by Albert William
This week we resume our Study Abroad Program after a 2-year absence due to all our lives being disrupted due to the Covid pandemic. We started planning this year’s trip in September of 2021 with hope that we would be able to once again be able to travel and bring students to Paros, Greece. We reflected on the importance of giving our students the ability to come see the beauty that we have found after the last five programs we ran from 2015- 2019 with hopes that they will thrive after be shut in during the pandemic. While we still must remain cautious and keep our health in mind, we are optimistic that we can still be productive on the same scale we were previously.
All the students have arrived and are recovering from their jetlag (probably better than me!) and starting to explore the wonders and beauty of Paros. Their initial excursions in town have proved fruitful in starting to find the many joys that other students we have brought before. Tonight, we had our first group dinner (a feast from one of our favorite places- the Steakhouse!), and our first group photo, and it was touching to see us all together after such disruption to so many lives. There was much laughter, and we would have probably hung around the pool area much longer had it not been for an un-usually cool and breezy evening.
Thomas and I are re-connecting with friends we have made over the years and are even recognized in the streets for our past work. It feel s good to know that our work has impacted this community. We look forward to making new friends and telling new stories we have found with our collaborators at parosweb.com, Nicolas and Marta. Paros, certainly feels like home, and while it seems like we have not been here for a long time, it feels very comfortable as always.
Here’s to making new friends, telling new stories, and making new memories this year!!