When I was eight years old, my mom sent me to overnight summer camp and I was dreading going. By no means did I want to leave home or my mom and spend a week up in northern Michigan with strangers in a foreign place. I cried the entire way there. If I went back to my eight-year-old self and told her that I had attended a summer camp in Greece for three weeks, she would not have believed me.
I recently had the opportunity to travel to Greece and attend a summer camp without any technology. All I had was myself and my camera. I can honestly say that it was one of the most impactful experiences of my entire life. Throughout the three weeks, I traveled to some of the most beautiful churches, beaches, historical sites, and cities. I also had the opportunity to interact with locals throughout several islands and villages in Greece. This cultural experience opened my eyes to so many things, and I was able to have the opportunity to capture it through my camera lens.
While capturing several moments throughout my three week trip, I tried to encapsulate every aspect of the experience, large and small. I went to some of the most famous parts of Greece, such as the Parthenon, Monastiraki in Athens, the island of Zakynthos, and Cathedral of Saint Andrew in Patras, the largest church in Greece. On the other hand, I interacted with young children in small villages, monks who had lived on the top of mountains for years, and went to villages that aren’t even on the map. It was incredible to be able to document my trip through my camera, because I was able to express my creativity while also having a way to remember my trip. The whole experience was so special because I was able to go through it with people who had similar values to me, and in a short time, we were able to become extremely close friends.
I had the opportunity to experience amazing people and places throughout my trip. Through my time in Greece, I was inspired to grow closer to my culture and hopefully become a counselor at the summer camp I attended in Greece. It was an incredible time to use photography to capture one of the most memorable three weeks of my life.
