Hi, my name is Greg Lammers and I have been studying abroad at the John Felice Rome Center in Rome, Italy.

I arrived in Rome in August of 2019 and have been taking a wide variety of classes ranging from “Ecology of the Mediterranean Sea” to “Themes in Film & Digital Media: Film Making in Rome.” Nearly all of the classes here force you to go out into the community to learn and explore. For example, “Themes in Film & Digital Media: Film Making in Rome” involved a semester-long project where a small group and myself created a short film using Rome as the setting. Being a Psychology Major back at Lake Forest, this was quite different than what I was used to, though the memories I made while taking these on-sight classes will last a lifetime.

This semester is my first time abroad, I learned a lot about the Italian way of life and how it compares to how many people in the States live. If! seen that people value free time much more here in Italy, typically taking a few hours break midway through their workday. Though good for the people of Italy, it took me a while to get used to stores and restaurants being closed during the mid-day.

All in all, my time abroad has truly opened my eyes in more than one way and has left me wanting to travel to more countries to understand more cultures and how differently people live. I’d like to thank my donors for helping me make this experience possible. I am so lucky to have received The Smith Fund, without it I would not have been able to make such great memories and life-long friends!