Dana’s post trip Entry
- Posted by on June 17th, 2017 filed in Uncategorized
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Going to Greece was one of the most amazing opportunities I have ever had to grow not only as a theology student but also to grow in my faith. We had traveled from Athens all the way down to Corinth and sailed to Crete, from Crete we spent several days exploring the beauty and vast history of Rhodes. After our stay in Rhodes we flew to the northern part of Greece and landed in Kavala where we began our descent down the country stopping at Philippi, Thessaloniki, Meteora and Delphi. Each place we stopped at had its’ own unique and rich history, some were even connected by the teachings of the apostle Paul- who we learned had found himself in trouble in some of the cities.
We had spent our first few days in Athens and we had gotten to see all the amazing artifacts of ancient Greece during our museum visits. The most amazing part was seeing the old architectures that were still standing like the Parthenon on top of the acropolis (acro : highest , polis: city) and all the frame-work of the old city that was underneath just about every part of the new city. The Greeks had built their new city so that the frame-work of the old city was still visible to anyone who came to Athens. As a class we had learned so much about the old religion of Greece and all of their gods. The city Athens was named after the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom. The story of how she won the city was explained to us by our tour guide who said that Poseidon and Athena were fighting over the city. Poseidon gave the people a great stream as a gift, however that was not good enough for the people. Athena gave the people an olive tree and they loved the gift so much they named the city after her.
Another thing I had learned while in Athens was about the economy of Greece. It was an unspoken lesson but there were signs of a recovering economy all over the city. The streets were filled with graffiti professing anger against the economy. Our tour guide pointed out that there was graffiti prior to the economic struggle but it was more romantic. Ever since the economy had gone down people have held strikes, protests and spraying graffiti all over the town. Luckily there were no strikes or protests going on while we were in Greece but many of the locals I had talked to while there told me how certain professions would hold protests to better their working conditions and pay.
Our visit to Rhodes was the most memorable for me because of all the amazing interactions I was able to have with the locals and how my conversations with them would sometimes correlate back to the lectures we were having that week. One of the lectures we had on the rooftop of the bed and breakfast was about icons and understanding and interpreting their depictions. That was one of my favorite lectures because it gave me the tools to look at the icons that we saw all over Greece and decipher what the meanings are behind the different colors and have within the painting. This lecture helped me with my personal goal in learning more about Christ because I was able to understand the paintings on a deeper more spiritual level and not just gazing at a beautifully painted piece of art.
While shopping in Rhodes I had noticed one of the shop keeper was selling icons and I thought I would see if the shop keeper had any knowledge of them and how they are used within the Greek culture. The man was excited to see someone interested in learning more about the icons and how Christ has affected his life. He told me stories of how the icons are used and how his faith is what drives him. One of the stories he told me was about a boy who had awoken from a coma by Christ, and Christ was helping him to move his muscles so that the boy could get out of bed. The man explained that there are miracles like that that happen all the time but it is faith that allows us to see them as miracles and not just happy accidents.
My experience in Greece was amazing. I had learned so much from the locals from their religious beliefs to what everyday life was like for them. The lectures that were held really helped to further my understanding of Christ which was one of my goals coming on to this trip. I loved learning about the history of each place we stayed in because each city was unique in its’ own way, and although each city was a part of Greece we learned that for a while they were truly independent cities. I would love to go back to Greece one day, it was such an amazing experience and a memory I will cherish always.
-Dana Jeschke
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