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