As I prepare to leave it seems hard to imagine the next stage of my life
away from the hustle of Athens, the tasty tavernas on every corner and
the sea a short and tantalizing trip away. When I first learned that my
university – York University – had a Global Internship Program, I leapt
at the chance to travel and live abroad again. When I learned that an
internship in Greece was available, I was even more excited. Here was a
chance to experience the culture, cuisine and history of a place I had
studied for several years and only dreamed of visiting! Three months,
thousands of photographs, and many new friends later, I can truly say
that fond memories of the people, the insights I have gained from this
unique cultural heritage and charm of this nation will remain with me
always.
At the Canadian Institute in Greece, I was responsible for several
tasks. One was the daily upkeep of the hostel and welcoming of new
guests – which allowed me to meet other students and researchers from
various universities across Canada. In addition to the hostel, I also
handled the incoming new library and research materials, tried to resist
the urge to read every new book, and completed the organizing,
cataloguing and storing of all materials from previous Institute
colloquia. Also, I digitized, catalogued and stored the items from the
Institute’s archives – giving me the hands-on opportunity to trace the
CIG’s history from the beginning to the present. Preparing for and
assisting with the Institute’s annual Open Meeting along with the
Fellow, Keven Ouellet, was a chance to see an accumulation of the finds
and activities of the Institute from the past year. This internship also
afforded me the chance to attend various lectures hosted by other
foreign archaeological institutes in Athens. My first two months were
happily spent running from a lecture on hidden inscriptions on
black-figure vases, to one on numismatics to another on ancient
warships! I was also able to meet many Canadian professors and interact
and become friends with many students here in Greece to attend classes
or conduct research.
Living in Athens and interning at the Canadian Institute meant I was
able to take advantage of the many museums and historical sites within
the city. Numerous trips were made to the Areopagus, the Acropolis, The
Tower of the Winds, the Panathenaic Stadium, Lykavittos Hill, as well as
the Acropolis Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art, the Benaki Museum and
the National Archaeological Museum. I was also privileged enough to
venture outside of Athens on my weekends and evenings, which led to
several adventures in Piraeus, Sounio, Aegina and Nafplio to name a few.
The length of my internship here afforded me time not just to see, but
also to research and contemplate the significance of each place I was
visiting. A few days in the former capitol, Nafplio in the eastern
Peloponnese, taught me about the rebirthed Greek state between 1823 and
1834, and seeing both the Temple of Aphaea on Aegina and the graffiti of
Lord Byron on the Temple of Poseidon in Sounio were learning
experiences of the most remarkable kind!
In addition to the wonderful sites and monuments at my fingertips in
Athens, one of my favourite things to do was just wander the streets of
the capital city. Around each new corner I would find some new and
beautifully-painted example of Neo-Classical architecture, some quaint
family-run café, or park inhabited by elderly gentlemen playing invested
games of backgammon. I am thankful for the opportunity to have these
quiet moments in Greece, where despite my sorely-lacking spoken Greek
and my Canadian passport – I felt at home. The music is something I will
remember this time by, from listening to global artists perform at the
Athens Jazz Festival, to local bouzouki players, to the humbling and
magical experience of listening to the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic
play at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus! I am grateful to York University
for the opportunity to travel to Greece – the summer I have spent here
has been enlightening, informative, and truly a once-in-a-lifetime
experience. It is impossible for me to leave Greece without saying that I
am anticipating the moment I return!
Cana Fallon
York University intern, summer 2017
