Cruising to Crete

Last night we all said our goodbyes to the fantastic Congo Palace Hotel and headed to the ferry. Little did we know, the ferry was a miniature version of a cruise ship! We had our own rooms with two bunkbeds and a bathroom and the boat had a “discoteca,” three restaurants, stores, and a swimming pool (it was not full at the time but we had a blast hanging around it). After watching the sunset on the top of the deck, about half of the group headed to the discoteca to dance and we had the entire place to ourselves! Twenty American girls tearing up the dance floor on the ferry to Crete was too much fun! We all said goodnight and headed to bed soon after because we had to wake up at 6:45 in the morning. When we woke up, we were AMAZED by the sight of Crete. As much as I wanted to sleep on the bus, I could not even begin to close my eyes because the landscape was so breathtaking. Steep cliffs, olive tree fields, and quaint adobe-roofed houses nestled in the steep landscape made us all stare in awe while the sounds of “Mama Mia” by ABBA played in the bus. As our group leader Beth Ann said, “I belong in the islands!!!” When we got to our hotel, Galaxy Villas, our amazement doubled. Galaxy Villas has a huge pool, gorgeous individual rooms complete with kitchenettes, and an owner who we all fell in love with in the first five minutes there. I cannot wait to spend a week here and learn all about leadership because this week is Diplomacy week!

-Channing Broderick

Crete, We love you.

Today we arrived in paradise. After a night on the ferry, we made it to the bus bound for our villas! Our new driver is no Joseph, but I'm sure we will learn to love him too.

While Athens was a fast-paced atmosphere, the island presents a much different, much-welcomed pace. The only hustle and bustle here is our incredible host, George, and his trusty sidekick who are bending over backwards to provide us with our every need. They are prime examples of the attitudes of all the poeple we have met on Crete thus far. Friendly faces are everywhere, especially at our little supermarket right on the other side of the street. Free lollipops all around! While service week was an eye-opening and truly insightful experience, the emotional effort it required was exhausting, making this calming venue all the more appreciated.

We are right by everything we need: restaurants, supermarkets, LAUNDRY, and the beach. Only a slightly massive hill separates us from all the shops. We will definitely be staying in shape here, working off all our gelato from Glyfada. I guess we need to build up our stamina for the hike through the Samaria Gorge anyway. Props to the ladies that have been doing P90X; we know you're hurting.

I'm excited to be spending so much time here! This is what I think most of us envisioned when we signed up for the trip. Now if we could only find time to fit in all the reading we've been assigned for the next two days...

-Ansley Dickinson

Top 10 Things We Discovered on the Athens Cultural Scavenger Hunt

1. Ouzo at 12pm in the afternoon is not the best drink of choice

2. Hiking up the streets of the Plaka was more of a workout than an intense P90x session

3. It takes some serious skill and charm to bargain with a Plaka shop owner

4. The Greek “kefi” dance is best suited for those with good coordination and rhythm… our group got off to a slow start with a bit of a struggle

5. Postcards are about the only thing you can buy in bulk for 3.30 Euro

6. We had to think back to our Elementary school days to create our pottery resembling the ancient Greek vases

7. We learned the proper technique of toga assemblage, which will come in handy for future toga parties

8. We successfully used a compass to locate various monuments around the city

9. We now know how to differentiate different Athenian temples based on their ground plan

10. We mastered the art of Greek salad making

-Morgan Corkish and Megan Bueltel

The Little Things...

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that have the biggest impact on the world. This past week, we’ve experienced these small acts firsthand; not only through our own service, but through learning about the roles that various organizations play in aiding refugees. Today, we visited one such organization, called Praksis. An NGO, Praksis receives no funding for its programs, but seeks to provide medical, social, career, and psychological services for those in the Athens area who are unable to provide for themselves. After a long ride into the city from Glyfada, we finally arrived at an unmarked, well-loved building. Naturally, there was a spiral staircase we had to ascend in order to reach the offices—the Greeks have a strange love of spiral staircases that I don’t quite understand. We piled into a room with a few desks and sat for about and hour and listened to Maria, Praksis’ resident psychologist, tell us about the main purposes of the organization. She surprised many of us with her extensive knowledge about the refugee application process and problems facing both the EU and the asylum seekers. Later today, we had a surprise service project working with a sea turtle rehabilitation center. It. Was. Great. And it was exactly the kind of mellow service we needed after a long and tiring week.

-McCauley Williams

Program Director Update

We arrived to our villas in Crete this morning without a cloud in the sky! I can see and hear Global LEADers catching up on their readings and gabbing p[oolside just outside my villa as I write this blog post. :)

We will focus on our leadership course this week with morning meetings and two tours.

Monday we take a tour of Heraklion and famous landmarks such as the Venetian Fortress.

Tuesday we focus on leadershpi styles as they have been researched in academia. We will also look at how we define our core values and how they shape us as individuals.

Wednesday is our earliest morning with a 5 am departure to hike the Samaria Gorge as a group!

Thursday we jump into overcoming obstacles before we break for a 4 day OFF weekend!

If your student will be traveling with a small group this weekend, I will email their emergency contact to inform you of their plans. I've asked that each student show me their travel itinerary with purchased tickets and hotel accommodation reservations/contact info.

I will be on uStream today at 3:00 pm EST to answer any general programming questions. As always, if you have a specific question or concern, please email me at bethann@globalleadprogram.org. Thanks!

BA

The Way You Make Me Feel

“We’ll Paint the Town.”

Who knew a group of 42 sleepy college kids, 15 buckets of white paint, 7 hours to complete the task to re-paint 6 floors of an old business building, and 3 Ole Miss gents singing their version of “Wagon Wheel” to pass the time could change the lives of 1 broken community.

We Painted the Town, Their Town.

Somalian refugees live in this old business building. How many you might ask, enough to cover all the floors when it’s bedtime. No electricity. No running water. All of them scared to leave their business building. All of them seeking for a better life and in those 7 hours of scrubbing and painting we did just that. We changed lives for these people who are normally viewed as nothing in the Greek community. We showed them that someone out there cares for them.

When I was painting I took a second to glance at my surroundings and saw a refugee smiling at us painting the walls. He smiled. I knew right then we were doing so much more than just painting the walls.

The cherry on top of this day was getting the opportunity to paint over slandering graffiti that covered the entrance to their home just reminding them how they were not wanted. We had an audience of refugees watching us paint over the hurtful words, smiling.

I am about 99% sure the refugees’ lives weren’t the only ones changed that day.

-DeAnna Jarnagin

Community Clean Up

Today concluded our 8 AM “on the dot” morning gatherings, supposedly. However, the early morning wakeup call was under good intentions, because today we had our most challenging service task yet, painting a six floor building that houses Somalian refugees. I knew it was going to be a challenge early on as our favorite bus driver “Joseph” was concerned about our safety before he even dropped us off. After some quick organization, a trip to the paint store and a deep breath we got to work. Hours were spent cleaning, tapping, painting, scrubbing and standing in awe of the impoverished surroundings. I was amazed at the ability of 42 18-22 years olds to seriously step up their game and ignore the foul smell, lack of air conditioning, and unsafe surrounding to get some serious work done on this destitute building. Although the building did not have electricity or running water, an immense energy filled each room as each team worked hard together. Today was not easy or fun, but our tough day only last 5 hours, while the Somilian’s live a tough life every hour and minute of every day. Reality check for us Global Leaders, but a necessary one.

A Day with Jose

Today no doubt was the most memorable day I’ve experienced yet. Half of the group traveled via metro and bus for an hour to help struggling refugees (the other half went yesterday). We split up upon arrival; some helped serve food, some loaded groceries and basic necessities for the families to take with them, and some kept the kids entertained.

It was a very humbling experience that made us all realize how much we take for granted, giving a deep appreciation for what we do have. I was a part of the group keeping the children entertained and it is an indescribable feeling to see the light in their eyes when playing with us. We made bracelets and necklaces, listened to the girls sing, and I got dominated in chess by a youngster who goes by Jose. Their excitement to be at this center and their personalities had us all laughing the entire time.

Although most of them came from an Afghan background in today’s group (except I think Jose was not) neither us nor the kids felt a cultural barrier. Immediately upon arrival they were interacting freely with us and I could not get Jose of off the chess board. He is such a sincere and intelligent child and buddies with a rascal named Omar who had more energy than a cheerleader. All in all it was an amazing experience and I strongly feel that the intensity of the experience was mutual for both our LEAD group and the children we interacted with.
To top it off Jake and I went grocery shopping with BA and Robbie to prepare for our long day of painting tomorrow. Today has left a huge impact on me and is definitely not one to be forgotten.

-Hill Verde

Greeceeeeee

Today is complete excitement for what is to come this week. This week is service week and words cannot describe how excited I am for what is to come. This morning I met with my community group, the VIPS, and we discussed getting ready for this week and our skit. This afternoon I had a lecture about Service Learning and it just made me pumped for tomorrow. Getting the opportunity to serve immigrant kids that don’t have all the opportunities that we do.

Being in Greece has been an eye-opener for me. I can’t believe that I have already been here for almost a week. This trip has made me realize how lucky I am as an American to have the opportunities that I have! I am so blessed and literally cannot believe that I am lucky enough to be here. Even though I am homesick, and miss lots of my friends, I have made so many friendships here and bonded with several people. Global Lead has given me the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone, and I can’t wait to see what is coming up next in the future weeks! Shout out to my parents Mommy & Daddy Durrance, I miss you tons and love you.

-Sarah Grace Durrance

Top Secret Mission

There were a lot of emotions going through the group today; excitement

for being able to help others in need, anxiety for encountering the
unknown and a foreign culture, and hope that we could bring some kind
of relief to these refugees. I felt kind of like I was on some kind
of secret mission. We didn’t know where we were going, we couldn’t
know the name of the place we were going, and we have to keep it a
secret to protect the community there. After a bus ride, a metro ride
and a short walk through the streets we arrived at “the center”. I
sometimes felt like we were being watched, especially when we walked
into the building (I was probably just paranoid). Once we arrived we
got to play with the children and make crafts with them! I realized
that all these children want to do is play and have a good time. All
children are the same no matter what their background is or what
language they speak. These children may not have toys to play with or
maybe even a home to go to, but they still find joy in making beaded
bracelets or coloring. We learned that even though these kids aren’t
able to attend school, they are incredibly intelligent and many of
them spoke a lot of English. These children did not choose this life
they lead, but they are stuck in it until they are able to do
something about it. It is difficult knowing that we can’t do more to
help them, but by the smile on the children’s faces, we know we
brought some joy into their lives. I am so grateful for the
opportunity to be able to serve these people who are being oppressed
and have difficulties finding the basic necessities to survive. We are
looking forward to what the rest of the week brings!
-Amerika Colombo

The Acropolis

After laying out yesterday and having a French MAN take pictures of you…because obviously he had never seen a woman before, one may think that he or she is off of the hook from any other form of lets just call it harassment, at least for a little while. Well, little did we know that when you walk through the Acropolis Museum that the floors are, no not hardwood, but GLASS. So let’s just imagine this one. Say you’re on the first floor of the museum…clearly you’re totally going to look up because THE FLOORS ARE GLASS (which is absolutely soooooo cool), but god forbid right when you look up here comes the unfortunate soul who wore a dress to the museum thinking it would be cute and a great idea. No, no! WRONG! Now everyone gets to look up your dress. NOT COOL! Good thing Beth Ann informed us of this prior to leaving our humble abode, the beautiful, Congo Palace, therefore, thank the lord, we were all safe!!! So don’t you worry.

Not only did we get the pleasure of going to the Acropolis Museum, which was a clear depiction of what is ancient. We climbed the mountain up to the Acropolis (also ancient)!!!! ATHENA is her name, SACRIFICE is the game. To bad we didn’t have a goat with us to sacrifice to the Goddess, that would’ve really shown our absorbency into the ancient, maybe modern (I’m pretty sure they still do that), Greek culture. I’m sure you’ve all seen pictures of the Acropolis, but not kidding, THIS PLACE IS HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!

-Bailey Jennings

Athens Day Tour

Today, we made the journey to the city of Athens. Our first stop was the Parliament building where we got to see the changing of the guards. It was very similar to the process in D.C. Minus the humorous Ottoman derived uniforms. Next, we walked up to the Acropolis on the Holy Hill where we saw the famous Parthenon. Our guide, Thinaisis, informed us of all the history of the sights. On the hike down from the Holy Hill, we stopped at Dionysis' theatre where Brian gave us a short lecture on the history of the setting as well as a readers digest version of one of the most famous Greek dramas, Oedipus Rex. Before moving on to the Acropolis museum which held many artifacts such as the famous “Calf-bearer” and “the Caryatids” just to name a few, we pit stopped for lunch at a local hole in the wall for traditional Greek gyro wraps. The day was filled with the rich history and Greek Culture thats been around for over two thousand years.

- Emma & Ashley

An Update From Our Academic Staff

While we've certainly been having a lot of fun here in Greece - sun, sand, good food, emerging friendships and, of course, bungee jumping - we've also been focusing on more intellectual matters. The curriculum part of the trip has thus far come along nicely. Upon our arrival we had a fabulous "cultural dinner" where we learned a bit about traditional Greek food. The next day was more serious, as in the morning we heard from a panel of Somali refugees about the plight of asylum-seekers in Greece. The tales they told were sobering, and all the students were deeply touched by their plight, and I know we are all looking forward to assisting them and learning more about their situation this coming week. Next, we heard from economist Alec Mally and businessman Stephonos Costopoulos, who, for nearly two hours, led us through the details of Greece's precarious economic problems, which are inextricably intertwined with the woes of the country's asylum seekers and immigrants. Scott Rizzo and I gave a couple of talks this week as well, including a lecture on Paul of Tarsus' leadership vision and style, given in the Roman agora in Corinth, and another in the famous Theatre of Dionysus on the southern slope of the Acropolis itself (as a history professor used to teaching in drafty old campus buildings, I have to tell you that I have never spoken in such great locations! It was an honor and a pleasure!). Next week Scott and I will lead discussions on the meaning of "service learning" and student's service history, accompanied by some great readings in our now-famous "Big Blue Book," which students also use to reflect upon their experiences by journaling and answering "directed questions." We will also lead students through the results of their Gallup "StrengthsQuest" test on Tuesday. Good times!

Brian Allen Drake
Lecturer
Department of History
University of Georgia

Program Director Update

Yasas! What a week here at LEAD Greece! We started with Orientation and name games on Tuesday so that everyone could get quickly acclimated to our new home of Glyfada. Despite traveling for almost two days, they were full of energy and eager to win Whomp 'Em, Global LEAD's signature "name game." The idea is to "Whomp" the person's name who is called before they call out someone else's name. As you can see, we have some competitive ones in the bunch!

Then we overindulged in a traditional Greek dinner, family style, over-looking the harbor of Piraeus before we called it a night!

From there on, it's been GO! GO! GO! With a visit from 4 local Somalis giving their account of their hardships and trials as they sought refuge in Athens as well as two highly regarded economists, Alec Mally and Stephonos Costopoulos, our students were quickly exposed to the current state of Greece.

We took Thursday and Friday to cruise the islands and visit Ancient Corinth, so be sure to ask your students for photos! Especially if they bungee jumped off the bridge!

You can ask me questions via ustream tomorrow, Sunday at 3:30 EST.

Thanks!

Beth Ann

Greetings from Greece!

Today we were separated into two separate groups for the day’s activities...while one group was leisurely enjoying a 3-Island Day Cruise, Allie, Ashley, Bailey, Erin B., Erin T., Alexa, Jillian, Alex, DeAnna, Margot, McKenzi, Halleigh, Ansley, Ellie, Maria, Channing, Morgan, Annie, Amerika, Sarah Grace, Brian and Beth Ann, were sweating bullets thinking about their day’s itinerary. With that, we will now provide you with our Top 10 List of the Day for our group!

Top 10 List of the Day:

1. Crete Men’s Soccer Team arrived at the hotel for the day…as we were leaving

2. Stopped at the Corinth Canal on the way to Corinth to see our Bungy Jumping

site (ah!)

3. We took a group jumping picture in front of the Temple of Apollo

4. Brian held a leadership lecture in the middle of ancient Corinth, where Paul

preached to the Corinthians in B.C.

5. Right before we arrived to bungy, we stopped and made our own Bucket

Lists for the next 5 weeks

6. We convinced Amerika and Ellie to take the leap of faith, which left our total

group participation at 100%!! (With the exception of Channing, who was

understandably restricted by a previous knee injury )

7. Allie had a shaky start, but soldiered on and provided us with a glimpse into

her future as a horror-movie-shrieking voiceover…winning her BA’s BA of

the day!

8. Jillian created, with the help of her fellow jumpers, her movie to get her

noticed by Bieber (we’ll keep you posted on her progress…fingers crossed)

9. After we all bungeed, we got on a boat and were able to ride through the

Corinth Canal and see just how far our jump was—so impressive!

10. Our final destination before heading back home to Glyfada was a little

town called Loutraki, where once again we all learned a lesson of cultural

differences (cough, cough Bailey and Channing playing on the children’s

merry-go-round)

So once again, Congratulations to everyone in the Corinth/Bungy group for surviving the day!! We had a blast…Hope all of our loved ones back home can rest easily now knowing that their precious daughters are all safe and sound and are officially daredevils. For the other group’s parents… you’ll have to wait until tomorrow :)

Love, Alexa and Jillian

Hit the Ground Running

The first few days in Greece have been a whirlwind! Less than half of us arrived successfully on Monday due to flight cancellations and other air travel drama-- then some of the luggage didn't make it here on time either. Not only has everyone had a great attitude about the travel situation, but fortunately we happen to be staying in Glyfada, "the Beverly Hills" of Athens, complete with essentials like H&M and Sephora to fix the luggage problem.

Before the group flight arrived, those of us who got here Monday morning went to the beautiful beach, (and got very nice and inexpensive shoreside massages!!) went to dinner--paid around FIFTY DOLLARS for bread and then slept in Tuesday morning before the group flight got in. With everyone finally here, we played "womp'em" and went on a scavenger hunt around town. Tuesday night we went to group dinner in a restaurant on the water-- with 9 courses of traditional Greek food and wine! The location overlooking the water was absolutely breathtaking. This morning I went running along the beach boardwalk in Glyfada, which sounds decidedly more glamorous than running at home.

All day today we had guest speakers come present to our group. Somalian refugees came and spoke to us about their situation in Greece; hearing these people tell their painful stories was an important eye-opener about the not always beautiful realities of Greece and really brought home the significance of the work we will do here. We then heard two distinguished speakers, one an an established businessman and the other an economist, describe to us the historic and current Greek economic situation. I was shocked to realize that they came to speak to us on essentially on their lunchbreak from their conference with IMF-- no big deal. But really, what an honor that they took time to come speak with us! After the long morning/afternoon we relaxed until dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant and got gelato after! The next few days are going to be crazy-- a three island tour and bungee jumping in the Corinth canal. CANNOT WAIT

Stream of consciousness snapshots from the past few days: Greek soap opera tv, "Fifty dollars for bread?????","Love starts at the gelato shop!", Kostos...a certain new favorite bartender, luggage?, Nervousing, Amerikaaaa, gargonzola, grocery store moving sidewalks, greek menus--aaand its all greek to us

-Cassie Hartmann

Santorini Preview

Santorini is everything you imagined and more! Beth Ann and I spent our last few days there checking out the new accommodations, finalizing travel logistics, and making sure the island is going to be ready for some Global LEAD adventures! The verdict: Santorini is definitely ready. The beautiful island is world famous for its amazing views and majestic scenery. The students are going to have a blast exploring the culture and taking in the unforgettable sights and sounds of Santorini.

-Jason

Don't just go...LEAD!

Over the next few weeks, the LEAD Greece students will be able to call the neighborhood of Glyfada home! Beth Ann and I are already making daily stops at the gelato shop and making friends with the bus ticket clerk! Glyfada is located just outside the hustle and bustle of Athens, it has all of the creatures of comfort of home, but with a distinct Greek flair! We headed to the beach for a few hours over the weekend and it is nothing shy of stunning! With sunny skies, bumping music, and paddle balls flying back and forth, the only thing missing are my LEAD Greece students!

Jason

The trip of a lifetime is about to begin! In less than a week, 43 students will arrive in the beautiful Athens, Greece for an amazing adventure! Beth ann and I are here in Greece planning the final details for this summer. We spent the weekend exploring local neighborhoods in Athens in search of the best culture, food, shopping, and adventures! We're both excited to welcome everyone next week and share these quaint cafes, awesome restaurants, and fun activities with our 43 students! This blog will be a great way for you to stay up to date on what's going on in the exicting travels of LEAD Greece this summer! We will have a new student post daily to give a recap and reflection on the day's experience. It's sure to be nothing short of interesting, insightful, and informative! Also get weekly updates from the Beth Ann and I regarding programming and weekly parent UStream.tv broadcasts! Buckle up and get ready for LEAD Greece 2011!

Jason Hafford
Assistant Director- LEAD Greece