preview

Greek Summer Research Paper

Decent Essays

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity of taking part in a program called Greek Summer, run by the American Farm School in Thessaloniki, Greece. This program takes its participants on a vast physical and personal journey throughout Greece, including hands-on lessons on agriculture, a home stay in a rural Greek village, and a tour around the most important archeological sites of the country. It was on odyssey of personal examination and growth, as well as a unique social experience that pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best of ways.
Greek Summer was very important to me because it was a test of my independence and social skills, as I was sent off to a foreign country in a group with 20 other kids I had never met. It was my very first hours with this group of fresh faces that I feel connects well to …show more content…

Just as Ender “was afraid, and fear made him serious,” I was as serious as a Greek statue. When I’m nervous, I get extremely quiet and stoic, speaking only when I have to and laughing only when everyone else does. I felt just like Ender, overwhelmed by a new group of kids who were joking and laughing while I felt too nervous to barely crack a smile. And perhaps I felt an immense weight on my shoulders, as I was going to Greece on a full scholarship granted by an anonymous donor on the board of the Farm School, and my brother had done the same trip last year and been a wonderful, happy, and social member of the group. All in all, I had some great expectations to live up to, and with all that weighing on my mind I found it hard to be as jovial and personable as I hoped to be. This is where I feel my connection to Ender: he’ll be a hero, the pride of his family, but only if he lives up to the huge expectations people have of him, and as all the other boys are having fun at the Battle School, Ender has too much else on his mind to think about

Get Access