While it’s impossible to name the single best moment of a program, our first full day in Santorini was full of moments that will be hard to beat!

We started the day by taking bus to the iconic village of Oia—Oia’s white buildings and blue domes are what have made Santorini so famous. It’s hard NOT to take a photo that feels ready to be put on a postcard. We had a chance to walk around town as our leaders gave us the assignment to have at least three conversations with local people who live in Oia. It was great for our students to connect with people who actually live in Santorini, learn a little bit about the impacts of a tourist economy, and build some experiences to go along with the trinkets some of them eventually bought from the various people they spoke with.

Our leader Dimitri spoke with a shop owner named Dimitris, pictured above, who shared some of his thoughts about how tourism has positively and negatively impacted Santorini. One of the many amazing things he said during the conversations was that “In small places, you welcome a stranger as a friend.” Beautifully said Dimitris! We encouraged our students to seek out those types of spaces and moments where they can feel welcomed as friends by strangers.

After a beautiful lunch overlooking the iconic buildings in Oia, we felt like we should take advantage of Santorini’s amazing beaches. Being a pretty touristed island, we did a little online digging and found Katharos, one of the island’s least touristed beaches. Upon our arrival we had it almost all to ourselves! The beautiful blue of the Mediterranean was a joy to jump in.

After some much needed beach time, we made our way into the town of Oia itself to spend a bit more time in town to gather some food for a sunset picnic. Heading to Oia’s most iconic view for sunset, we found a less heavily trafficked vista and just waited for the magic of one of the most amazing sunsets we’ve ever seen!

What a special day! Looking forward to making even more memories as our Grecian adventure enters its final chapter, but before our Italian journey even begins!

— Dimitri, Giula, and Michael