CYA - Study in Greece (Summer Program)

I feel so blessed to have gotten the opportunity to study at CYA. The learning experience is unlike any other due to the emphasis on hands-on learning in museums, on site, and through activities. My professor Angelos Papadopoulos was so knowledgeable and worked with each student individually to meet unique needs and interests. The apartments are very nice and accessible and the public transportation in Athens is very easy to use. Moreover, these courses allow you to travel to different areas in Greece providing ferry and bus transport which makes travel so much easier and accomodating. In addition, the friends I made through CYA I am still in contact with on a daily basis, despite where they live! I was pushed to learn, explore, and experience a new culture expanding my comfort zone and having an experience I think about everyday. This program gave me the opportunity to travel, learn, and build relationships in a beautiful country full of history and culture!

CYA was one of the best academic experiences I've had while at university! My program allowed me to travel throughout Greece (Santorini, Crete, and other places on the Mainland -- along with staying in Athens) and learn a great deal about the art history and archaeology of Ancient Greece. I was very focused on preparing for the trip and I was a bit stressed beforehand, but as soon as I checked in with my program at CYA, the stress melted away. The housing accommodations, while we were traveling and while in Athens, were always very comfortable, well air conditioned, and roomy. We spent quite a bit of time with our class and on field trips, but there was also plenty of time during the day to make our own plans outside of the program itself. For example, while we were on Santorini, we had a free day in which I and some other students in my class went to Oia for the day. The professors and staff were always helpful and willing to offer suggestions and advice. Our professor recommended restaurants to us and helped us navigate the public transportation system in Athens. Post-program, I felt that the experience I had with CYA in Greece had positively impacted my academic goals. I plan on pursuing my education further, after my undergrad, potentially studying ancient history further. I want to work and live abroad, for part of my life, and I feel like that goal is definitely more attainable now that I've had this experience with CYA. Overall, I would highly recommend this program to someone who wants to learn a lot while still experiencing Greece in its entirety! My biggest tip is not to worry, to be open-minded, and to always carry cash!

I participated in Excavating in the Aegean: The Case of Despotiko, Paros. The program is run by a College Year in Athens (CYA) appointed instructor, in my case Bryan Burns, and the Director of the excavation, Yannos Kourayos. The program consists of two weeks of excavation and one week learning about Paros' history.

Before the course began, we were given good preparatory information. We were assigned course textbooks, and given detailed instructions on what to bring and where to meet. After we all arrived, we had an orientation and introduction session over an amazing Greek meal (all the food is great!). Then we were taken to the second largest of the three islands that make up Paros, Antiparos. After arriving at the port in the island's one town, our instructor helped us purchase water and food for the houses we would stay in for the next two weeks in a fairly secluded location outside of town. The Mediterranean houses we stayed in were wonderful, comfortable accomodations. We were right on the beach, there were two tavernas for food, overall it felt like a safe little vacation spot. The next morning excavations began.

"Honk Honk!" the director, Yannos, would honk at us every morning at 6:30am to make sure we were awake to take the 7am bus to meet him at the dock to take the boat to Despotiko. Yannos was always full of enthusiam. We arrived at the excavation site around 8am and then worked until 2/2:30pm with a snack break. Every opportunity, Bryan and Yannos would teach us about taking good notes, measuring elevations, drawing plans and excavation technique. But mainly, there is a lot of digging! At the end of the day, you are tired! After excavating, we would take the boat and bus back to our houses and a large lunch was provided at one of the tavernas. Then after a few hours rest (or beach time), we would meet up for an hour of washing pottery before enjoying the evening and dinner on our own. We did this everyday, except sunday, for the first two weeks.

The final week, we left Antiparos and moved to Paros, where we stayed in a very pleasant hotel near downtown Parikia (the main town on Paros). This week, Bryan took us to all the archaeological sites on the island (Bronze age to Venetian). He also assigned us articles from a course reader provided to us, gave mini lectures on the topics, and then lead discussions. The articles and the discussions were all great. On the last day we took an exam. I think we all enjoyed learning the material so much that the exam was easy.

I have been involved in other archaeological field schools since this one, and I think that the CYA program is excellent. It does not involve cutting edge excavation technology, but it gives a thorough introduction to basic excavation technique and methodology. It is well structured, informative, and fun! So if you are interested in archaeology and want to see what it is all about, this is a great experience.