It always amazes me how the end of our trip suddenly sneaks up on us. One minute we are settling into island life, planning our productions and getting things underway, and the next minute it is suddenly time to screen our films publicly and then pack up for departure. I am happy to report that our students have very successfully produced three films about archeological sites on the island and a slew of cool profiles about various people from around Paros. So everything is in order for a great public screening.
As things wrap up here, I start to think about a couple of small things I really enjoy about being on Paros that I will miss when I leave. Most mornings I have taken the opportunity to walk 30 yards from the villa and pick blackberries for my breakfast. This blackberry bush is the granddaddy of all blackberry bushes and has been overly generous with its delicious fruit. I am so glad our trip coincides with blackberry season! This year I have especially enjoyed the biking.
I rented a road bike for the whole time I was here and was able to get out on several rides around the island. I also entered my first bike race ever. It was a 60K race around the island with 99 cyclists. It was so much fun that I plan to do it every year I have the good fortune of being here. To me, it had more significance than just being my first race. Less than a year ago, I suffered some major knee issues and had to have a rather drastic and extremely painful surgical procedure. To be able to ride in this race completely pain-free less than a year after that was a major personal milestone for me.
It is always a pleasure of mine to work with our students to bring our productions together. In the process, I see many of our students arrive in Greece rather tentative about foreign travel and complete our trip with a newfound confidence and a desire to explore the world more. In my opinion, travel is such an important and vital way to learn and to develop a global awareness. It is my sincere hope that everyone on this trip will seek out opportunities to explore the world and gain a bigger perspective on humanity and our place in it back home in Indiana.
Best of luck to all of our students in their future endeavors!
Written by C. Thomas Lewis