A Taste of Greece

by Christy Panganiban

Even before entering college I was familiar with the concept of studying abroad. However, the idea of living in a completely foreign country while balancing school and adjusting to a new environment with new rules seemed quite intimidating.  Admittedly, I had some of the same qualms during my sophomore year in college while researching the study abroad programs offered by the University of Illinois. When I first came across the “4 Week ‘Renewable Energy Concepts’” program, I had two immediate concerns: culture barriers and the question, “is it worth it?” The topic of study, however, pushed me to consider this program since being a student studying civil and environmental engineering with the interest in sustainability, it was exactly the topic I wanted to dedicate a summer learning about.

Before traveling to Greece, I had little experience living in a foreign country; I had also heard of the critical state of Greece’s economy and had been tirelessly warned by my mother of all the risks accompanying a trip to a foreign land. With these dangers in mind, I was surprised to realize how safe I felt at all times. During the first day we arrived in Greece, the street signs initially made me uneasy. After a couple days, I found that there was almost always an English translation posted or announced. Fortunately, free Wi-Fi access was very common in public places; if I ever needed a map or quick translation, it only took a moment to pull up an app on my phone. Lucky for me, every Greek I interacted with also spoke English, especially the younger people who are taught how to speak English in school. Thus, if I was ever unsure of where I was, I never had a problem asking a local Greek for assistance. Regardless of age, I found Greeks to be very friendly people who have fun practicing their English and welcoming tourists to their country. Though the culture barriers seemed daunting at first, it only took a matter of a couple days to adjust to the new environment.

For the majority of the four weeks, myself and two other students lived together in a three bedroom apartment in a neighborhood of Athens called Neos Kosmos. Within a 7 minute walk from the apartment was the metro station, small grocery stores, bakeries, and gyro shops. Some nights we cooked our meals in the kitchen of our apartment, but many times we ate out, unable to turn down authentic Greek food, including meaty gyros sold for only 1-2 euros. With Professor Zahos, we also ventured to four islands of Greece (Hydra, Poros, Aegina, and Crete) and to different sites all over the mainland. Since these trips had been arranged prior, we had the privilege of taking in as much of the breathtaking, rich-in-history country as we could in just four short weeks. We visited historical locations and toured ancient sites including Mycenae, Olympia, Delphi, and Meteora.  The three of us were also given the opportunity to spend our “free” weekend exploring Santorini on our own, where we rode donkeys, visited a volcano, swam in the hot springs, and enjoyed every beach on the island riding ATVs. I cannot stress how incredibly beautiful both the mainland and islands are, but I can say with full certainty that I will be returning.

The experience was completely worth it; it seems silly that I even questioned its value. The lectures by graduate students and professors at the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) on renewable energy concepts, current/upcoming technology, and the program called HOMER were not only relevant to my previous studies but opened my eyes to the current state of our planet. The trip to the University of Thessaly in Volos, the tour of the Center for Renewable Energy Sources, and the various technical field trips throughout the month gave me a well-rounded understanding of renewable energy sources. Through this experience, we learned how to utilize HOMER to design an optimized microgrid system for our assigned Greek islands using real-world, current data.

Without a single shred of doubt, this trip was worth all the time, energy, money, and planning it took. Besides gaining 2 credit hours, I acquired memories, knowledge, experience, and a new perspective that will remain treasured for all time.

This article is one in a series of blog entries written by University of Illinois students who were selected to travel to Greece to participate in a four-week Renewable Energy Concepts Study and Cultural Tour, provided by theInternational Programs in Engineering Office of the College of Engineering. Tour participants embarked on technical field trips, cultural excursions, and collaborated with students from the Agricultural University of Athens and the University of Thessaly in Volos to research and apply renewable energy concepts to real-world technical and societal questions . This program is partially supported by the European Union Center through a European Union Center of Excellence grant. It is planned to repeat the program in summer 2015.

Christy Panganiban is studying civil and environmental engineering and will be graduating in May 2016.

A Taste of Greece

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A Month Spent All Around Greece

by Neil Mulvey

Throughout college, the idea of studying abroad always appealed to me. However, with tough course loads every semester and the pressure of graduating on time, I never gave study abroad much of a viable chance. When I decided to push my graduation date one semester back, it provided the opportunity to take advantage of the extra time. My first thought was to explore study abroad options to continue to gain credit, but more importantly to fulfill my want to travel and explore a different part of the world.

While searching through the available summer study abroad options, I could not believe my luck in finding an option to travel to Greece for a month and study the relevant topic of renewable energy. Since I was young, I have been intrigued by the ancient world the Greeks inhabited along with their mythologies. A chance to go to the lands where these stories took place and to the sites where historical events occurred was one I could not pass up.

Upon arrival to Athens, Greece, I knew I would not be disappointed with my decision to join the program. After a night that featured our first Greek meal of the trip in the Syntagma district, we enjoyed a personal tour of the Parthenon. This was just the beginning to a trip including many historical sites throughout Greece including Corinth, Mycenae, Olympia, Delphi, Meteora, and Knossos. The history is well documented and every site visited was kept in great condition which provided a very enjoyable experience.

The historical sites were not the only places that provided extraordinary experiences. Greece is known for their many beautiful islands and we had the pleasure of visiting multiple. In just one day, we took a cruise to three unique islands. The boat ride allowed great views of the Aegean Sea and passing islands which was amazing all it its self. As a group, we decided to take a weekend visit to Santorini, which is known as one of the more popular tourist islands. Crete, the most southern and largest Greek island, provided multiple experiences. Crete is where the Knossos ruins are along with the Samaria Gorge, which we spent six hours hiking through one day. Greece offers an abundance of both historical sites and natural beauty.

One of the greatest pleasures of the trip involved our experiences with the Agricultural University of Athens. The PhD candidates and professors were always extremely helpful and knowledgeable while working on our projects. They also provided relevant and interesting lectures on their courses of study. It was particularly interesting to learn about multiple renewable energy sources and machinery and their particular application to Greece and Europe. Our AUA friends also gladly took it upon themselves to introduce and immerse us into the Greek culture.

To me, studying abroad was so much more than an opportunity to gain knowledge in renewable energy. It was a chance for me to see firsthand history-book worthy sites and learn about life in a different part of the world. It is important to me to have a better understanding of what is going on not only in America, but everywhere. Living outside of the normal comfort zone for any period of time is a powerful experience that everyone should take advantage of.

This article is one in a series of blog entries written by University of Illinois students who were selected to travel to Greece to participate in a four-week Renewable Energy Concepts Study and Cultural Tour, provided by theInternational Programs in Engineering Office of the College of Engineering. Tour participants embarked on technical field trips, cultural excursions, and collaborated with students from the Agricultural University of Athens and the University of Thessaly in Volos to research and apply renewable energy concepts to real-world technical and societal questions . This program is partially supported by the European Union Center through a European Union Center of Excellence grant. It is planned to repeat the program in summer 2015.

Neil Mulvey is a senior graduating in December 2014 with a Bachelors of Science in mechanical engineering and science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His interests include swimming, hiking, and anything else outside. 

A Month Spent All Around Greece

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SUMMER IN ATHENS

by Nathan Yan

Coming into college, I really didn’t expect to learn much. I was going to get my bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, spend a couple years working in consulting firms, and then apply to business school and enter into the world of finance. College was simply a stepping-stone, a requirement to get to the next step of the overall plan. In retrospect, I realize now how ignorant I was about society. To me it seemed like the mentality of every college student in engineering only chose their major for job security, and why wouldn’t they? In times of economic turmoil, job security is the most logical asset to acquire. As I met people of different occupations around Greece, I slowly started to realize that people are passionate about what they do. My whole life has progressed with the naïve thought that success is measured by the number of zeroes at the end of your paycheck.

I came on this trip to Greece, a nation flourishing with history, in order to learn about renewable energy, a field I only pursued for potential entrepreneurial endeavors. I didn’t really care much for the history or even the scenery for that matter, yet on the second day of staying in Athens, my view changed. As I walked up the stairs of the Acropolis, our impromptu tour guide, George, passionately described the great history behind the Parthenon and its surrounding ruins. For the first time in a long time, I was suddenly immersed by history. I carried this awestruck mentality to every historic site we visited on this trip: Olympia, Delphi, Knossos, and many others.

Interacting with the staff at the Agricultural University in Athens and hearing their lectures and discussions, I could immediately sense their passion behind what they do. These intellectuals purposely chose the engineering lifestyle over more financially promising endeavors in order to improve society.  At the farewell dinner with the faculty, they ranted about how some of the foremost intellectual minds choose selfish lives of finance, taking money from others, versus applying their potential to more beneficial fields of study.

In the simple words of George, he said that no matter what we pursue in life, it’s always important to study two things: history and poetry. These two subjects round out one’s intellect, history for its simple beauty and poetry for its intrinsic romantic character. It’s like when you ask everyone for advice for college. Whether it was writing application essays or choosing which major to go into. The advice was pretty uniform: pursue what you’re passionate about. Like most adolescents, I passed up simple life advice only to come across it again through my own experiences.  Although this might sound too dramatic, this trip has restored my faith in humanity. It has revitalized the notion that one can be passionate about what they do, that life still holds beauty in the power of a community working together.

This article is one in a series of blog entries written by University of Illinois students who were selected to travel to Greece to participate in a four-week Renewable Energy Concepts Study and Cultural Tour, provided by the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). Tour participants embarked on technical field trips, cultural excursions, and collaborated with students from the Agricultural University of Athens and the University of Thessaly in Volos to solve real-world engineering problems. This program is partially supported by the European Union Center through a US Department of Education Title VI grant.

SUMMER IN ATHENS

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AN UNFORGETTABLE TRIP

Santorini

by Jialing Ye

I appreciate coming on this trip with my fellow students this summer. It is a very fun and meaningful trip. I am learning a lot about renewable energy, and I have fun by visiting all the beautiful places in Greece, too. Before I came to Greece, my parents and I were both worried about this trip, because we heard that the economic situation is very bad in Greece. I thought that this trip might be dangerous. Obviously, I was over-thinking too much. This trip has helped me learn more about different cultures, and also about renewable energy in the EU.

Crete

When I first came to Greece, I thought that the environment looked similar to China. I think it’s because they are both developing countries. Different from Chicago, Athens has more of a night life. There are a lot of people sitting outside of the restaurants and bars, chatting and watching football games. This is totally different from the Greece that I imagined. I thought that since Greece is experiencing an economic crisis, people would not go out to spend money at night. After I spent few more weeks in Greece, I knew I was wrong. I can tell that the economy is worse than before, because when we passed by the shops, many items are on sale. Also, I see some unfinished construction buildings. I think every country will survive this kind of economic crisis, even the U.S.  I feel very safe and comfortable in Greece.

The Parthenon

I really enjoy my days in Greece. I can tell that the culture here is different from the culture in U.S or China. People know more about how to enjoy life. Every Sunday, almost all the shops are closed. People will stay at home or go to park. At night, people will go to the bar to drink and chat with their friends, no matter what. In restaurants, waiters serve everything at a slow pace. This is quite different than life in America. I feel like people are so chilled and relaxed here. Greeks are not very rich, but they know how to enjoy their life. I think this is what we can learn from them. In addition, the people in Greece are very nice to foreigners. We stopped by a restaurant to buy water on the way to Volos, and the owner of the restaurant give us a lot of gifts and free tea. We also met a lot of different people, and they all wanted to help us. I am very thankful that I met all kinds of people and got to know more about the Greek culture.

Sunflower on a Greek farm

I noticed that a lot of things are environmentally friendly in Greece. Every supermarket has a basket to recycle batteries. On the buildings’ roofs, I can see a lot of solar heater machines. Wind turbines can be seen frequently on the mountains. Photovoltaic can be seen a lot, too. When I passed by the supermarket, I saw a lot of advertisements for renewable energy. I find that using renewable energy is part of their life style already. Greece offers examples of how to develop renewable energy.

Overall, I think this trip is having a substantial effect on me. I am not only learning about renewable energy, but also about a different culture and lifestyle. I’ve opened my mind and broadened my horizons. This has been an unforgettable trip.

This article is one in a series of blog entries written by University of Illinois students who were selected to travel to Greece to participate in a four-week Renewable Energy Concepts Study and Cultural Tour, provided by the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). Tour participants embarked on technical field trips, cultural excursions, and collaborated with students from the Agricultural University of Athens and the University of Thessaly in Volos to solve real-world engineering problems. This program is partially supported by the European Union Center through a US Department of Education Title VI grant.

Jialing Ye is a junior studying Civil and Environmental Engineering with a concentration in Environmental Engineering. She resides in Chicago.

AN UNFORGETTABLE TRIP

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NEW PERSPECTIVES, COURTESY OF GREECE

by Sarah Freriks

Hello, Everyone! I’m writing to you from a private balcony off the Pagrati apartment I’ve shared with my two roommates for the last month or so in Athens, Greece.  It’s bright and sunny, the sky that otherworldly early morning blue that promises another day of beautiful weather.  My neighbors are just waking, drawn out onto their balconies for sunshine and the orange trees in our private courtyard.

These weeks have centered around lots of travel.  In the past four weeks, we have traveled from Volos, Meteora, Delphi, Olympia, and several islands including Crete and Thira.  While the travelling seemed endless, we have had ample time to explore Athens and its extraordinary history.

One of the advantages to truly living in a foreign country for an extended period of time is that you are forced to live and interact in a way wholly different than if you were merely another tourist in a hotel.  From realizing that there are switches to turn the oven on and off to the first trip to the market, living abroad allows you to live and experience the lifestyle and cultural differences of the native people.

The people of Greece have been exceedingly friendly, even if most of us have not had enough broken Greek or English to converse fluently.  The market, the street, anywhere, is the perfect place to meet new people.  We have our favorite gyros stands and nearby restaurant, Dionysus, where the owners know and recognize us. In fact, they know and recognize most of their customers.  The people of Greece are very social and connected to one another in a way unlike the States. 

They are conscientious of one another (I wasn’t sure we had neighbors for the first two weeks-they are so quiet) and go out of their way to introduce themselves and strike up conversation.  This results in a wide, diverse social group that they take great pleasure spending time with.  While friends and family are important everywhere, in every culture, the Greeks we have met spend their free time and work time together.  It is very rare to see people listening to iPods or texting on their cellphones.  They are more likely to be chatting over souvlaki and gyros in a café or sharing a lively conversation on the street.  This gives the cities a very warm, neighborhood-like atmosphere, and this hospitality is extended to polite and interested tourists.

This atmosphere of family and friends extends to the way they take care of their city and its treasures. One of the first things that we noticed about the Greek cities that we have visited is how clean they are.  While Athens is relatively small compared to many other cities in the United States, it is spotless.  The people work hard to keep it that way, too, because the city is their home.  Unlike many places where people are generally only willing to accept responsibility for their private dwellings, the Greeks as a community take pride and invest in the common welfare of their communities.

Another key difference from the United States is the intergenerational interaction.  Older (aged 30+) Americans generally only lie on the beach and encourage their children to be still or play by themselves, and people unofficially socially restrict and separate people by age group.  Whereas all ages of Greeks swim, dance, and play together.  This has resulted in, I believe, a stronger sense of community and social identity for all. They learn how to interact appropriately with all members of society, and not just with their parents and their age group.  Older members of society also serve as fully-invested mentors and inspiration for younger, less-experienced members of society.

The benefit of this contact shows in the warmth and caring they show for all members of society, even the not-so-stray dogs and cats that populate the streets.  Daily, I see old and young alike supply food and water to the homeless people and animals.  Not only that, but parents teach their children to show generosity and kindness to all by leading by example. 

In my sociology class, we learned that the stereotypical (though very real) angst that American teenagers experience is not universal.  When younger generations have such limited experience and so little investment in older members of society, how can you become a fully functional, involved member of society if no one shows you how?  It is more than sending children to school-it is the daily emotional, physical, and social engagements that bind people together and share cultural knowledge. I believe that the community culture that Greeks have created for their people has leant itself uniquely to the development of good members of society.  Their belief in the value of both individual and community responsibility allowed them to make history and serve as global inspiration for thousands of years as the cradle of democracy.

This trip has given me unique insight into the history and culture of my own country and the ideals it was founded on.  In so many ways, your history is your identity and, to an extent, Greece and her democracy is my history and inspiration too.

This article is one in a series of blog entries written by University of Illinois students who were selected to travel to Greece to participate in a four-week Renewable Energy Concepts Study and Cultural Tour, provided by the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). Tour participants embarked on technical field trips, cultural excursions, and collaborated with students from the Agricultural University of Athens and the University of Thessaly in Volos to solve real-world engineering problems. This program is partially supported by the European Union Center through a US Department of Education Title VI grant.

Sarah Freriks is a junior studying Agricultural and Biological Engineering with a concentration in Renewable Energy and continued study in foreign languages. She resides in the rural countryside past the far-west suburbs of Chicago.

NEW PERSPECTIVES, COURTESY OF GREECE

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CHALLENGING CURRENT PERCEPTIONS OF GREECE

by Kevin Banas

When preparing for my study abroad experience here in Greece there were a couple factors that people around me, and the media were making a big deal about. Everyone was saying that the Greek economy is on the verge of catastrophe. They said that the country was heading for a “great depression”, and that riots are occurring all over the place, making it a dangerous and unstable environment to be in. Not to mention, Greeks dislike Americans, and I will be treated badly. However, after spending over a month in Athens, with several side trips to different areas in Northern Greece, including the Peloponnese, and multiple different islands, I can say with confidence that what I have experienced here has led me to believe that these perceptions of Greece have been blown way out of proportion.
   
First off, regarding the economic situation here in Greece, if there is a “great depression” heading this way, I for sure have not noticed anything to make me believe this. Of course, I have walked through areas with abandoned shops, graffiti covered walls, and less well off areas; however, Greece is, to my knowledge, a second world country. They have had these areas long before the economic crisis began. With that being said, everyday I leave my apartment and walk down the streets, the cafés are always full of people drinking their coffees, smiling and conversing. Furthermore, personally I have noticed many more homeless people living in Chicago than here in Athens. Every time I have gone out to eat dinner the restaurants are always packed with people, tourists and locals. Not to mention the fact that you can still find people going out to the clubs on a Tuesday night, and staying out until 4-5am in the morning. Now if this country was on the brink of disaster, do you really think the environment would be this way? I have made relationships with over 10 different Greek people from across the country, and have not heard them discussing any personal problems with finances, or anything of that nature. So, in my personal opinion, there is an economic problem here in Athens; however, it does not seem any more serious than what I have noticed in America.
   
Another thing I saw in the news before coming to Greece was descriptions of the riots. Angry protesters throwing flaming cocktails, tear gas, and arrests dominated the news about Greece. However, I have been here for over 4 weeks and not only are the people all in a good mood, there have been no signs of any protesting anywhere. A couple of processions have passed areas around my apartment, though all of them have been religious-related.
   
Lastly, to answer any questions about Greek-American relations, or ill treatment from any of the locals: if there is any of this going on, I have not experienced it. All of the personal interactions that I have had with people here have been very positive. One thing that I have noticed about the Greeks is a genuine care for others’ happiness and well-being. Whenever we received a lecture from a Greek graduate student or professor, they would always track the students’ expressions. If we are yawning, or seem disinterested, then they would move onto a different area that we seemed more interested in. In general they seemed a lot more interested in teaching us what we wanted to learn, rather than what they wanted to teach. Also, while on our coach bus tour of the ancient sites of Greece, our tour guide would always make sure that everyone was in a good mood. If people seemed tired, she would take a break and give us a couple hours to sleep.

One of the great friends I made while abroad

On an ending note regarding my time here, I have come to one basic conclusion about the Greeks, which is that they are probably the most passionate people I have ever come into contact with. One of the Greeks that I had the pleasure of spending time with here stated it perfectly. He said, “the Greeks are a very passionate people, if they like you, they love you….if they dislike you, they hate you.” Walking down the street in Athens, waiting for the metro, or just sitting at a café, you will always see Greek couples hugging and kissing each other no more than one foot from other people. However, this is normal for people here. All of the Greeks that I have befriended here talk about meeting up again if they are in the US, or getting a drink before I leave. They truly like us, the students, and have our best interests in mind.

All in all, I have thoroughly enjoyed my month here in Greece. I loved every ancient site that I’ve visited, every restaurant that I’ve eaten in, and every person that I’ve had a conversation with. Now that I’m leaving, of course it’s a sad moment, and I’m going to miss it, though I am ready to come back to the US. However, more importantly, it is not that sad of a day because I know that I will come back here sometime soon. It is too rich of a country, culturally and historically, to not return to.

This article is one in a series of blog entries written by University of Illinois students who were selected to travel to Greece to participate in a four-week Renewable Energy Concepts Study and Cultural Tour, provided by the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). Tour participants embarked on technical field trips, cultural excursions, and collaborated with students from the Agricultural University of Athens and the University of Thessaly in Volos to solve real-world engineering problems. This program is partially supported by the European Union Center through a US Department of Education Title VI grant.

Kevin Banas is a senior studying Environmental Economics and Policy. He resides in the Northwest Suburbs near Chicago.

CHALLENGING CURRENT PERCEPTIONS OF GREECE

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Local Food and Hospitality in Athens and Volos

by Carina Hilber

Sweden, New Zealand, France, and the UK are all places that were visited this summer by University of Illinois students, including some of my closest friends.  I remember talking with others about summer travel plans and seeing their reactions of surprise and awe.  I also remember the many puzzled looks I received when I said that I would be going to Athens, Greece. I learned that I was going to Greece at the same time the media reported riots, political unrest, and an economical crisis in Greece.  Parents, professors, and friends were worried about the trouble I might run into in the capital, as well as possible anti-American sentiments.  The embassy did not give any recommendations against my travels, and so on the 21st of June I set off on the trip of a lifetime.

Upon arrival to Athens I was in shock; coming from a small town I had never experienced a city such as Athens that was so full of life.  Our study abroad professor had visited a few times prior, and whenever we went to a restaurant or to a shop that he had been to before, many people recognized him and greeted him as an old friend.  It was amazing to see the camaraderie that developed from a short visit, maybe once or twice a year.  Eventually our study abroad group ventured out without our professor, which was somewhat difficult given our extremely limited Greek vocabulary.  However, each time we managed to get through with the help of hand signals, some laughs, and lots of smiling.  Sometimes we would even receive a Greek lesson from those we played charades with.  Once, when my roommate and I went to look for bathing suits, we met a store owner who dreamed of coming to America.  She seemed enchanted by the cities and asked us what life in America was like.  Upon leaving, everyone was in smiles, and we wished that she would be able to fulfill her dream someday.

During our study abroad we took a trip to Volos, which was a four-hour drive and included multiple water, food, and bathroom breaks.  During a stop for food, the owner of the restaurant came over to talk to us while we waited for our group. We conversed about where we were from and what we were doing in Greece.  Then, he decided to show us around his restaurant and teach us about the traditional foods and herbs of his region.  He sent us away with food, herbs, and an invitation to return for a special lunch on our way back.  These wonderful experiences made me think that, contradictory to the media’s reports, people are still living life to the fullest, despite current hardships.  Especially in Greece, where the people were excited as ever to share their life stories, wishes, and experiences, in order to befriend a study abroad group from the US.

This article is one in a series of blog entries written by University of Illinois students who were selected to travel to Greece to participate in a four-week Renewable Energy Concepts Study and Cultural Tour, provided by the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). Tour participants embarked on technical field trips, cultural excursions, and collaborated with students from the Agricultural University of Athens and the University of Thessaly in Volos to solve real-world engineering problems. This program is partially supported by the European Union Center through a US Department of Education Title VI grant.

Carina Hilber is majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a minor in Chemistry, and resides in Rantoul, Illinois.

Local Food and Hospitality in Athens and Volos

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Kalimera from Greece!

by Antonia Nepomuceno

Kalimera!

Good morning from Greece! It’s amazing how quickly one can adjust to a new environment, and respond with a “ghia sas”(pronounced ya sas) or “kalimera” instinctively. At the same time, it is not until you put yourself in a new place that you realize some things will never seem normal. Like toilet paper not going in the toilet. Whether or not I have adjusted to some things, staying in Greece for four and a half weeks has been an exciting and worthwhile experience.

Being in the capital, one learns some telltale signs as to whether someone is a native or not. Greeks can wear pants, blouse, and jacket in 95-degree heat without sweating. Everyone has stylish, or faux-stylish, sunglasses. Mentioning your hometown evokes name after name of some distant relative who lives there. Say “Chicago” and the first response is “Chicago Bulls”. Eating dinner before 8pm spotlights you as not Greek. Despite my group’s lack of Greek-ness, we never had a negative encounter. In fact, people tended to be genuinely excited to be talking to someone new, different, and not related to them by some distant cousin. And they will gladly tell you which names and word roots come from what Greek word. If you have a Greek name, then you are already halfway into their family. But the people make only half the experience, when you consider that the birth of Western civilization occurred here.

Seeing things first-hand is like rediscovering everything I ever learned in school. Put those little pictures in the textbook in the middle of a living city and you have the Acropolis standing in the middle of Athens. Taking the tram, we would see the Parthenon at least once a day and barely have a second thought. Well, that is the look I’d go for, pretending to be local. Really, I’d be exploding with the craziness of the situation. Am I really staring at the Parthenon from thousands of years ago while taking the bus to get to a lecture on renewable energy?! That’s like living next to the Grand Canyon, but not even blinking an eye. Greeks live with their past sitting in clear view. In Chicago, it’s out with the old and in with the new. There, we say let’s make the skyline. In Greece, you look at the same skyline that’s been there for a long time.

While being fully immersed in Greek culture, it’s always fun to run into someone from the same place as you and compare notes on what you’ve seen and experienced. We had the pleasure of meeting a couple people from Australia, and hearing what they had to say about Greece versus home was really cool. They had the same perspective as us, the tourist, yet compared it to a totally different standard of “home”. At home, we have air-conditioning. Here, a little siesta to hide from the heat is economical and means you can stay up later and do as the Greeks do.

Although some things I have yet to adjust to, such as their “driving laws” (more like guidelines if you ask me), I have become attached to this place and its culture.

This article is one in a series of blog entries written by University of Illinois students who were selected to travel to Greece to participate in a four-week Renewable Energy Concepts Study and Cultural Tour, provided by the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). Tour participants embarked on technical field trips, cultural excursions, and collaborated with students from the Agricultural University of Athens and the University of Thessaly in Volos to solve real-world engineering problems. This program is partially supported by the European Union Center through a US Department of Education Title VI grant.

Antonia Nepomuceno is studying Bioengineering with a minor in Spanish. She is from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.

Kalimera from Greece!

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Magnificent Sights and Friendly Faces in Greece

by Liyu Lei

The study abroad group in front of the Parthenon

I am Liyu Lei, and I am studying renewable energy concepts in Greece. This has been an awesome program that has given me the opportunity to learn about renewable energy including solar, wind turbine, hydro-power, biomass, and geothermal energy, as well as travel to Greece!

The Greek financial crisis was dominating the news in the couple of months prior to my trip. My family and I worried about safety during my study abroad trip. When we first arrived at Athens, we had to find our way to the University and to some historical sites. Surprisingly, I was never rejected by anyone when I asked for directions. I still remember clearly the experience we had on our way to the Acropolis. Professor Zahos’ friend, George, volunteered his time as our tour guide. We were supposed to meet at the entrance of the Acropolis at eight-thirty. However, we were still struggling with the directions at eight o’clock. While we were looking at the map and trying to identify the streets, we heard a voice belonging to an old man: “Do you need help?”. He not only helped us find the correct route on the map, but he also walked about 15 minutes with us to our destination. Although we were still a bit late, we were so lucky to meet him. After this experience, I felt safe! Even today, I can’t remember how many times I have received assistance: people helped me pick up my wallet when it dropped to the ground, people reminded me to zip up my purse, and people gave me a hand when I got lost. Although I may not remember their faces, I will remember their smiles, so pure and sincere.

Despite the financial crisis that has afflicted Greece’s economy since 2010, Greeks love living their life. Compared to the United States, their living style is quite relaxed. They regularly go to work from nine in the morning to nine at night. During the summer, some stores are required by law to close from two-thirty to five-thirty due to hot weather. They call this period “quiet hour”, during which no noise is allowed inside resident buildings.  Many stores are closed on Sundays for church and family activities.

Greeks are famous for their liveliness. Although Greek women follow the tradition of cooking for their household nearly every day, they also like to spend time eating, drinking, and dancing at night with their friends. Whenever you walk down the street at night, you see many Greek adults chatting at the bar or restaurant, sharing their daytime experiences with one another.

Hydra Island

Today, Greece still maintains their tradition of folk dancing, which attracts audiences from all over the world. Dance often plays an important role in the life of a Greek. Through it, they express their feelings about everyday life. They dance during religious festivals and ceremonies, and one can find folk dance performances in Athens easily. I saw a wedding party in Delphi, where the bride and groom danced traditional Greek dances that were combined with modern dance as entertainment for the audience. It seems to me that Greeks have adapted modern dances in order to add diversity to their traditional dances.   

Odeum of Herodes Atticus

Greece is famous for its historical sites and very blue seas. The Acropolis is the one historical site that we cannot wait to visit. Thanks to George, we learned about the mythology and history of the temples, such as the Parthenon, Athena Polias, Propylaea, and Erechtheum. In order to better understand Greek culture and history, we took a four-day classic tour. We went to Epidaurus, Mycenae, Olympia, Delphi, and Meteora. Although they are ruins today, I could see their past glory from the magnificent architecture. There are numerous beautiful islands in Greece. The sea water is bluer and calmer than you can imagine. You should not miss it!

This article is one in a series of blog entries written by University of Illinois students who were selected to travel to Greece to participate in a four-week Renewable Energy Concepts Study and Cultural Tour, provided by the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). Tour participants embarked on technical field trips, cultural excursions, and collaborated with students from the Agricultural University of Athens and the University of Thessaly in Volos to solve real-world engineering problems. This program is partially supported by the European Union Center through a US Department of Education Title VI grant.

Liyu Lei is a junior studying Food Science and Human Nutrition. She chose her concentration in Human Nutrition because she is interested in understanding the relationship between food consumption and human development and health. She currently lives in Chicago.

Magnificent Sights and Friendly Faces in Greece

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Across the Cornfields - Greek Films Edition

Still from “The Guide”(2011), directed by Zacharias Mavroeidis,
which will be shown at 3 p.m. March 3 at the first Greek Film
Festival at the University of Illinois. 

Marina Terkourafi, Director of the program in Modern Greek Studies and EUC-affiliated faculty member, discusses the upcoming Greek Film Festival in the latest issue of Inside Illinois. The festival will take place March 2-3 at the Art Theater in Champaign and is co-sponsored by the European Union Center. The full interview is posted below and is available here.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The best-known Greek-themed movie in recent memory had the words “big” and “fat” in the title, a $5 million filming budget and was shot in North America. These days, despite an economic crisis that has made the country a regular staple of the news, the film industry in Greece is experiencing such a surprising revitalization that Greek movies made on Spartan budgets are winning prizes and critical acclaim at international festivals.

The Modern Greek Studies program at the University of Illinois will showcase a selection of these new movies in a Greek Film Festival March 2 and 3 (Friday and Saturday) at the Art Theater in downtown Champaign. Marina Terkourafi, the program director and a linguistics professor, calls this event the “first” Greek film fest, because she hopes it will become an annual event.

 “There has been an outburst of artistic activity in Greece,” she said, “because people feel the need to express themselves when they’re not heard by the politicians.”

About four years ago, as a means of protesting outdated movie-making regulations, Greek filmmakers organized a boycott of the competitive portion of the nation’s annual film festival. Calling themselves Filmmakers in the Mist (alluding to near-extinct gorillas), the 200 or so members of this group resorted to “guerrilla” filmmaking – creating movies out of barebones budgets.

“What is happening is that people perform in their own clothes, they are filmed in their own houses, the actors are not paid,” Terkourafi said. “They work with the director because they are friends. And these are award-winning actors.”

However, their frustration with the Greek government and the lack of luxurious trailers and craft services doesn’t have a starring role on screen. The movies feature universal themes – intergenerational relationships, what it’s like to be young, leaving home, life in the big city, exploring sexual identity. With the help of a Chicago-based group called The FilmHellenes, Terkourafi chose the seven films that will appeal to general audiences to be shown at the Art Theater.

The festival will open with “The Guardian’s Son,” made in 2006, about a young television reporter who visits his family’s ancestral village and is drawn into staging a “return of the dead” prank in an effort to save a local landmark from demolition. “It’s not sentimental and it’s not cynical. It’s quite upbeat and has some humor in it,” Terkourafi said. Directed by Dimitris Koutsiabasakos, the film won a special jury award from the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival in 2006. It will be shown at 7 p.m. March 2 (Friday).

The festival will close with “Attenberg,” a provocative tale of an awkward, naïve 23-year-old woman coping with her father’s impending death while attempting to learn how to navigate adulthood, guided by one friend and the wildlife documentaries of David Attenborough. This film, directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari and released in 2010, has won awards from festivals in Argentina, Canada, Germany, Italy and Romania. It will be shown at 9 p.m. March 3 (Saturday).

Each film will be introduced by Vassiliki Tsitsopoulou, a visiting lecturer on Modern Greek studies. “This semester, we’ve been fortunate to be able to offer a course on contemporary Greek culture and film, which Dr. Tsitsopoulou is teaching,” Terkourafi said. “We had been hoping to organize a Greek film festival for some years now, and this time, the stars seem to have aligned.”
Other films in the festival:

“Plato’s Academy” (2009), a tragic comedy directed by Filippos Tsitos, is about a nationalistic shopkeeper who suddenly finds out an Albanian immigrant is his brother (9:15 p.m. March 2).

“The Silent School,” (2010), a documentary by Irini Sargioglou and Marina Leontari, takes viewers inside the old Orthodox world of the Theological School of Halki (2 p.m. March 3).

“The Guide” (2011), directed by Zacharias Mavroeidis, about a geeky college student tasked with taking exchange students on scenic tours, uses the loveliest parts of Athens and the Greek islands as backdrop to a story about stereotypes and sexual identity (3 p.m. March 3).

“Without Borders” (2010) is a road movie of sorts, about an elderly Greek man who travels to the United States in search of the 7-year-old girl he helped raise. It was directed by Nick Gaitatjis (5 p.m. March 3).

“Gold Dust” (2009), directed by Margarita Manda, is the story of three adult siblings grappling with the notion of selling their family home (7 p.m. March 3).

Terkourafi said the Greek community already has welcomed the festival in the form of corporate sponsorships, but she believes the lineup will appeal to anyone curious about life in modern-day Greece, as well as to anyone interested in good films.

“Because of the university, and because this is Roger Ebert’s town, people are used to high standards in film,” she said. “This kind of filmmaking that comes from the heart is really much closer to other kinds of artistic productions. In Greece, filmmaking is not something that people do for money. In Greece, cinema is a labor of love.”

All the films in the festival are in Greek with English subtitles. Tickets are $9 per movie, or $25 for a festival pass. Student passes are $20.

The Art Theater is at 126 W. Church St. in Champaign.

Across the Cornfields - Greek Films Edition

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Renewable energy the focus of study abroad tour in Greece

Five University of Illinois students, funded in part by the European Union Center under a U.S. Department of Education Title VI grant, visited Greece this spring to learn about renewable energy. They explored the difference in EU and US approaches to environmental sustainability, and experienced the Greek economic crisis along the way. See below for the full press release.

URBANA - Five students from the University of Illinois spent a month in Greece this spring, studying renewable energy alongside students from the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) and the University of Thessaly in Volos. Amy Girlich, Alex Heidtke, Grace Nelson, Rachael Ramsey, and Sarah Shimizu were part of a team-based collaboration that allowed students from both countries to experience the process of identifying and solving real-world engineering problems.

This is the third year Stephen Zahos, a lecturer and Senior Design Capstone Coordinator in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE), has coordinated and led students in the “Cradle of Democracy” study and cultural tour.

“The students learned about various technologies in renewable energy systems such as biofuels, photovoltaics, wind energy, and solar energy, through field trips to installations, and via lectures and demonstrations at both AUA and Thessaly,” said Zahos. “This year we added a hands-on aspect to the trip. Students collected data at a university farm, using instruments that measured soil conductivity and other parameters. Then they used sophisticated software programs to produce three-dimensional plot plans of the ground that they covered.”

“The practical use of that in renewable energy was to maximize the growth of energy crops that are planted specifically for energy use,” Zahos continued. “In Greece’s case, it’s principally sunflower seeds, and other non-food crops, for biodiesel production.”
Because this trip occurred earlier in the year than the previous trips, the students in Greece were still in school and the U of I students were able to work closely with their counterparts.

“Spyros Fountas is an assistant professor at Thessaly, and he set up the program there,” said Zahos. “This wasn’t a typical experience for the students in Greece. They don’t get a lot of hands-on experience – they mostly attend lectures. But Spyros earned his Ph.D. at Purdue, so he was familiar with the American style of teaching and instruction. His students seemed to enjoy the alternative method as well.”

Zahos noted that the installation and application of renewable systems in Greece is guided by European Union directives, which sets goals for each of the member countries. Currently Greece uses approximately 9 percent renewable energy sources, but the goal is 20 percent by the year 2020. “It’s going to be difficult to reach,” said Zahos, “but progress is being made, as evidenced by several installations that popped up since 2010.”

Amy Girlich, a junior in civil and environmental engineering, said the experience was an excellent opportunity to learn more about her intended career path. “I’m looking to focus on environmental engineering and this was a great way to obtain some hands-on experience and learn about biodiesel and sustainability,” she said. “It was interesting to note that Europe and the United States view environmental concerns differently. Almost every house in Greece has a small solar panel on its roof. Many buildings have no air conditioning but instead are built using marble on the inside to keep the air cool. In the United States as a whole, we don’t think as much about what impact we have on the environment.”

“So often, students in a university setting, especially engineers, are spoken to only in terms of the technology – this is what it is, this is how it works,” Zahos said. “But the political, societal, and economic components are the 800-pound gorillas in the room.”
That’s why Zahos was pleased when students were able to attend a lecture by two U.S. Embassy personnel almost immediately on their arrival. “They gave a great talk on sustainability and spoke about all the components of renewable energy, acceptance, sustainability and operation,” he said. ”That provided the students with grounding and a framework for them to be thinking about.”

Zahos said another educational – albeit unintended – aspect of the trip was observing the current economic upheaval in Greece. “We happened to be there at the time their legislature was debating whether to accept the austerity measures required by the EU for a loan bailout,” he said. “I encouraged the students to pay attention and to think about some of the conditions that exist there, and compare and contrast them to what we’re possibly facing here in the States. It’s not good that it’s happening, but I knew the students could learn from the experience.”

The students lived together in an apartment in a typical Athens neighborhood, surrounded by markets, shops, restaurants and ordinary citizens. “They got plenty of exercise walking,” said Zahos, “and we made good use of the city’s well-developed public transportation system.”

Of course, a trip to the beautiful country of Greece has to include seeing the sites, and Zahos said the balance of work and play was about equal. “After travel time, we probably spent 12 days in classes and 12 days sightseeing.”

Sightseeing included a four-day bus trip to learn about the history of Greece, traversing the Samaria Gorge on the Island of Crete, and a one-day, three-island cruise near Athens. Katerina Kassimati, a young woman from Patras who had studied with the department of ABE the previous year, went on the cruise with the visiting students, and then welcomed them to her family’s summer home near Athens. The students spent a day touring the area and enjoyed a home-cooked meal prepared by the Kassimati family.

The five students took it on themselves to plan another excursion, a trip to Santorini for a weekend, which was “amazing,” said Grace Nelson, another junior in civil and environmental engineering. “There were so many memorable experiences in Greece, it’s hard to pick just one. We saw the ruins all over Greece, we saw black sand and red sand beaches, the sunset at Oia, and we met some awesome people at our hostel. This study abroad experience in Greece couldn’t have been better,” Nelson concluded. “I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”

The students were even able to connect with Illinois alumni while in the country. The first meeting of the University of Illinois Club of Greece, started by a recent graduate, George Lokkas, who received his master’s in finance at Illinois, was held on the roof garden of the Athens Gate Hotel in full view of the Acropolis and Parthenon at night. Approximately 25 UIUC and UIC graduates, now living in Greece and other parts of Europe, attended the event. Zahos is proud charter member number 25.

Support for the program was provided in part by the Illinois European Union Center under a U.S. Department of Education Title VI grant, the Transatlantic Bioenergy Network, the Illinois College of ACES, the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and the Illinois International Programs in Engineering office.

Renewable energy the focus of study abroad tour in Greece

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