Adventures: September 28-October 4
In the third week of the program, the students are beginning to further settle into Thessaloniki and ACT. Students are exploring the city, finding excellent restaurants, and nightlife. For our family meal this week, we decided to be a little bit more adventurous and tried a seafood menu. Though the octopus tentacle may have frightened some students at first, after trying it, most students found it to be one of the most delicious dishes they have had so far in Greece!
On Wednesday, students had the chance to sign up for the various clubs and activities that ACT offers. These options range from the sailing club to scuba diving certification to cinema club to various sports clubs, i.e. basketball, soccer, and tennis. Many of our students took the opportunity to join one or more of the clubs/activities to make more friends outside the program and to continue their interests from the U.S. to Greece.
ACT sponsored a trip to Mt. Olympus over the weekend. This mountain is the highest peak in Greece. The demand from our students was overwhelming, so much so that we were able to add additional spots on the trip. The trip left Thessaloniki early Saturday morning for a 2 hour drive to the base of the mountain. The students and staff who went endured a 3 hour climb to the lodge for our overnight stay. We enjoyed the quaintness of the lodge, the home-cooking provided by our hosts, and lights out at 10pm when the generator was turned off for the night! In the morning, we woke up to see a beautiful sunrise from the lodge before another long day of hiking. Students had the option to either attempt to summit at 2917 meters or reach the plateau, which was just 300 meters below the summit. The students found both choices to be equally as beautiful, enjoyable, and challenging. On Sunday, students hiked for more than 5 hours, endured blisters, and some sore muscles but felt a huge sense of accomplishment on the bus ride back to Thessaloniki!
Here are some upcoming dates to be aware of:
Sofia, Bulgaria: October 9-11
This trip is a NUin led trip to Sofia, Bulgaria. We have 30 NUin students who have decided to participate in this weekend adventure.
ACT Break: October 26-30
This is an academic break for ACT. Students have already begun making travel arrangements for longer trips in some groups. Talk with your student about her or his plans for this time.
Athens Trip: November 6-8
This trip is organized by ACT and all NUin Students and Staff will be traveling to Athens this weekend.
Istanbul Trip: December 3-6
This trip is organized by NUin. All students and staff will be attending. More specifics about this trip will be available soon as we finalize our travel arrangements.