What inspired you to travel abroad?
Travelling abroad is one of my hobbies. It is very nice to learn about the cultural lifestyle of the country you are travelling to. If you want to learn the language of the country, it is especially useful to do a language program in the country itself. Outside your lessons, you will be inspired to practice your skills with the locals. It is so nice when the local people help you when you try to speak Greek with them.
If you are staying in a not too touristy area, for instance like the island of Chios, you will feel yourself feeling more like a local than a tourist and it will make it easier to practice your language skills.
Why did you choose Alexandria Institute?
For years I have been travelling to Greece every year (for more than 40 years), but for the last 20 years I have been going to Chios. After going to Greece for so many years I wanted to learn the Greek language, and I started to take some lessons in The Netherlands where I live. But, in my opinion, the best way to learn a language is to go to the country itself.
One day around ten years ago, while I was visiting Chios, I found a small paper on a lamppost about Greek lessons from the Alexandria Institute at Chios. I thought, wow, this is fantastic, I can study Greek on my favorite island of Chios!!! In 2013 I took the opportunity to do a language course on the island of Chios and I am still learning to this day!
What was your favorite part about Greece?
Greece is a wonderful country, and there are a lot of reasons why I love Greece. But, the most important thing to me, is how friendly and hospitable the Greek people are and how their way of life is. If you observe a local tavern on a Sunday afternoon, you will see tables filled with many people. They are filled with family, friends, and the young and the old.
I also like the historical culture of Greece. There are so many wonderful and famous spots all over the country that are worth a visit. For example: Delphi, Olympia, and the Acropolis. There are also plenty of smaller spots that are less popular, but worth a visit just the same.
What made your experience abroad extraordinary?
The experience abroad was extraordinary because I met people from different
countries. And everyone had the same goal: to learn the Greek language. Everyone tried to practice their Greek as much as possible.
Sometimes it was difficult, but in the end we understood each other. We sometimes even communicated in English or French. For instance, I met two Italian people and both of them didn’t speak English well. I also don’t speak Italian, so our common language became Greek. It was very nice and we succeeded in communicating with each other.
How did the local program staff support you throughout your experience?
The teachers were all very friendly and helpful. They are all highly qualified and they tried to make the lessons joyful every day, specifically through songs, conversations, grammar, and games in Greek. After the lessons, we created and participated in activities that we did in the late afternoon.
Outside of class, we traveled around the island and visited historic villages, swam at beaches, watched movies, and went out for dinners. Even outside of the class we all tried to speak Greek together and with the teachers anytime we could.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?
There is nothing special I should have done differently while I was at Chios. The institute divided the class into groups of different learning levels so everyone was following the lessons at their own pace.
The atmosphere was always very friendly and relaxed during our lessons which made us all feel very welcomed. It was a really nice feeling to know I could have a wonderful vacation all while learning a foreign language.
Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.
A typical day during the program begins with three or four hour lessons during the morning, depending on how many students are in your class. After the lessons, you can go out to eat lunch by yourself, with others, or eat in your room. During the afternoon, you can relax on a beach and do some homework in the meantime.
During the evening, you can go out for dinner, listen to live music if there any, or you can hang out with the other people in your group. Other times we would go on a trip to another area of the island.
What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad?
After the lessons, which are mainly during the morning, you will have a lot of free time in the afternoon and evening. It was always nice to go out for lunch or go explore the island to see some more cultural spots and go to the beach to swim.
And to finish a wonderful day with a wonderful trip going out for dinner all together is the icing on the cake! Of course everybody tries to speak Greek as much as possible during the trip.
What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?
I rented an apartment in a small village which is right on the beach. It is so nice to have a wonderful view of the sea, and I was one minute away from the beach where I would go to swim and relax.
The lessons are in a beautiful garden of a Genoese mansion ‘Voulamandis’ with a wonderful orchard with orange trees and mandarins. In the Genoese mansion, you can also rent a room to stay, and most of the people preferred to stay there. The location of the mansion is in a special area of the island named the “Kambos”, among a lot of other traditional mansions with beautiful gardens that are only a ten minute drive from most of the nearby beaches.
What is one thing every future participant should know about Alexandria Institute before their program begins?
Any future participant of a language course with the Alexandria Institute will know that they have definitely made the best decision choosing that program.
The program will make you feel very welcome and you will be learning the Greek language in a beautiful area. You will also meet very nice people from everywhere and will find out a lot about the Greek culture.
Each island or region of Greece has their own specialty foods too which are all nice to try. For example, in Chios there are products and food made with mastics such as ice cream, liquor, cookies, and chewing gum.
Would you recommend your program to others? Why?
I would definitely recommend to others to take a Greek course with The Alexandria Institute. The way the Alexandria Institute organises its courses is very nice and professional. You will receive emails before the start of the course that is all very welcoming and easy to understand, and the teachers are there to help from the beginning with any question. I also like how there are a lot of people of different ages that come from different countries to take courses with the Alexandria Institute in Greece.
What do you feel the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is?
One of the biggest benefits of travelling abroad for me, is learning about the culture and the history of the country of where you are going to. Also, if you are not travelling to very touristy cities, islands or villages, you will get to experience how to live more like a local.
It is wonderful when you go back home and you feel happy that you have made so many memories. And because the Alexandria Institute organises their Greek courses for people from all over the world, you will meet people from all over.
Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?
My time abroad in Greece has made me feel more motivated and inspired to keep learning the Greek language. I think it is such a beautiful language to listen to as well as read, write and speak.
Every time I return home from Greece I try to keep studying Greek and learning the language has become a very important hobby. I especially enjoy when I’m able to read an article or a book in Greek, even with help from one of my teachers.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travel means to me that what you take home from a trip is special and not materialistic. For example, it can be knowledge about the culture or country you’re travelling to, or have travelled to. It can also be learning the language of the country you went to or meeting international people that you become friends with.
It is also a different kind of vacation than, for instance, a beach vacation with your family or with a few friends.
