Yia Sas! (Hello in Greek)

As I prepare for our cultural immersion trip to Ikaria, Greece, I am overjoyed at the opportunity to learn from another culture. Knowing that Ikaria is labeled as a Blue Zone, I’m excited to embrace and learn about the lifestyle and culture of those living to see 90 years of age or older on the island.  I am extremely interested in learning about healthcare and dietary lifestyles of those living in Ikaria. I’m particularly excited to partake in cooking demonstrations in which I plan to bring back to those living in Indiana.   From this trip, I expect to learn new things and implement the knowledge learned back into my community.  For I truly believe participating in this trip will allow me to “Make a Difference to Transform Lives and Livelihoods.

– Jennifer Cannon,  HHS Extension Educator – Putnam County

Island Expectations

We have all heard about trendy workout regimens and finicky diet plans. We have seen the commercials for supplements that promise to boost our immune system or surgeries that will restore our youthful looks. Do these things really work?

With my educational background in public health, I often get asked to answer this question: What is the best thing I can do to be healthier? Answering this question is certainly not easy. Everyone is different. But, what if my response could be: “Live like an Ikarian”?

I am looking forward to visiting Ikaria to experience their lifestyle and identify the ways in which it differs from not only mine, but many Americans. I want to know how and why these differences account for the gap in longevity and in quality years of life. I am especially looking forward to meeting our guests throughout the trip, including a dietitian, pharmacist and a centenarian and his family.

– Stephanie Woodcox, HHS Extension Health & Wellness Specialist

Looking forward to a trip of a lifetime!

Although my role within this trip is one of logistics in helping to plan for the trip and prepare the team for the adventure, I am looking forward to visiting a European country for only the second time in my life.  I have had the opportunity to travel often domestically, but I am quite inexperienced traveling abroad.

The other unique item for me in traveling to Greece is that we are going there to learn more about amazing people who live a life that is so unlike ours today in the modern United States.  This is not to say Ikaria, Greece is not modern.  Ikaria is an island where I believe we can all aspire to be like Ikarians in simplifying our lives, eating healthier, and being more connected with family and friends that can give us true purpose in life.

I plan to open my mind and view this part of the world through a very different lens.  A lens not of a tourist, but of someone who hopes to bring back ideas and experiences of meeting different people, eating different foods, and experiencing a different culture, all to help our family, friends, and our community when we return.  Καλό ταξίδι! (Kaló taksídi! – Bon Voyage!)

– Christina Swathwood, Operations Specialist – HHS Extension Administration Office

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