Athens Allure

Lindsay Boyles left Athens with indulgent recipes to share with family in the states. Mayra Palacios returned to Mexico with a passion for Greek mythology. Lebanon-native Rami El-Sabeh continues to master the Greek language.

Their adventures and cultural lessons vary but all began as students of City University of Seattle’s study abroad program in central Athens.

Now in its third year, the program invites people from universities around the world to take classes at CityU of Seattle’s campus in the Hilton area of town. More than 100 students this year are expected to enroll in the program and earn college credit that will transfer over to their hometown school.

Those with a 2.7 GPA or higher may apply for the program. Tuition—to be worked out with a student’s hometown university—includes free room and board. Click here to view other requirements and fees.

Students—mostly undergraduates in their early 20s—live and study together while earning their respective degrees, says Geronikolas Harris, CityU of Seattle in Athens managing director.

They also take a Greek language course, travel historical sites, and visit nearby countries, such as Italy, Turkey, and France.

“I really recommend it to everybody,” says Palacios, 19. “Also all the trips to the islands, the cities, and the ruins were amazing. And well, Athens was the first city in the world, so why not go to it?”

Palacios, who’s earning her degree at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, also explored Delphi, the Temple of Zeus, and the Parthenon during her visit last summer.

The program’s popularity also has increased in the Unites States with help from the BCA (or Bridge. Act. Connect.) Study Abroad is an organization in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania that works with universities to send students abroad.

Julie Larison, BCA’s marketing director, says about 150 students from more than a dozen U.S. schools have attended the Greece study abroad program since it started. Those schools include Pennsylvania's Elizabethtown College and Juniata College, James Madison University in Virginia, and the University of La Verne in Southern California.

“It’s definitely one of our most popular programs,” Larison says.

There’s no more room for those looking to attend spring quarter but still time to sign up for summer term, Harris adds.

He says students who are interested in the program should expect a crash course in Greek during their two-week orientation of Athens.

“After the third week, already they speak a few Greek words,” he says.

El-Sabeh, now a CityU telecommunication and networking major, says he has picked up much of the language since arriving in 2006. He plans to stay in Greece to earn his master’s degree.

“I didn’t know any Greek when I came so I enrolled in the Greek classes and I think it helped a lot. Now I understand almost 50 percent of what Greek conversations are about, and of course, it helped me a lot to communicate in the city, from buying in the market to asking for directions and reading bus destinations,” explains 20-year-old El-Sabeh.

He lives in the university’s 180-unit apartment complex. There, students share a five-bedroom apartment and two bathrooms with up to six roommates.

Boyles, also 20, stayed in the apartments while she studied abroad last fall and earned credit toward her business administration degree. During her free time, the Elizabethtown student traveled to several countries and learned how to make moussaka — a traditional Greek dish with layers of potatoes, beef, cheese and eggplant.

Her most cherished moments were spent with friends at a traditional Greek dance parlor. There, BCA resident director Aphrodite Vavouyios helped them learn steps, which they later demonstrated with trained dancers at a local restaurant.

Many students who have finished the program also stay in touch. The Facebook group City University of Seattle in Greece is dedicated to program alumni.

“I think a lot of us formed friendships that will last for a long time. If you experience something that incredible there is kind of a bond there that can’t be matched with other people,” Boyles says.

For more information about the Athens study abroad program visit www.cityu.gr or e-mail the managing director at hariger@cityu.gr.

By Melissa Hoyos, CityU Alumni Relations