By Isabella Rapucci, Guest Writer
(Photo Courtesy of Isabella Rapucci)
ATHENS, GREECE— When picking Greece as my study abroad location, I was shocked by how much of this country was uphill. Anywhere that I need to go, it is almost a 90 degree angle. Similarly, in my personal life I was overcoming a lot of mental hills, learning what it is like to pack up my life and move somewhere entirely foreign. These many hills and mountains began to hold a deeper significance for me, and I learned to hold a special place in my heart for what was at the top of these hills.
Leaving the US, and all its familiarity, behind me proved to be more difficult than I had originally thought. It was the first time I had ever left the country, let alone the East Coast. In all honesty, I was scared of leaving what I knew and giddy at the idea of experiencing an entire new sector of my life. It was a big step for me in my life, leaving what I know and leaping into the unknown. It was a big hump (pun intended) that I had to climb and overcome. When I arrived, it felt like freshman year all over again. I was in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, and I felt like I was reverted back to my 18 year old self. Almost like an uphill battle, with no end in sight. But as the weeks passed on, I began to become more familiar with my surroundings, creating new connections. With every hill that I climbed in the city, I climbed a new one in my mind, creating a new version of myself with every mental mountain I overcame.
Over the last almost two months, I have become a new version of myself that I never thought was possible. I have finally created this new life for myself. I have created memories that I will remember for the rest of my life, because I kept walking up that hill. I have made new friends out of Athenian locals, became closer with other Gettysburg students here with me, and created new connections with students from other universities. Because of my decision to climb that hill of going abroad, I have created memories that I will be sharing for the rest of my life. If I had stopped walking, I wouldn’t have seen the beautiful and rewarding outcome of my life. There are many other, new mountains that I would like to climb during my time abroad, simply to see what is at the top. I urge those that intend to study abroad, that no matter where you go to give it a chance, It may seem daunting to jump into an entirely new life, but I promise that the rewards outweigh the fear. Going into it scared is better than not doing it at all.
Like the hills in Athens, studying abroad is full of hills but at the end of the day, the struggle of walking up the hills is worth it for the view.
This article originally appeared on page 6 of the March 2026 edition of The Gettysburgian magazine.
