For many when the country of Greece is brought up a file cabinet of thoughts slides open in one's brain. The words beauty and corruption go hand in hand when this country is mentioned.  There was once a time, like many countries, where the plague of corruption swept over the country of Greece. This sent them into the total loss of housing, land, and crops but in turn, gave them the key to happiness. In 2012 I was 12 years old, it had been 9 years since the last time we had been to Greece to see my mothers side of the family. My mother's Grandmother which is also my Great Grandmother, live in the Small village of Kakouri along with many other family members. It was always a joy to be in a different country surrounded by the people you love. While being surrounded by family was amazing, we often would veer off with my cousins to explore the village. This gave me a first-person view of what the country was really like.

To start, while driving into the town you are surrounded by miles of astonishing mountains and rural farmland. It seems to be something out of a movie. All around are herds of sheep which run with such elegance, prancing around without the care in the world. After the long stretch, you reach the village. My first impression was amazement, both at how beautiful and how different life was there. Like something out of a movie there were stray dogs roaming the cobblestoned streets, little kids playing soccer on the pavement, grandmas in their babushkas tenting to the flowers. It was a surreal moment, time almost seemed to pause. These people had nothing at all besides what they needed to survive and yet they seemed to be the happiest people on the planet.
Watching this all happen was an eye-opener for me and made me really take a step back and think. When I went back to the U.S I remember that night I sat on my bed and thought about it all. What I gained from this experience was to appreciate all that you have and take none of it for granted. We as a society believe that the more material objects we have the happier we feel but for many, this is not true. These villagers had the love and comfort of their homes and families and I believe that this is the wealthiest a person can be. I have matured from this experience because I have realized that the way these people live today is the way we as Americans should live every day. In turn, I have carried many of these traits into my daily life by simplifying it. Not buying items that I believe will make me happy but instead spending more time with friends and family which make me spiritually rich. In 2012 I went to Greece to visit my family, thinking that it would be just a normal trip, I was wrong. The trip acted like a tidal wave filled with emotions that rushed into my brain. I experienced a trip that changed my outlook on the world. It opened new doors and helped me develop my persona. It made me rethink about how material Items didn’t make me happy, rather a spiritual connection such as love and friendship did.