June 22, 2013

Reflective Writing- Greek I

This trip has had an absolutely amazing impact on my life. I could not be happier with everyone I met, all the things I saw, and all the things I learned.
Participating in class with Sofia our teacher and the other students was extremely helpful. She made the language very clear and understandable. This learning was taken even farther when we took it to the streets and used the language with actual Greek speakers. It helped me practice ad learn other ways to solve situations that we are faced with in real life. Some things I really could work on more is memorizing, learning more phrases that I will use a lot, working on my pronunciation, and learning the different tenses for formal or non-formal. However, I am very proud of how much I learned. I came into the class with no knowledge of the language and now I can carry very simple, brief conversations.
Speaking, or attempting to speak in Greek with the Greek people has really deepened my appreciation for this culture. Everyone I met was happy and eager to help. They are thankful for me trying and generous in return. You can’t help but love a people like that. Also being immersed and seeing how day-to-day life works here has deepened my appreciation. I love the food, the land, the style, all of it. If I could move here I would. I especially loved the host family. They showed to me the importance of family and conversation in this culture.
Not only do I feel more connected than ever to my roots, but I now have a newfound wanting to belong to this community. They included us like one of their own and helped every step of the way. This trip has taught me so much about this culture and myself because I now know this is my culture.

Madeline Hailer