March 14, 2022: The group was given a bit of relief from the previous early morning with a 9 AM breakfast. After breakfast, the group departed and began to make its way toward the city of Athens. The refreshed group was given a driving tour of some historic Athenian landmarks, such as: the Temple of Zeus, the University Library, and the Greek Parliament.
Following the short bus tour, the boys were able to meet a variety of small store owners, who have a connection to Global Brigades. These stores ranged from local convenience stores to unique handmade clothing to African cuisine. The group traveled to lunch following a small bit of free time; along with the exquisite Congolese meal provided, the group experienced a great sense of community, along with the entertainment of a back-and-forth conversation in French between a student and the restaurant’s head chef, Kaleng, about the exquisite dishes prepared for our team.
After lunch, the group split into two and headed to two different shelters for refugee boys ages 12-18, where the MBA students and teachers began working alongside the refugees. With great productivity and enthusiasm, the group painted, gardened, and created benches for the refugees. Despite language barriers, the boys worked well together with the refugees and communicated through effort and often times laughter at the novice level skills displayed by our group.
The experience served as a great teaching point, which showed just how lucky we all are to have the privileges provided to us at home in Nashville. The day taught the group that the refugees are just like us but were born into more difficult circumstances. The first day at the shelter would definitely be considered a success and the group eagerly looks forward to returning to work tomorrow.
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