Last Weeks in Athens

I still cannot believe that my time in Athens is already over and that I actually moved to New York City for a three-month internship (I arrived yesterday)…

After we had returned from our D.C. trip, the last fourteen days in Ohio were just flying by. A day felt like an hour and an hour felt like a minute. And no, I’m not being overly dramatic! I have to say, while it sure took some time (remember, it was cold; very, very cold in the first few weeks), I’ve really gotten to like this town. After spring had finally sprung, trees had started to blossom and we finally had been able to sit outside and enjoy the weather, yes, I very much enjoyed it here!

Let’s start chronologically. After we had returned from Washington, D.C., having successfully given our presentations, I think it’s safe to say that we all felt very relieved and joyful. That feeling, however, did not last for long. It was a week before finals week, so I basically spend every single day at Alden Library. My finals consisted of a group project for my Public Relations Planning class, an advertising strategy (including actual online/newspaper ads, Google Ads, a Press Release and Pitch letter) for my Strategic Communication Writing Class, and a final comprehensive exam for my Introduction to Strategic Communication class.

As you probably all know, group projects aren’t always fun. My experience was absolutely no exception. One person, he was about to graduate from college, notoriously forgot about our group meetings, had family emergencies or just didn’t feel capable of leaving his apartment due to the cold weather… So it was a group of four instead of five that stemmed all the work and, at least in my opinion, delivered a not-to-bad marketing strategy for a local Pizza delivery company. I guess we’ll see in two days (when grades are due, yes, there is a due date for grades at OU) what our professor actually thought about our paper.

GLC Graduation Ceremony

On Friday, we had our official GLC graduation. The graduation ceremony was for everyone who graduated from the program (so not only graduating seniors) and included us five German students as well. You could tell that the TAs, Dr. Stewart (Interim Director), and Dr. Beshah (Academic Advisor) put a lot of effort into planning this ceremony. Parents were invited, snacks were provided, speeches were held and many students started to tear up a little (most GLC students were graduating and leaving Athens on the same weekend).

In the evening, we (Cynthia, Theresa, Jenny, Billie Jean, and me) also invited everyone to the University Commons for a little farewell BBQ. To sum up my experience in Athens: I never thought I’d meet so many nice people, make such good friends, or learn so much from my courses at OU, but I actually did. Whoever from Athens is reading this: Thanks for everything, guys!

Last Burrito at Big Mamma's

Grocery Shopping for the BBQ