Hello, I am Kalei, I study Anthropology at Wellesley University, but my new home for this semester is Athens, and CYA!  On my second week in Greece, CYA set off on an academic field trip to the legendary island of Crete located in the Eastern Mediterranean, and I want to tell you all about it.

It is the beginning of a new semester at CYA and we are curious to know what our interns think of Greece so far. Here’s a video of the 5 first things Alexandra, Kalei and Rachel noticed about their new home, complete with stunning pictures!

CYA welcomed 106 students from 53 universities across the U.S. for Fall ‘18 semester, with a week-long orientation program full of engaging activities.

During his welcoming remarks CYA President Alexis Phylactopoulos, urged students to become engaged. “Put your fears behind and go out, force yourself to explore the unfamiliar. Try to make contact with local people… follow the local news, travel, experience Athens, get lost, take the public transport, visit places other than the tourist destinations”, he said. “Your destination is not only to finish the semester with good grades but to grow personally and to become more rounded individuals, more independent and self-reliant”.

Some of the highlights of the CYA Fall ‘18 orientation week:

We are excited to welcome 3 new media lab interns for Fall ’18: Rachel Klein, Kalei Oliver and Alexandra Strong. The interns have already started working closely with the CYA media lab team, under the guidance of Communications Professor Demetris Kamaras, to create stories for the CYA social media and blog. You will have the chance to follow them closely as they share their thoughts and experiences of studying abroad in Greece.

Caroline Barnes and Sandro Cocito ( Spring ’18 CYA alumni) volunteered teaching English all summer at FAROS, a non-profit organization that provides care and humanitarian support to unaccompanied refugee children and youth, in Athens. They prepared their own teaching program that is now continued by fall ’18 CYA students. Find out more about their experience, in the following deeply moving article they prepared for CYA:

For students who love books and coffee!

Check-out this excellent list compiled by Nadia Meliniotis (Executive Director of Student Affairs) for some of best places to have a coffee, read and make friends in Athens!