Session 2 Arrival in Greece (Updated 07/01/08)

The Journey to Greece students have arrived safely in Athens, Greece! For some it was making a last minute connection (literally) for others the entire trip went smoothly; getting onto a plane filled with Greeks is surely a remarkable sight. From New York, the flight lasted nine hours from take-off to landing, from Atlanta it took near eleven hours. Most of the students ended up sleeping or watching Fools Gold and The Bucket List, neither gigantic blockbuster but they sure beat watching Spider-man 3 two times on the same flight! For those who stayed up through dinner, there was a great gourmet meal served with selections as luxurious as pasta and some kind of microwave-able chicken you can get at COSTCO. The flight, for better or worse, was enjoyable (if you can enjoy sitting in a chair for 9-11 hours) with all the accoutrements of coach: cramped seating, service second, and terribly configures televisions screens that make everyone look like a Martian. I know, this sounds like so much fun!

 

After all of the Journey to Greece students were accounted for, all of the students packed into the busses and headed for the heart of Athens. The bus trip allowed some people to catch up on more sleep, but for those that were awake beautiful vistas of the Greek countryside greeted their eyes. The views from the bus were phenomenal, almost breath taking as the students arrived to their destination. When the bus arrived in Athens, the students grabbed their luggage and were directed into their apartments, as soon as everyone was settled the students met Dr. Dimitriou at the University of Indianapolis, Athens to rally and then headed off to the taverna where the students ate a traditional Greek lunch.

 

Once the students had all ate their fill of pastisio and patates they all headed over to the Acropolis to pose for a group photo and also to be interviewed by ERT 1, Greek National Television. Some of the students were personally interviewed along with Professor Sfekas, also the AHEPA Supreme President Ike Gulas stopped and took pictures with the students! As the day came to a close, all of the Journey to Greece students became acquainted with their rooms and roommates eventually falling asleep in preparation for the next day's activities.

Baggage Policy Update

Reminder:
You may have two 50lbs. bags checked and one 45lbs. carry-on for international travel.

See you all in Greece!

More Pictures from Greece

I have another set of pictures directly from Greece! In this album the students meet with US Ambassador Daniel Spreckhard and Archbshiop Theofilos, of the Excharcate of Jerusalem. Also, some of the pictures are from Olympia and the Archeological Museum there. Enjoy!

New Pictures from Greece

We have new pictures from Greece for eveyone. Please enjoy pictures of the students weekend trip to Mycenae, Epidaurus, Napolion and Olympia.

Baggage Policy Reminder

For those who have not read the Delta Airlines Baggage Policy, it is in you best interest to do so before you leave as to avoid any complications while traveling. Also, in the baggage policy it states that for international travel, 2 bags less than 50 lbs. each can be checked for free as opposed to the single bag for domestic flights. STUDENTS, if you are flying to New York or Atlanta with a connecting flight to Greece, you MUST OBEY THE DOMESTIC BAGGAGE POLICY (1 carry-on under 40lbs. and 1 checked bag under 50lbs.) Please pack appropriately unless you are willing to pay for it!

Reminders for Session 2 Students

Bring 2 small passport size photos for a UINDY ID card.

Sign up for classes, if you have not!

Bring the address of the school for your transcripts to be sent. Also, please include the name of your academic adviser.

Be sure and pack your small carry on with a complete change of clothes if your suitcase does not arrive on time!

Be sure that everyone has one dressy outfit for the formal receptions.

Be sure and inform you bank for any credit card or ATM that you will be using it in Greece, to avoid any problems.

1st Night in Greece

Session #1 students arrived safely in Athens and have settled in their new apartments. Classes have started for all of the students meaning, yes they will have some work to do over the coming weeks. In addition, the Journey to Greece students met with the Hellenext "Athens Fellowship" group headed by Leon Stavrou and Bill Shuller . After everyone became comfortable in their new surroundings the Journey to Greece and Hellenext Fellowship students all went out to dinner in Monostiraki together!

On their second day in Greece, the students enjoyed the sights and sounds of the beautiful Glyfada area. The Greek national holiday was met with students walking through the sand at the beaches as well as a few covered in sand after they walked up out of the water and flopped down onto a towel. (The Haagen-Daz cafe' was happy to see the students as well.)

As of today students have been scheduled to attened a tour of the Acropolis on the 18th AND the students will also be visiting Mycenae, Epidaurus, Napolion and ancient Olympia over this beautiful weekend.

Bringing the post to a close, the students are working dilligently in their classes looking forward to a weekend only matched in excitement by the Lakers beating the Celtics; which if you live in either of the teams respective hometowns is HUGE!

Message from the University of Indianapolis, Athens.

Welcome to the 2008 Journey to Greece program offered under the auspices of the AHEPA Educational Foundation in conjunction with the University of Indianapolis in Athens.

The University of Indianapolis Athens [the only accredited American University in Greece fully owned and controlled by its U.S. parent], with buildings located at the foot of the Acropolis and amidst the ruins of the Roman market, was chartered in 1989, with the purpose of offering quality American education in Greece. Since its inception, the University has grown to become one of the leaders in higher education in Greece. The University of Indianapolis Athens offers 39 undergraduate programs and 10 graduate programs in Athens, runs a semester study abroad program “Odyssey in Athens” and several special study abroad programs such as the Journey to Greece. The University is accredited by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges.

The Journey to Greece program was revived in 2006, an initiative of Dr. Jim Dimitriou, and since then it has seen massive growth. 2008 has two sessions to accommodate more students and many students have opted to take both sessions which will enable them to take a many as 9 credits and transfer these to their Universities back home. The Journey to Greece is a learning experience, but the learning you do will take place outside the classroom as much as inside with visits to meet dignitaries and excursions to places of interest.

With the AHEPA Annual Convention taking place in at the conclusion of Session 1 and the start of Session 2, students will also be involved in Convention activities on a daily basis.

This year easyCruise is welcoming Session 2 students aboard to cruise the beautiful Aegean for 8 days. We are grateful to easyCruise for their sponsorship that has made this possible.

In short this year’s ‘Journey’ has a packed program with many new and exciting opportunities – it promises to provide an experience that will influence the way you think and feel in future, bringing you closer to the beautiful country of Greece and its people.

Dr. Peter Wilkins

Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement

University of Indianapolis

Update

For those of you wondering what the class schedule will be like, the information has been posted as a link on the top of the page. Also, we have also added the JTG 2008 Calendar to the site so please follow the link on over and see what will be happening this summer! As a final note, THE JOURNEY TO GREECE STUDENTS GET A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE NEW ACROPOLIS MUSEUM! This is ahead of the September public opening of the museum.

Hello everyone, I have some helpful hints from Dr. Dimitriou!

•Purchase your textbooks from Amazon prior to departure, as they are much cheaper here.
•Bring a memory stick for your computer work to transfer it from the computer lab or laptop.
•Check your ATM card to see if it is on one of the major systems (Cyrrus, Star, etc). for Euro exchange in Greece.
•We suggest that everyone have cell phone on the trip. Allocate about $80-$100 to purchase a Greek cell phone with minutes. These are very useful for all students. You can get together and share as well! If you have a phone that can be used internationally, be sure to get the card for it in Greece.
•We also suggest that you allocate about $25 to purchase a "Phone Card" in Greece (don't buy it in the states!). This allows you to call home regularly for a very reasonable cost!
•The student apartments are wired for the Internet. Also, both Starbucks near the campus and all of Syntagma Square are Wi-Fi areas. If you bring your laptop, this would be handly to stay connected. Also remember, UINDY has a computer lab for everyone's free use!
•Give your University the course information on the classes you are taking. Bring the correct address to give to UINDY to be sure that transcripts are sent from the home campus in Indiana to your respective college.