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The warmest Winter – My Six Weeks in Greece “ I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world “ –Mary AnneRadmacherI was never brave enough to travel solo. .My University is affiliated with AIESEC(association Internationale des edudiants en science economique etcommerciales) which is an organization that sends young people on internships worldwide for enhancementleadership skills. Seeing the opportunity at the hand I decided to finally takethe plunge and got selected for the global volunteer as an English tutor at a kindergarten in Athens, Greece. It has been a truly life-altering experience. Greece: An idyllic paradise Greece isdefinitely a one of kind destination. It is very picturesque and every nook and cranny is extremely beautiful. It is blessed with natural beauty from mountains to countless beaches by the azure blue ocean. The sunsets are absolutely sublime. During winters one can see countless oranges blooming on the streets. Greece is the perfect confluence of ancient and modern. It has some of the best architectural marvels such as the world-famous Acropolis, the temple of Zeus and the Panathenaic stadium. As a civilization, they value art and culture as their meticulously curate museums' bare testimony to this. It is a gastronomic paradise and offers a plethora of options in food from Moussakaand Souvlaki to mouth-watering desserts like Loukoumades and Baklava. Athens has great clubs and happening nightlife. Greeks are known for their joie de vivre (exuberant enjoyment of life ) and they love to party and celebrate life. My work experience:It was Christmas time the school was beautifully decorated and gave me the winter wonderland fee ls. The first week included an introduction with students andteachers. We worked for the crafts and decoration of the Christmas decoration, Taught kids crafts and vocabulary related to Christmas. I also went to the church for their pre –Christmas- ritual and also visited NGOs that helpunderprivileged children . In the weeks that followed, I gave basic Englishlessons and also taught them about elements of Indian culture and civilization. Kids are so innocent and adorable ,there is so much one canlearn from them. A sojourn to Kastoria:During the Christmas break I decided to visit the city of Kastoria also known as the lakeside jewel of Northern Greece. The place was surreal just like ones in postcards and paintings. Icelebrated New Year in the traditional Greek way with Gala dinner and amazingmusic.TheSantorini Surprise: My Parents came to pick me up!While Iwas in Athens I sent many photos to my parents and they were extremelycaptivated by the beauty of the place and decided to visit Greece during thelast week of my stay. We visited the islandof Santorini. It was one of the most incredible and magnificien tplaces I have been to. As I hadgone during the winter season, it helped me to avoid the tourist rush and enjoythe island in the most serene state. It was so quiet that we could the rustlingof leaves and splashing of the waves while we sauntered around.- TheCelebration of Christmas Spirit and how this trip left and Impact on me: One ofthe favorite anecdotes that I have from this time is from a sweet shop, wherethe lady was kind enough to give me a sweet (BAKLAWA) and said “you are ourguest and we can’t charge you for only one piece during Christmas. “This mademe explore through the Indian values of “ATITHI DEVO BHAVA” ( the guest isour god )made me realize how similar weare at the core, when it comes to values, even when the contrast between ourCultures are huge.I learned to travel alone, enjoyed the meeting some of kindest people got lost many times in the lanesof Athens but finally found me. This trip helped me to let go of my fearand inhibitions and discover newer horizons of self-growth and development.