Name: Rachel Urban
Graduation Term: Spring 2015
Major: Speech Language Pathology and Audiology
Hometown: Amity Harbor, New York
So tell us about your trip to Greece.
I studied abroad in Greece during the summer of 2012. It was a Towson-led program, meaning a Towson professor, Dr. Ballengee, traveled with us to various cities. There were seven other Towson students from a multitude of disciplines who started as strangers and quickly became great friends. The course we took was about Myth, Ideology and Symbolic Spaces of Greece. Our classroom was often a hotel pool where we discussed our readings, or museums and sites we were able to explore. My favorite museum was the National Acropolis Museum. While constructing it, they discovered ruins in the ground that they preserved with glass floors over. You can look at ancient ruins in Athens while simultaneously looking at this bustling modern city. My favorite assignment was one day when Dr. Ballengee asked up to pick a piece in the museum, sketch it, and spend some time focused it. During my trip, I was able to try the Greek drink, ouzo, and determine that I much preferred Greek food. Some of my favorite dishes were moussaka, pastitsio (like a Greek lasagna), tzatziki (yogurt, cucumber, and garlic dip), taramasalata (fish roe dip), souvlaki (lamb) and, of course, all of the fresh seafood. I had taught myself random Greek phrases while anxiously waiting to go on this trip, and I was able to use them and expand upon my limited phrases. Though, in most cities, most people also know English. 
Sounds like you had a great experience. Is there anything else you would like to share?
An excerpt from a journal entry: Upon returning to my room, I gawked at my balcony view. It was already dark, and the towns literally twinkle. The stars. The stars are pure light. Nature like this can’t go unnoticed. It makes me want to rethink my life for a brief moment. I feel like this could be my life. I could drop all my unneeded possessions, stop worrying about the silly hassles, and just enjoy every second of life in a beautiful place instead of 5 more years of school to have a successful, steady, American-dream life. On the other hand, as long as you’ve got some good people to share and make memories with, life is good. I’m constantly thankful for all the opportunities I’ve been given. I won’t ever let myself forget how beautiful the world is. No matter where life takes me, I’ll look for moments like this. I’ll stare at the stars that millions of other people have stared at, and remember that when it comes down to it, this is what life is about.
