Hi blog! My name is Faith Marshall. I was born and raised in Missoula and attend the University of Montana. Studying abroad has always been a dream of mine, especially having watched my older cousins study abroad in Australia, Wales, Italy, etc. Further, as someone who attends a university in their hometown, I knew that studying abroad would be a great opportunity to see more of the world while having structure through school. While looking at universities as a junior and senior in high school, I was fond of the opportunities that the Global Leadership Initiative presented at UM and it was definitely an aspect of UM that brought me here. And then began the journey through GLI and applying to study abroad!

Through traveling with my parents prior to studying abroad, I knew I loved London and Paris. However, there were not great options for me to study abroad in Paris. London did have 1-3 options, but after more research I decided they were not meant to be. After a few trips to the Global Engagement Office, the American College of Greece began feeling like a very realistic and awesome option. It checked lots of the boxes. I had only been to Greece once in 2023 (and loved it! Even saw ACG’s campus.) and because it’s in Europe, I could travel to other European countries. Additionally, as I began browsing the course catalogs, it became very reasonable to be able to have classes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays with no classes Friday through Monday. This seemed to be a great option to be able to travel on the long weekends to other places around Europe.

As far as the application process goes, it seemed to be a breeze. However, as preparation progressed, it was increasingly more stressful, but surely worth it. The visa process was especially stressful. The necessary materials, the expense to travel down to San Francisco to the Greek consulate, and finally the appointment at the Greek offices to apply for the student visa, wow! The preparation for studying abroad, on top of extra-curriculars, and taking 21 credits, I could not wait to just be in Greece, sit down, and take a deep breath.

January 2024 was the beginning of one of the most amazing experiences in my life thus far. There were amazing chances to meet new people from the United States, Greece, and other places such as Egypt, Turkey, and many others. I also loved the classes I took, Modern Greek, Modern European History & Politics, and Tennis, along with three online classes from UM and Helena College. It was a huge bonus that all classes were taught in English! Modern Greek was a great way to learn more about Greek culture while learning the language. I can go to the grocery store and have a conversation in Greek now! Further, as an American student, Modern European History & Politics was very enjoyable in learning more about European history from a Greek/European professor. This is especially true because we go through many series of learning about American history with US History, American Government, etc. and seem to rarely learn about European history.

Continuing on with the experience, I saved as much as possible to be able to travel to as many places as possible on the weekends. Along with a friend from UM, our travels began in January with a weekend in Bucharest, Romania. In February, we went on trips to Milan and Venice, Italy, Barcelona, Spain, London, and Paris. In March, my mom came across the pond to meet me in London. Then, we visited another friend who was studying abroad in Ireland over St. Patrick’s Day, and had a friend from home visit during UM spring break to travel around Greece. At the end of March, we went to Rome, Italy over Easter weekend. Then, off to Malta in April and towards the end of our experience, we visited another Greek island and my parents came during finals week to see more of Greece and go to Spain to begin a cruise along the French and Italian coasts. Finally, coming home was just as wonderful as being abroad. In different ways of course, but I was ecstatic to see my friends and family after four months and to have an awesome summer in Montana. Studying abroad is an experience I would recommend to anyone who is considering. I reflect on the friends I made, professors teaching styles, new daily routines, the uphill walk to the ACG campus, the time change from home, the yummy Greek chocolate, and finally, how well I know the Athens airport now. And looking back, I feel very thankful and wouldn’t change a thing.