By Tucker Kats
What do you think of when you think of Greece? Art? Democracy? Togas?
Everyone has their own idea of what Greece stands for, but it is difficult to know the true nature of Greece without visiting it. Second-year student Kaitlyn Johnson did just that on her spring break Go Encounter trip. I had the opportunity to interview her about her experience, her insights and her advice for future Go Encounter students.
What drew you to go to Greece for your Go Encounter?
Greece has been the top of my bucket list. I think it’s such a beautiful place, and I’ve seen a lot of movies that have taken place there, so at first that was why I originally picked it, then when I realized it was following the footsteps of Paul though, I thought that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Was there anything you hoped to learn about while on this trip?
I kind of wanted to read through some of the books Paul wrote to these people and see them in a new light because of being on location. Also, I wanted to learn how to be in a new culture since I’ve never left the U.S. before. Knowing the rich culture that Greece is, and that it’s a lot older than the U.S since it’s over thousands of years old and seeing that history and seeing it come all together is really cool.
Where are the different places you visited?
The first day we went to Athens and ancient Corinth. The second day we went to Meteora, some monasteries and a Greek Orthodox church. Next, we went to Thessaloniki, and the last few days we spent on the island of Crete.
What was it like experiencing a different culture?
It was humbling. You would assume it’s like American culture, because, you know. It’s very different just walking down the streets. One thing in Greece and other European countries is if you make eye contact with someone you’re not supposed to smile, and in the States, we smile at everyone, so that was different.
What were some of the highlights of your trip?
I think the best part of the trip was being in Athens sitting on the Areopagus where Paul preached there on the salt hill. We sat on the hill and read Acts 17, with Paul being in Athens and the Athenian people believing in an unknown God, but Paul was like, no. It also was super beautiful in Crete; we were sitting on rock formations. On one side was a sunset and the other side was snow-covered mountains and a beach, city, the different landscapes in one place.
What did you learn about Greece?
I learned that their culture is so rich and isn’t what people would think. When people think of it, they think of art, education. There’s sport history like the Olympics originating there. We got to experience one of their festivals in Thessaloniki and it was really cool. They dress up for three weeks for Lent and party and eat before they can’t. It was cool being in the crowd.
How was it interacting with people from that culture?
Our tour guide’s name was Evan. He was just so wise and knew a lot about history, the world, pretty much everything you wanted to know about Greece. I heard him say one time that he didn’t know something. Very experienced. He helped us understand what it meant to be Greek, he did a great job talking about their agriculture, the importance of family, religion.
What advice would you give to students when they’re trying to pick a Go Encounter trip?
Do research on the trip, pray about it and see where that takes you.
The Sounding Board 