Greece study abroad program feeling the pinch

Young tourists stand successful beforehand of the 5th period BC Parthenon temple connected the Acropolis elevation this summer. ‘Greece is becoming an elite playground, its soul progressively lone available to the highest bidder,’ the writer says. [AP]

We conscionable celebrated 20 years arsenic an American university study overseas programme successful Greece. Moved by the cosmopolitanism I saw volunteering astatine the Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games, I organized the archetypal variation successful 2005 to animate my students.

Several 100 students and a fewer cardinal dollars pumped into the section system later, we still come, survivors of earthquakes, wildfires, drunk students leaving 1 successful a coma, the economical crisis, adjacent war with Turkey, Covid, adjacent a carnal battle by a student.

The programme remains intact, but Greece changes. Over 15 cardinal tourists came successful 2005, past year it was 36 cardinal (some assertion 41). We’re still welcomed, but philoxenia has been politicized. “Greece is for Greeks!” a woman erstwhile berated maine and my students while we waited astatine a fast-food eatery.

We wage six times the archetypal costs for our Athens accommodations. After Covid, some edifice prices doubled. Popular islands present prevarication beyond our students’ budgets. Greece is becoming an elite playground, its soul progressively lone available to the highest bidder. Back home, we look expanding contention for students who similar cheaper alternatives successful the Czech Republic, Bolivia, Morocco, oregon Spain.

Like Greeks, we indispensable take affordable destinations similar Patra, Kavala oregon Hania. Athens nary longer welcomes us, contempt our loyalty to the metropolis during the fiscal meltdown when governmental chaos and street riots suggested staying away. The metropolis forgets such kindness. It’s connected a antithetic trajectory now.

We can’t ideate not spending our summers successful Greece with 20-plus students successful tow.

Ending the Greece programme would deprive them the acquisition of a true gem of a civilization and its profound history. Even more, to imbibe its elemental but gloriously human-friendly life: the small country taverna with the owner-server working, the neighbors we cognize and love, the quiet, laidback manner of interior bid alternatively than technological domination.

But we besides lend to an overtouristed Greece and the strain connected her precious resources adjacent arsenic we are priced retired of it. We indispensable either stop coming oregon take different state for our program. There’s ever Bolivia.

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Dr Taso G. Lagos lectures astatine the University of Washington, Seattle and is presently co-director of the Greece study overseas program. He has led oregon co-led 26 programs to Greece.