NUin students plant flowers at Elaiorema Park
On October 20th, forty students from Northeastern University went to Elaiorema Park to weed and plant flowers and other florae under the supervision and instruction of agriculturists and gardeners. Student Kyle Curtis described the experience as “an opportunity to volunteer your time in order to give back and show appreciation to our host city Thessaloniki". When asked to describe the service-learning experience in one word or sentence, students said “rewarding”, “working for others”, and in a more humorous sense “mosquitos”!
Despite the mosquitos, students dressed in thick pants, windbreakers, and boots hunched over small but steep hills to dig holes for what they learned to be Aphrodite, Lavender plants, to discourage pests, and other florae to aid with erosion. Student Sarah Lam said that it was rewarding to see the results of her work so immediately. She said that as she moved on to another plant, she could see the rows of her progress that looked so ascetically pleasing. Student Porter Warrick-Hess would not stop working until every bit of work was complete stating that this service reminded her of some previous volunteering she did on a farm.
