Today was not an extremely eventful day, but it was my first day of class abroad. The day started with a discussion with Dr. Kaplan about how Greece has been different for us, and the kinds of trends that we noticed in Greek culture.
One of the main things that is different in Greek culture is their laid back lifestyle. Each day shops and business close from around 3 PM till 5 PM, this allows Greeks the ability to take a nap before returning to work.
Also, when eating out in Greek restaurant or getting coffee at the cafe, it is customary to sit back and take hours with your meal or coffee. They are not nearly as rushed here as we are back in America. In America we are so schedule based and up tight that we usually eat quick and run.
We also discussed one of the books that we are reading this summer, Dinner With Persephone-a memoir written by an American living in Greece. What is described in this book is extremely accurate, even down to the writers assessment of Greek fruit juices (which are amazing, by the way). The book describes the culture shock associated with moving to Greece, along with the current Greek condition. The author is a poet, so it is filled with plenty of great imagery and metaphor.
After lunch Dr. Kaplan, Aya, and I went to campus to visit with the honors director of Deree. We also met the professor for our class on the tragedy of Electra. Both the honors director and our professor were very nice and hospitable, and seemed genuinely interested in our experiences in Greece.
Our first class started at 4:40 PM and is slated to go for 2 hours, five days a week. This seems daunting, but once the class started the time really flew by.
I have to admit, I was not prepared for the level of this class. It is basically an interdisciplinary class on the Greek tragedy of Electra. On a deeper level, it a philosophy class, a literature class, and a research class all rolled into one. I was very taken aback. I already have my first presentation tomorrow on a couple of articles dealing with the philosophical construct of tragedy. By the end of our two hour class we had exhausted the chalkboard and our minds. We concluded that a tragedy is really a treatise on a cultures theology, with was a very interesting conclusion.
The evening ended with yet another night of ultimate Frisbee. Surprisingly, this has not only been a great way for us to get exercise, but has also been a great bonding experience.
Tomorrow is our first Greek class and my presentation! Wish me luck!
One of the main things that is different in Greek culture is their laid back lifestyle. Each day shops and business close from around 3 PM till 5 PM, this allows Greeks the ability to take a nap before returning to work.
Also, when eating out in Greek restaurant or getting coffee at the cafe, it is customary to sit back and take hours with your meal or coffee. They are not nearly as rushed here as we are back in America. In America we are so schedule based and up tight that we usually eat quick and run.
We also discussed one of the books that we are reading this summer, Dinner With Persephone-a memoir written by an American living in Greece. What is described in this book is extremely accurate, even down to the writers assessment of Greek fruit juices (which are amazing, by the way). The book describes the culture shock associated with moving to Greece, along with the current Greek condition. The author is a poet, so it is filled with plenty of great imagery and metaphor.
After lunch Dr. Kaplan, Aya, and I went to campus to visit with the honors director of Deree. We also met the professor for our class on the tragedy of Electra. Both the honors director and our professor were very nice and hospitable, and seemed genuinely interested in our experiences in Greece.
Our first class started at 4:40 PM and is slated to go for 2 hours, five days a week. This seems daunting, but once the class started the time really flew by.
I have to admit, I was not prepared for the level of this class. It is basically an interdisciplinary class on the Greek tragedy of Electra. On a deeper level, it a philosophy class, a literature class, and a research class all rolled into one. I was very taken aback. I already have my first presentation tomorrow on a couple of articles dealing with the philosophical construct of tragedy. By the end of our two hour class we had exhausted the chalkboard and our minds. We concluded that a tragedy is really a treatise on a cultures theology, with was a very interesting conclusion.
The evening ended with yet another night of ultimate Frisbee. Surprisingly, this has not only been a great way for us to get exercise, but has also been a great bonding experience.
Tomorrow is our first Greek class and my presentation! Wish me luck!
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