationships with professors is one of the best experiences in college and this provides the opportunity.
I loved the program so much, I am hopefully going again in 2008, even though I’ve graduated and will be in grad school for Spanish. That says it all.
September 27, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I just created a group on Facebook called “Ohio University : Greek in Greece Alumni.” I posted over 30 photos from the 1995 trip. Hope others will join in. Would love to swap stories and hear how the program has evolved over the years.