It’s hard to believe it’s only been two days – the Heritage Greece 2013 program has been such a whirlwind already!  Today was our first day in Greece after we flew in from Washington D.C. early this afternoon, and I have to say, I’m going to really miss D.C. because we got to meet so many thoughtful, impressive people who are using their skills and passions and generous hellenic spirit to make a difference in the world.  It was such an inspiring way to start the program, as D.C. seems to have quite a strong Greek presence itself (the nightlife was great!), and of course meeting Nia Vardalos who plays Toula in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” was a really fun surprise and total shock to some of her biggest fans!
We still managed to pack in a lot of activity in our first day here, even though we arrived in the mid-afternoon!  Once we got to our apartments at DEREE (which are amazing and truly a sight to behold!) we had a chance to unpack and rest up a bit before shuffling out to take a tour of the American College of Greece campus.  This place is absolutely fantastic – I was particularly impressed with the swimming pool overlooking the soccer field, which overlooks a beautiful view of the rest of the city, and was also thrilled to find a Starbucks on the actual campus…….Harvard, take note!!!  But even more amazing than the campus are the people that we got to know a little more today – everyone, from the other Greek-Americans to the organizers of this Heritage Greece trip to the Greek students who took us on our tour today seems so nice and earnest and eager to learn and get out there and have as many fun and enriching experiences as possible.  I feel a great vibe with this group, and am excited to get “officially” started on classes and excursions tomorrow! 🙂

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Ariana Cernius
A.B. Candidate in Philosophy, and History of Art and Architecture
Harvard College, Class of 2013