No one ever forgets his or her first time. I was 43, and it was on the beach in Tolo, Greece. I sat waiting, on a small promontory overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, while exotic birds chirped a counter melody to the caress of the waves. Each second was sweet and I tried to wait patiently for that perfect moment when the Titan Helios (the sun) would burst forth in all his radiant glory. He started with rays of purple cutting through the black, and then fiery reds, and oranges forced his sister Selene (the moon) into hiding. Finally, the moment arrived; I was able to experience the exploding colors across a Greek, blue sky for the first time in my life.
Not only was it beautiful, but it caused me to realize that this could have been the same coast, that
Agmemnon passed on his way to Troy, ~3300 years ago. This was also my first day of class in the land of Western ideology. Students from Vol State, Nashville State, Pellissippi State, MTSU, Dyersb
urg State, and Memphis State all went to their prospective courses. We started our trip Sunday at the Nashville Airport and spent the next 24 hours navigating the international maze to Greece. Once we finally arrived, we did not have time to take a nap. After dinner Monday night the whole crowd crashed in exhaustion.
Six unfortunate travelers did not receive their 
luggage until this afternoon. This program is fantastic and it is a great way to study abroad. I wish my first international trip could have been back when I was 25 years younger, but I am glad I can participate now. I am reminded of a line from an old Bob Seger song, “Here I go, on the road again. . . turn the page.”