Greece: Lauren Statz
Program: Perrotis College, Summer
Lauren’s Major: Nutritional Sciences
How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?
At Perrotis College in Greece I would say that the biggest difference in learning was that they incorporated hands on learning experiences that related to the content we learned. For example, we went to a cooking class after talking about traditional dishes in Greece.
I would say I am proud of the whole experience. I did something out of my comfort zone and went to a new country. I got to learn so much about different cultures and even learned new things about myself.
What is your most memorable experience from your program?
My most memorable experience would probably be the cooking class and traveling to Santorini. The cooking class was so memorable because I love cooking and we got to see how many dishes were made. Additionally, Santorini was just the most beautiful place I’ve seen—the water is so blue and I would recommend anyone to go there.
How did your identities impact your experience? What advice would you give to students with similar identities who are considering a similar experience?
I would say my identities didn’t play a big role in my experience other than the fact that I was an American in a different country, so at times there was a language barrier or cultural barrier. Other than that I would say that anyone should do an experience like this because it’s once in a life time and there is so much to learn.
How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?
When I was abroad I would say that I got home sick at one point but I had to realize that everyone is in the same situation as me. To work through this I really just surrounded myself with the people there and didn’t isolate myself. Also would call my family a lot so that helped.