My arrival to the island was much earlier than most of the students. Though traveling was simple and easy, it was long and exhausting. After taking a bus, two planes, a ferry, and having to wait over an accumulated 12 hours in between the rides, I finally made it to Paros. With no travel buddies, I didn’t have anyone to bounce ideas off of or discuss what to do next when trying to figure out where I had to go. Getting around required a lot of approaching random people and wandering around until I could figure out where to go.
While initially, it was nerve-wracking, it ended up leaving me with a sense of independence. It left me feeling that while it’s okay to be hesitant, I shouldn’t shy away from going somewhere or trying something just because I was alone or didn’t know where I would end up. When I finally got to Paros, and from the first day I got to start exploring the island, I decided that rather than try and figure out where I want to go, I would instead just pick a path and go with it.
At times, I felt hesitant to follow through with my plans, if not for this mindset, I would not have had such a memorable first day. I found the beautiful beach of Parasporos, hiked the trail from there to Delfini beach, and found my skin blessed by Apollo. To all the other students on this trip, I advise them to just try things. If there’s something they want to do or are interested in trying, even if you can’t find anyone else, just do it. The more you do things on your own, the more comfortable you’ll be with opening up to and looking for more experiences.
Written by Patrick Bellido-Choy