I am someone who loves to eat and try new things because I believe food is a huge part of a culture and there is so much to experience in how different places cook and eat. Coming to Greece I was very eager to see how locals eat, especially since I love the “Greek” food that we have in the United States. I have now been in Greece traveling between a few of the islands and in Athens trying anything the waiter or waitress suggests in an attempt to eat as authentically as possible. I have found that my favorite food I have tried thus far has been a local fried feta cheese with honey and sesame seeds on top. This appetizer has been one that I have scanned the menu for now at each restaurant I have tried. The feta cheese I had the first time came from an island called Naxxos and was simply the fluffiest and freshest feta I had tried so far.
As far as getting to know some locals, I have been practicing more and more Greek and always asking taxi drivers or anyone I see that lives there what they suggest I should do and see and also eat. Since I am on a CofC lead program I do not have a host family but did get to ask the RA in our building who is from Greece, some of her favorite things to do so I could truly get to know the area from a locals perspective.
A typical day in Greece for me starts with class. We have class around eight so that the rest of the day is open for excursions. We end class around ten thirty and then get on the bus to visit a historical site or go to a local business to learn about their company and how their markets compare to the ones in the United States. After, we typically get time to explore the area we took the bus to and then go back to town to have dinner together.