Daniel belongs in the thousands of people who form the Greek diaspora of the world. He was born and raised in Australia by Greek parents and has always felt a close connection to the country and culture of his ancestors. He didn’t always speak the language fluently, but as a young adult he decided to start Greek lessons to improve it.

This is when he joined the Greek Online School and started classes with his teacher, Maria who lives in Thessaloniki and his now classmate, Samantha who lives in New South Wales. 

Daniel loves his classes with Maria and Samantha, but when he heard about the opportunity to learn Greek in Greece in summer 2022, he took it. 

The Greek Immersion Course for adults ran by the Greek Online School and supported by the Greek Ministries of Foreign Affairs & Tourism, takes place at the Anargyrios School of Spetses usually in June. 

Daniel was kind enough to share his thoughts on one of the most memorable summers of his life on one of the most impressive Greek islands. 

Daniel, why do you learn Greek?

It’s the language of my grandparents and ancestors. I wanted to reconnect with them because I didn’t have the chance to learn Greek when I was young. I’m grateful that with the Greek Online School we were able to come to Spetses to immerse ourselves in this beautiful language. 

Tell us about your Spetses classmates.

I’m blessed to have such a variety of people in my class. We’ve had people at the end of their working lives, rediscovering life outside work and finding joy through Greek. We had people from all over Europe, America, and me of course from the other side of the world. 

Why did you choose the Greek Online School Immersion Course in Spetses?

The fact that it takes place on a Greek island with such historical importance for the Greek Revolution, the fact that this school was founded by a luminary of the early Greek state, Sotirios Anargyros, all of these historical elements tie very nicely with the linguistic aspects of the course. The people of course are the glue that holds everything together, both the students and the staff that work tirelessly around the clock to make sure that our stay has been wonderful. So, all of these things combined with the deep immersion that we get in classes make this a very special program and I was very lucky to have attended it. 

What made this program stand out for you? 

I expected that there would be quite a deep focus on day to day Greek as it’s spoken and written, but I really valued the opportunity to read current newspaper articles, look at films set and filmed in Spetses and other aspects of daily interactions that I wouldn’t be able to get in Australia. I didn’t know how deep the immersion would be coming here and I have been pleasantly surprised at how comprehensive the program has been. 

What made you happiest about the Spetses course?

Meeting the people above everything has been a great joy and I would definitely without hesitation say that they have made everything enjoyable, fun, exciting, I’ve learned so much from them and they have really made this a once in a lifetime experience. 

What exceeded your expectations about your time in Spetses?

The opportunity to go out every night and mingle with the local Spetsiotes, the ability to swim in crystal blue waters and visit the cave of Bekiris. All of these things are such small joys that living on an island you can get. These moments have been the cherry on the cake so to speak and I cannot wait to re-live everything next year in Spetses. 

The Greek Immersion Course will take place at the Anargyrios School of Spetses in 2023 from June 24th to July 2nd. The course is for adults of any level of Greek, there are beginner, intermediate and advanced classes. The Spetses Greek Course means to help people gain confidence when speaking Greek through daily interactions with local Greeks and immerse them in the Greek culture and island lifestyle of Spetses. 

Watch Daniel’s video testimonial:

Enrollments have started. You can find more information on the Greek course in Spetses here https://greek-lol.com/immersion-course-greece/