Living Like A Local in Greece by Meredith Schilpp

Living like a local has been a great experience so far! I have been eating my way through Greece and I have loved every second of it. The Greeks usually order many appetizers to pass around and share. The bill is also placed on the table right after the order is taken and usually cannot be split. One person usually pays for the bill or we personally split it up and pay in cash. Many places also automatically give bottled water and pita, which is a charge. But, the tipping percentage is much less than America and many people do not tip much unless they stay in the restaurant for a long time or have a very large order. One of my favorite appetizers is tzatziki which is a yogurt dip with shaved cucumber, dill, lemon juice, and garlic which goes well on anything but I enjoy it with fries. The traditional greek salad is also amazing but I was surprised because there is no lettuce, it is just tomato, cucumber, onion, feta, olives, and some olive oil on top. My favorite food that I have tried is a chicken gyro with tzatziki, tomato, onion, lettuce, and fries wrapped in a pita. I have tried so many different gyros from so many different places so I can find the best one. The best part about the gyro is that it is usually around €2.70 and it fills you up and makes you happy!

The Greeks love their coffee and one of the best ways to connect with the locals is ordering a coffee and talking to the barista. My roommates and I have grown especially fond of this coffee shop called Big Bang because the barista’s name is Kostas and he always gives us a joke and a new Greek word of the day with our €2 coffee and a cold bottle of water. A typical day in Greece consists of waking up and getting ready for school then going to get a coffee. I go to class and do my homework after then usually hang out with my roommates and go to dinner. We tend to eat out a lot because it is much cheaper than food in America and there are many places to eat around our area. We go to downtown Athens a lot and explore while enjoying rooftop restaurants and the wild party scenes at the end of the night.

I do not have a host family so I am just living in dorms with 5 other girls. We all get along very well and all of us are from America so we all love to travel on the weekends and explore Europe as much as possible together. There are many archeological sites around Athens so I toured all of them and would suggest it to all! I also take field trips with my study abroad group so we have visited many other archeological sites in Greece. I have frequently traveled with my roommates and friends on the weekends to places such as Paris, Amsterdam, and Barcelona. We have more trips planned out and I cannot wait to see what else Europe has to offer. But, I am very happy with my choice in studying abroad in Athens because I love it so much and I am always excited to return home to Athens and usually celebrate it with a gyro!

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