Speak Greek To Me: A Language Retreat Like No Other
Greek entrepreneur Stefania Charitou
Many Greeks of the diaspora want to learn Greek or improve their language skills while visiting Greece. But that’s not always easy, as picking up a few words from relatives and friends is not enough.
So, Greek entrepreneur Stefania Charitou created one of the most innovative and unique language retreats in the world: Speak Greek To Me, a combination of a language-learning retreat and sailing vacations.
Stefania Charitou: An (International) Greek Entrepreneur
Born in Piraeus, Greece, to a Greek father and a Costa Rican mother of Mexican descent, Stefania was raised bilingually in Greece. A graphic designer by trade, she worked in the field for six years in her 20s before realizing that the tourism industry held far more exciting opportunities.
After landing a job on a cruise ship as a hostess and entertainer, she went on to become a tour leader around the Mediterranean before moving to Dubai in the Middle East to work as a flight attendant for one of the most prestigious airlines with a recruitment process being notoriously known as more difficult than getting into Harvard. During this career change, not only did she travel around the world, but she also learned German after living in Austria during her first off-season break and studied the Arabic and Cyrillic writing systems. All these experiences made her even more passionate about showing her beloved Greece to visitors and sharing secret corners with them through the eyes of a local.
After hanging up her wings, Stefania went to live in Tokyo, Japan where she got married and went back to working full-time as a graphic designer. One day, she got the opportunity to help proof Greek content for the language-teaching company she was working for, being one of the few Greeks living in Tokyo. Over time she became a content creator of many successful video and audio series, a video host, a voice actor, an editor, and eventually a tutor.
Little did she know that this job would inspire her next big step in life.
The Greek Government-Debt Crisis, COVID-19, and Returning Home To Greece
Life in Japan opened a whole world of cultural enrichment for Stefania but it didn’t come without challenges. The yearning to return home was strong but the financial crisis in Greece made the idea seem like a bad choice. Instead, she and her partner moved to Costa Rica where they spent the next 5-and-a-half years, and had a child together.
Unfortunately, during those years, they divorced and on top of that, the nostalgia for the simple things life in Greece offers, like the culture, the sea, and the sun, made Stefania extremely homesick. So when 2020 rolled around and the world shut down due to COVID-19, she decided it was time to return home for a while, until the pandemic would be over assuming it wouldn’t last too much longer. She convinced her ex-husband to travel with her and their child and they all settled in her hometown in Greece. Soon after, though, Greece went into a lockdown that lasted for months and what seemed like a simple trip at first, became a permanent move to Greece.
Stefania Charitou as a flight attendant.The Concept of a New Greek Language Program
Before leaving Costa Rica, though, at the end of 2019, Stefania had an idea: to build something of her own that would help people learn Greek in an authentic and immersive way.
After all, Stefania had all the necessary skills. By that point, she was a polyglot speaking Greek, English, and Spanish fluently, with German, Italian, French, and Japanese language skills under her belt, as well as knowledge of Ancient Greek, and Latin from her high school years, and an ability to read the Arabic and Cyrillic scripts. She had worked as a Greek content creator and tutor for almost 8 years and as a graphic designer for 14 years. And with her experience in hospitality through her work in the tourism and airline industry where she was extensively trained for customer service excellence, she realized she could create an immersive Greek language program like never before.
In addition, Stefania has been an avid certified offshore sailor since 2016. So for her language program, she wanted to combine her three greatest passions: sailing, hospitality, and teaching the Greek language, to create a one-of-a-kind language retreat sailing around the Greek islands!
But starting such a project was not easy, especially a 100% bootstrapped project as a single mom in the middle of a move from Costa Rica back to Greece during a pandemic while working remotely full-time as a graphic designer and a Greek tutor.
What Makes ‘Speak Greek To Me’ Special
Not every teacher can put themselves in their student’s shoes. However, since Stefania has been a language student multiple times, she knows what methods work and what don’t, and can adapt her teaching depending on the native language of the student. That’s why she firmly believes that the immersion method is by far the most effective and fast way to learn as long as it’s being done correctly.
A user browsing Speak Greek To Me’s Website. Credits: Greek ReporterAdditionally, Stefania realizes the importance of learning the culture behind a language. As she states on her website, “Language learning is not just grammar, vocabulary, and skills. It’s also becoming familiar with the culture of the people that speak it and creating a powerful bond with them.”
That’s why part of ‘Speak Greek to Me’ involves cultural activities to help students understand Greece and its people on a deeper level. Plus, it’s more fun!
The Language Retreat: 7 Days, 4 Islands
For visitors to Greece interested in a meaningful educational experience, the ‘Speak Greek to Me’ language retreat is a perfect way to combine exploration and gastronomy with cultural and language immersion.
The round-trip itinerary will take you to 4 islands over the course of a week. Departing from the Athens Riviera on board a sailboat, you will be visiting the historic island of Aegina, known for the Temple of Aphaea and its high-quality pistachio nuts, the picturesque island of Poros, the beautiful Kolona Beach in Kythnos, and the local-favorite island of Kea, where you will find tranquility and crystal clear waters.
The boat also stops at Sounion, to give people a view of the grand Temple of Poseidon before returning to the departure point after a week full of cultural activities in the Greek language such as cooking and dance classes, guided tours at archaeological places and a pistachio farm, and local product tastings.
Touring the Greek islands on a sailboat means:
- A stress-free experience as you avoid moving from island to island with ferry boats dragging your luggage along and worrying about transportation to and from the ports.
- You avoid the crowds and can enjoy more privacy.
- You can visit beaches and towns that are off the beaten path.
- You will be able to enjoy nature and the elements as well as marine life (dolphin sightings are not so uncommon!)
For more information and reservations visit Speak Greek to Me.
Greek entrepreneur Stefania Charitou sailingDo I Have to Know Greek Before Traveling to Greece?
Though most Greek people, especially younger generations, can speak and understand English, learning a few basic Greek expressions before traveling to Greece is always recommended. Just a few words can make a difference as local people will appreciate the effort and be more likely to engage with you and help you.
For the Greeks of the diaspora, it’s also a great way to open up avenues of communication with old relatives and new potential friends. That way, you can spend your time in Greece with greater ease.
From Expat to Entrepreneur: A Greek Success Story
Stefania Charitou is one of many Greek expats who have used their skill set and experiences abroad as tools upon returning to Greece to start something new, venturing on their own to make their business ideas come true. In a country that faces brain drain, such initiatives bring hope for Greece’s future and financial prospects.
Her story is an inspiration. Her experience living and working around the world, learning languages, as well as her years of expertise in hospitality, and most importantly language instruction, gave her all the skills to start a truly unique business; one that Greek learners from around the world can enjoy.
Her next goal is to turn Speak Greek to Me into an online learning platform and active community with online video and audio courses, quizzes, learning tools, and social features such as social groups, member profiles and friendships, a newsfeed, and private messaging in addition to the annual language retreats, the existing podcast, and eBooks.