My name is Kalei Smith and I am from a small town in North Idaho. I grew up in Lolo, MT but we moved to Idaho to be closer to family when I was in seventh grade. I am studying Elementary Education here at the University of Montana. I have always loved Missoula and when I was looking at colleges, I originally was going to go to a school in Idaho, but as soon as I toured UM, I knew I wanted to attend. I have never felt homesick or out of place while I have been in Missoula because Montana was home to me for so long that it is just comfortable. Here is a picture of little me and Monte. 🙂

I studied abroad in Athens at The American College of Greece. In high school I always loved the idea of traveling to other countries and experiencing new cultures, so studying abroad was always in the back of my mind. I never thought it would actually be possible though, until I found out about GLI and decided to apply. The only country that I had been to before studying abroad was Mexico, and I loved getting to meet new people and see their culture, so I knew I would enjoy being in a new country. When I originally started planning my study abroad experience, I was thinking about going to Spain or Italy, but the schools I was looking at in those countries did not have many classes that interested me and it wasn’t guaranteed that those classes would be taught in English. The American College of Greece was appealing because everything is taught in English.

Once I was accepted to ACG, the process for getting my visa began. This was probably the most stressful part of the whole experience, because there were so many things that you had to have before you went to your appointment. Once I had my visa, the rest of the process was pretty simple. I browsed the course catalog to plan what classes I wanted to take and I had to set an alarm to register for classes at 2 a.m. I was able to register for classes that only took place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, because I wanted to be able to travel to other countries in Europe while I was studying abroad.

January came around and thus my adventure in Greece started. I enjoyed my time in Athens so much. While abroad I could explore the city of Athens, learn more about its history, and meet many amazing people. I loved being able to see the historical parts of the city as well as the more modern parts. Seeing the Acropolis has always been on my bucket list and it was amazing to see it in person.

While at ACG I took four classes, Greece: The Birth of a Modern Nation, Modern Greek I, Infancy and the Preschool Years, and Myth in the Ancient Greek and Roman World. My GLI theme is culture and politics and my class Greece: The Birth of a Modern Nation served as my connection to my theme. The class talked about the politics at play when the Ottomans occupied Greece and what their government looked like after the Ottomans were defeated. Modern Greek I was a great way for me to introduce myself to the Greek language and learn some basic conversational phrases.

One thing that I also wanted to do while I was abroad was travel to other countries and I was actually able to visit four other countries as well as a few different Greek Islands. The different countries I traveled to were the United Kingdom, France, Hungary, and Malta. Out of these four, I think the UK and Malta were my favorites. I also traveled to Santorini, Aegina, and Hydra, which are all Greek Islands. It was super helpful to not have classes on Mondays and Fridays because we were able to have longer trips to each of these places. I am super thankful to have had the opportunity to visit other places as well as the experience of studying abroad. I had such an amazing time and I keep telling everyone that I talk to that they should think about studying abroad because it is such a great way to learn not only about yourself but also about a new culture and new people. I never thought that I would actually have the chance to study abroad but I am extremely happy that I did and I would do it again if I could.

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.