When I made the 5,000+ mile move from West Virginia to Greece, I knew that there would be many cultural differences and even some challenges integrating into my new community. What I didn’t know, though, was how delightful the process of navigating these differences would be. From work to leisure and everything in between, adapting to life in Greece has given me an entirely new perspective, and I’m excited to carry this with me going forward!
The first and most daunting challenge I faced upon arrival was the language barrier. Before arriving, I did not have any experience with modern Greek. I still remember how intimidating the ride from the airport to my new home was: I looked out the window of the taxi and saw signs written in a language I couldn’t read, in an alphabet that I had never seen before. That first day, it felt like I couldn’t possibly learn to make sense of the language; nonetheless, I started taking the lessons offered at my school. After some time and a lot of studying, I began to feel more comfortable with reading and writing, but the best way to make progress in a new language is to speak it with others! So far, the people that I have met here have been very excited when they find out that I’m trying to learn Greek.
