By: Daniel Boyko, CAS ’26 1. Fluency Is Really Really Challenging Here’s a familiar story: you’ve dreamed of living in a foreign country for a few months (for me, it was Argentina) and coming back a native-level speaker. Here’s the reality: while my Spanish improved, my time spent abroad only reinforced for me the difficulty…
By: Alice Andrews, CAS ’25 SA: Bologna Consortial Studies Program Alice, one of the Semester Abroad Global Correspondents, shares her experience abroad during the Fall 2023 semester. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed. Anyone who has traveled, studied, or lived in Bologna has heard the city’s famous slogan…
By: Waseem Faheem, Sawiris Penn Scholars Exchange Program Waseem, one of the Exchange at Penn Correspondents, shares his experience abroad during the Fall 2023 semester. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed. Let’s take a step back for a little bit, and try to see the world from a…
By: Sabirah Mahmud, CAS ’25 SA: CASA Dublin: Trinity College Dublin Sabirah, one of the Semester Abroad Global Correspondents, shares his experience abroad during the Fall 2023 semester. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed. I think most students, like myself, have this assumption when they venture abroad that it…
By: Martina Bulgarelli, Wharton ’26 PGS: Communicating Change in Mongolia I am a student at Wharton, majoring in ESG and Finance with a minor in Computer Science. I made the decision to study abroad because I was driven by a profound curiosity about Mongolia’s rich culture and history, as well as a specific interest in…
By: Annabella Tian, SEAS ’26 Photo with Dr. Xuanyao Kelvin Fong and all the research students! GRIP: Engineering Research in Singapore As you embark on your upcoming research internship and time living abroad at the National University of Singapore, there are a few key things I wish I could share with you. These insights could…
By: Dushaun Thompson, CAS ’24 SA: Hitotsubashi University Dushaun, one of the Semester Abroad Global Correspondents, shares his experience abroad during the Fall 2023 semester. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed. For some time before my arrival in Japan, I held the notion that this experience would see…
By: Inaya Zaman, CAS ’25 Sleeping Buddha in Soc Trang Province. GRIP: Sustainable Development in Ho Chi Minh City Living in Vietnam has been one of the best cultural experiences of my life so far. I have really enjoyed feeling like more than a tourist by going through daily activities in my neighborhood or at…
By: Katherine He, Wharton ’26 GRIP: Business Development in Singapore Joining a tech startup this summer has been a meaningful experience, filled with opportunities to work on varying projects and learn valuable lessons in and out of the office. Over these 8 weeks, I worked as a business development intern at Pand.ai and gained experience…
By: Ben Samahon, CAS ’26 GRIP: PR and Marketing in Bangkok A sea of protesters holding colorful umbrellas blanket the intersection below the Bangkok Asok skytrain station, weathering the pouring rain which turns to mist around them. Military and police stand alert from across the intersection, their police lights reflecting in the wet street. Thailand…