Up to this point it probably seems that I've been living the life, vacationing in Greece for five weeks, nothing but relaxation. But there's the catch, you see. This is a study abroad program which means every weekday, I have to wake up and go to school. While I'm not exactly ecstatic about that fact, it's definitely a sacrifice worth making if it means I get to live in Greece.
So, my class at Deree is an art history class focusing in classical antiquity. That means all of the major sites and monuments in Greece (specifically Athens) are the focus of our studies. Since this is the first time I've taken a history class (that isn't U.S. history) since 10th grade, it's somewhat refreshing. I'm realizing that not only do I not mind going to class, but I am genuinely interested in the topics. Dr. Arafat is a great professor. You can tell he knows what he's talking about and he doesn't try to assign a ton of work with no purpose. He makes the class interesting and is great about answering any questions or clearing up any confusion. One of the coolest aspects of this class is that, since it focuses on antiquities that are kept in museums that are mostly in Athens, we get to do site visits instead of actually going to class for a lecture. These site visits are basically 2-4 field trips per week to museums to actually see the pieces we're studying. This is extremely helpful because 1) It's just easier to see the patterns of design and function in person than trying to see that in a picture 2) It makes everything so much more interesting and 3) I feel like I have a better appreciation for the pieces because I've seen them in person and he gives us the background on it, important facts about it and its history while we're looking at it. I will admit, at first, I was a bit disappointed with this class simply because I had hoped to have a Greek professor and at least a few Greek students that we could make friends with yet when the first day of class rolled around, I learned that our professor was British and every student in the room was American, with the exception of one Greek student. It wasn't the class I was expecting from a school with a 90% Greek student body. I figured that maybe most Greeks that attend Deree have seen these things before and learned about them over the course of their entire education so the last class they're going to want to take is one that is about the history of their hometown. It would be like American kids choosing to take a U.S. history class; it happens, but it's rare. I also noticed that our professor doesn't seem to care if people are late to class or aren't paying attention. He doesn't care about laptops in the room and was surprised when we asked him how we were being graded. He told us this is his first year teaching at Deree and he has never taught Greeks before or very many Americans. So clearly this isn't a result of teaching Greek students who are never on time to class and who are taught to memorize but not ask questions. I wonder if maybe British students are similar in that regard? Since Dr. Arafat is not Greek and he doesn't teach Greek students I can't really come up with a "Greek" explanation for why the class is so relaxed. Dr. Arafat's class is extremely interesting and despite the fact that we don't get any homework or assignments, I feel that I'm learning more than I have in most college classes to this point.
We also are taking a Greek language class to help us learn the basics of the Greek language so we can get by. To be honest, this class is a little frustrating to me because we don't get credit for the class, we don't get grades, but we still have to go to the class, sit through the class and spend what could potentially be free time exploring Athens in the class. It's not that I don't want to learn the Greek language. Actually, I really think the class is helpful in that respect. It's just that, if I have to go to this class anyway, I'd much rather take a few tests, actually legitimately learn the language and get credit for the course so I wouldn't have 3 awkward summer credits left to complete. Plus, it's jam-packed into days where we already have two other classes which just means we're all tired and irritable. Don't get me wrong, the class itself isn't bad. It's just that it's another class that we have to take....except that we don't get credit. I noticed the other day during Greek class, a good 2/3 of the class was at least ten minutes late. I tried to gauge the professor's reaction to their tardiness, knowing that it's a very different ordeal here and was surprised to note that she actually looked a little irritated. I tried to figure out why this may be since everyone here seems to be on true "Greek time." I figured that maybe she was used to teaching Greek to American students (or students from elsewhere around the world) who are usually more punctual, so the fact that some of the students were late was frustrating. Other than that theory, I've got nothing except that maybe she's just a punctual Greek.
The last class is Dr. Kaplan's class. We get together a couple times a week to discuss the book we're reading (Dinner with Persephone), we talk about the things we've noticed in day to day Greek life, and we try to analyze those differences and make connections with what we know about Greek culture. This blog is also a part of that class, though I'm writing it for myself and my family as well. We also have to keep a daily frustrometer which gauges our frustration level (particularly with cultural differences). We're doing site reports on major ancient or modern sites in Athens during which we have to convince our classmates to go see them (my site is the Panathenaic stadium). We also have culture reports which involve researching and presenting on a certain aspect of Greek culture (I'm researching the "evil eye").
School definitely isn't at the top of my summer to-do list but if that's what allows me to experience this amazing country, then I'm happy to grin and bare the educational portion!
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