Amy Hogerton

Amy Hogerton is an ambassador who has studied abroad in Greece and Italy.

Briefly describe a specific cultural experience you had on your trip that made a lasting impression.

I made friends with the 7 year old boy who lived in the apartment above me in Greece. His name was George Alex...I'm sure in Greek, it is spelled differently. We had a very bizarre relationship in that he spoke about 10 words in English (5 of them being "I love you so much") and I spoke about 10 words in Greek. Thus, communication between my little friend and I was difficult. We often exchanged gifts and favors in lieu of traditional communication: he brought me oranges, chocolates, and colored me a picture; I helped him get his bike up the stairs, made him a card, and gave him a pencil.

I first met him a couple weeks into my stay in Athens when I heard him yell, "Bye Buddy," (mimicking me as I would say it to my roommates) as I left. I looked up the stair well and saw this small face smiling at me. Within days, he would do this whenever he heard my voice leaving the apartment. Finally, I walked up a couple stairs and he stuck his arm down through a bar to shake my hand...I guess you could say a friendship was born.

I have no pictures of George. Others of my roommates saw him and met his mom (Zoe), but many of them don't know the extent to which George and I bonded. I kind of enjoyed having our bizarre relationship to myself. I think about him a lot. What he's doing, if he's going to church with his grandma on Sunday mornings, picking up more oranges from the market. Through this little 7 year old kid with an unfortunate hair-cut and impish smile, I had my most intimate connection with Greek culture.

Why did you choose the program in which you participated? 

I chose this program for many reasons:

-The focus on the Fine Arts (I wanted a break from science)
-Dual-city program allows you to experience two cultures.
-Both places are so incredibly rich...I wanted to experience them.

Describe your overall study abroad experience.

I know what it sounds to hear a coin dropped in the center of an ancient Greek theater while sitting along the top edge. I know where to stand in St. Peter's square to make the four rows of columns around the entire circle appear to be one row of columns around the ENTIRE circle. I saw or did at least one amazing thing every day. For three and a half months, the world was in my hands.

How has the trip affected you? How are you different for having completed the experience?

I am a different person than I was before this trip. Being abroad gave me the opportunity to look at my life from a distance. Who am I now? Who do I want to be? What can I do to be a better person? How can I get the most out of my life? What can I do to help others?

Since being back, I have noticed a change in my day to day life. I am more mindfull of these questions, I appreciate things more, and (frankly put) I have matured a lot. This trip is very much affecting who I am, and I am still trying to sort things out. It's a work in progress...

What advice do you have for future Study Abroad Students?

Don't hold back.