Audrey's Blog

Share the Love

Growing up I was introduced to the Greek culture. Most of the family friends that I grew up around were Greek and over the 20 years of my life they shared their culture with me. In my family we joke that we are “adopted Greek”. I had no idea how much I had actually been exposed to or how much of it I had held onto until this trip. As soon as we landed I started to remember all the memories of my childhood. Each bite of food, each beat of music, each mannerism and gesture brought a flood of joy and remembrance. However, what was even better than that sensation was seeing my friends experience these loves of mine for the first time. Being able to share the memories and foods that shaped my childhood was a gift that meant the world to me.

One of the moments that I remember the most from the trip was our day cruise to three of the Greek Islands: Hydra, Poros, and Aegina. It was our last day of travel before our trip home and one of our earliest mornings, not to mention it was a 3 hour boat ride to the first island.

However all of the exhaustion and irritability crumbled at the first sight of Hydra. Hydra, a picturesque island that encompasses everything one thinks of when they imagine Greece. Seeing the excitement and happiness as everyone walked around excited to take photos, see the shops, and enjoy their time with one another gave me so much joy and really brought an amazing end to a one in a lifetime trip.

I am so grateful for not only the opportunity to travel and reminisce, but most importantly I am grateful for the opportunity to travel with this group of incredible people. I thank the Close family and foundation for giving me memories that I will hold onto for a lifetime. This truly was a trip that has shaped me.