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Amanda Zahn

By: Amanda Zahn

Another day has passed here in Greece and my oh my how this trip is flying by! It’s hard to believe we have almost crossed all the destinations off our lists of places to see.

Today’s destination: Sparta.

Though the main event of the day was visiting the city of Sparta, our day did begin in Nafplio bright and early, per usual. By 8 am, our group had all walked to the main square in town and stood waiting outside the Archaeological Museum of Nafplion, our first stop of the day. The doors opened and, with our guide sheet in hand provided by Irene, we took some time to explore the museum and view the multitude of artifacts found throughout the Peloponnese region that are housed there. Then we loaded up the bus and headed for the main attraction of the day… Sparta!

Unfortunately, as we drove to Sparta the weather took a downhill turn and the rain began. Luckily it wasn’t cold enough for this to be snow or ice, but it did mean we could no longer visit the acropolis of Sparta. We could still go to our first stop in Sparta, though. This was the Archaeological Museum of Sparta, which houses many artifacts found around the ancient city-state of Sparta. For this museum we had a guide who told us many stories about the Spartans and the various artifacts.

To make up for not going to the acropolis of Sparta, we changed plans and also visited the Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil to spend some time learning how olive oil was traditionally produced and used throughout Greek civilization.

We then headed for a quick stop at the statue of Leonidas, the warrior king of Sparta back during the Persian wars. Since it was raining, it was a quick stop and we took a quick group photo of everyone doing their best battle cry. Finally, it was time for a late lunch. We found a nice little restaurant in town with a bakery next door so that we could have some lunch and dessert before loading up the bus and heading back to Nafplio.

With it being our final night in Nafplio, we had some free time before dinner to shop and such. Groups split off to visit the city’s quaint little shops and various ice-cream and gelato shops. I myself got gelato and I must say, it tasted like the authentic Italian gelato. So, all in all, it ended up being a good, full day of experience, despite the rain.

Amanda Zahn

By: Amanda Zahn

Waking up in the small town of Kalambaka, despite it being 6:30 in the morning, was absolutely amazing. All it took was opening up the curtains and gazing upon the breathtaking rocks of the Meteora to get me out of my morning grogginess!

After breakfast at our hotel and reloading the bus, we set off on a trip through the mountains of northern Greece. This also proved to be a breathtaking sight, as the mountains were snowcapped and absolutely massive. A real sight! All eyes were glued to the passing landscape for the majority of the ride as we all listened to our tour guide, Irene, tell us tales and stories from both Greek mythology and history.

Our first stop of the day was at Thermopylae, the site of one of the major battles between the Greeks and the Persians. We got to see where the fight actually occurred, as well as visit the information center nearby to watch a video explaining the battle. We learned about the armor and weaponry used by both sides, and observed the maneuvers utilized during the battle. After spending some time in the visitor center, we visited the monuments dedicated to the Spartans and the Thespians who refused to retreat despite their impending certain death, and loaded back onto the bus to continue our journey south towards Delphi.

Right before arriving in Delphi, we made a surprise stop at the ski town of Arachova. Our bus driver (Zafiris) did a phenomenal job of maneuvering through the extremely narrow main street of the small mountainside town, and we then ventured off for an hour in small groups to explore the town and local shops. Although it was quite cold, everyone enjoyed getting off the bus for a little and getting to see the mountainous landscape from outside the bus.

Finally, we arrived in Delphi at our new hotel, unloaded the bus, and walked as a group to dinner. After our meal, small groups split off once again to explore, do a little bit of shopping, or play cards in the hotel lobby. Now, exhausted from such a busy day, we are all off to bed to rest up for another day of adventure!

Fall Break 2016

October 9, 2016 | 2016-2017, Amanda Zahn, Avatars | No Comments

Amanda Zahn
Amanda Zahn

By:  Amanda Zahn

This past Tuesday night (or Wednesday morning for some of us who procrastinated a bit), students began packing for not just a closed weekend, but for fall break. The university cancelled all classes on Thursday and Friday so that students would have the chance to go home and visit with their families and enjoy a couple days off from class. Some would say fall break comes at just the right time, marking the half way point during the semester. Some argue a better couple of days could have been picked, as the next week is a week of midterms for the majority of classes. All would agree, though, the break is much needed by this time in the semester, so it was looked forward to with much anticipation across the board.

As student’s final classes let out on Wednesday, Academy student’s began the process of checking out of the building. When leaving for extended breaks, the Academy enforces a different checkout policy than usual, requiring rooms be cleaned a little more stringently than as required weekly. So, rather than just packing for home, students also set about cleaning their rooms (which, like the break, was probably much needed for some!). By 7 pm, the building was void of all students, each having left for their own fall break adventures.

Academy students did many things with their break from their typical schedule. Many stayed at home, simply enjoying spending time with family and friends from their hometowns as well as catching up on things such as their studies, sleep, and Netflix. Some, however, took this time to go on a few college visits, with seniors getting the chance to tour the schools that they are currently working on applying to. Overall, fall break was a chance for everyone to catch up on a few things that had been pushed aside during the thus far busy weeks at the Academy this school year. Sunday afternoon students began returning to the building, ready to take on the next few weeks of this semester!

zahn, amanda 21When I was in the 7th grade, a family friend introduced me to the idea of spending the last two years of my high school career living and studying at The Gatton Academy. Immediately I was fixated on the idea. Just about five years later, here I am transitioning into my senior year at Gatton with the same enthusiasm I held upon first learning about this amazing opportunity.

My name is Amanda Zahn, and I come to Gatton from Ryle High School in Boone County. At my sending school I played for the women’s soccer team for three years, as well as acted as an assistant coach for the middle school girls’ team. In the off season I spent my time playing for a club soccer team so, as you can probably tell, soccer has really been my life outside of the academic setting. Here at Gatton, I haven’t been able to devote as much time to soccer, but I’ve actually enjoyed taking a step back from it and having the time to really look into other interests of mine. However, this past spring I did play on Gatton’s intramural co-ed team which was a great way to revisit the sport I enjoy.

Surprisingly, soccer is not what I’m most passionate about. My real passion is travel. My freshman year of high school, I participated in my school’s German exchange program, spending about a month living with a host family in Wermelskirchen, Germany. Ever since, I have been obsessed with seeing the world and travelling. This is one area Gatton has provided me opportunities that a traditional high school could not. In just one year at Gatton, I was able to spend about a week and a half of my winter break travelling across Italy as well as spend three weeks studying in England this past summer. Both experiences were what I would call once-in-a-lifetime, and have encouraged me (though I didn’t need much encouragement) to sign up to spend another week and a half of my winter break travelling with the Academy, but this time to Greece!

Since I can’t spend my life leisurely travelling the world, I’ve decided I want to be a pharmacist. The field not only interests me on the conceptual side, but also on the social side. I am a people person at heart, and I have found that pharmacology is a great way to incorporate my love of people and social interaction into a STEM career. This past semester I did some research involving potential chemotherapeutic drugs on campus with a professor, and it really convinced me that a degree in pharmacy is really what I want to pursue.

I’m excited to continue blogging this upcoming year and sharing with you all what life at Gatton is like. This opportunity has been invaluable to me thus far, and I can’t wait to see what this year will bring!

zahn, amanda 21By:  Amanda Zahn

And just like that, we are packing to go home.

It’s unbelievable that our final day in England has come. These three weeks have truly flown by, leaving the majority of us exhausted and in a daze. We all pushed through though for our final day in the classroom. We showed up to class anxious to take our final examination, which covered the English poetry we had been studying these past few days of class.

13873024_10102809555899662_7708037024823655927_nBefore our exam began, we took some time to have an open discussion about our trip and our opinions on the program as a whole. Personally, I really liked this, as the discussion also involved lots of reminiscing on the past few weeks. After our discussion, which was cut short at the one hour mark, we set to taking our exam.

Overall, the final was what I expected. As far as finals go, I thought it wasn’t as stressful as some of those taken on WKU’s campus, probably because we had all been immersed in the course for the duration of the trip. After the final, I for one was relieved. I think I can speak for everyone when I say it was such a wonderful feeling knowing we had the rest of the day to enjoy ourselves without the pressure of an impending quiz to study for or an essay to write.

13939612_10102810558235972_5929764928947838818_nMost of my classmates spent the rest of the day exploring the manor one last time, playing volleyball, or touring the gatehouse. After dinner, many people split off to pack and relax, and some played hide-and-go-seek on the property. With the extended curfew, a small group of students decided to take a midnight walk down the mile long driveway to view the façade of the manor house and look at the stars. Words cannot describe the view in the moonlight, and I feel that it was quite the experience spending our last night at Harlaxton like this. Truly it is something you have to experience yourself, as is the rest of this study abroad experience.

zahn, amanda 21By: Amanda Zahn

Wow. Just wow.

Wow has literally been every other word out of my mouth since arriving at Harlaxton Manor yesterday evening. Seeing that we arrived after a long day of travel, we were all quite tired. Therefore, today has not only been our first day of class at Harlaxton College, but also our first day to really explore the grounds of our new home away from home.

It’s always a little different waking up in a new place for the first time, and today was no exception. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not complaining or anything. Waking up to the view of the English countryside spreading to the horizon and beautiful gardens just beneath your window is nothing to complain about. Needless to say, the view made waking up for class much more bearable.

13697242_10102787785003712_7752108327896243629_nAfter a quick breakfast, our first task was set before us… to find our classroom. Harlaxton Manor is a maze of rooms, hallways, and secret passages, so this was a challenge in itself. Upon finding our classroom, the first thing I noticed was the ceiling. Ornate and painted beautifully, it proved quite the distraction during class (although we have been told that is usually the case the first day of class). Similar to the ceiling, the rest of the room is beautifully decorated; class in a room like this honestly has a completely different feel to it than in a traditional classroom. To kick off the class period, Dr. Rutledge played us a tune on the piano. We then moved right into our studies, discussing Graham Greene’s “The Destructors”, as well as Emily Brӧnte’s Wuthering Heights. Class flew by, and once we were dismissed we all rushed to the refectory for lunch, excited to begin our free time.

During our afternoon free time, everyone went exploring. Some explored the gardens and surrounding property, and others explored the interior of the manor house. With the manor house being so big, it was very amusing to run into people as they emerged from hallways and secret passages alike. By the time dinner came around, we were all starved from all of our exploits!

Once we had eaten our dinner, we all went on a guided tour of the manor house. Our guides were fabulous, explaining everything from the significance of the various architecture to some ghost stories locals tell of a few of the rooms in the manor house. Finally, as the sun finished setting, we ended the evening with a game of crochet on the lawn. Not many people knew how to play, but after a little explaining of the rules we had quite the game going! Whether you were playing or just watching, we all had a great time with this.

As I write this I’m sitting on my window seat, distracted again by the beauty outside my window. And all I have to say is wow.