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Putting the C in ABC (American-Born Chinese)

GRIP: Keru Cover:  Yu Garden, at night! Living in China is unfamiliar and familiar, all at once. I’ve called myself an ABC my entire life. Yet, despite growing up in a Chinese household, and taking years on years of Mandarin classes, I feel so much as a foreigner in Shanghai (and yes, it is a…

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Slowing down in a fast city

GRIP: Elephant Community Press Cover: Hong Kong Skyline stock image Disclaimer: “Ms. Marissa writes fast and speaks fast. If you ever can’t understand what I put on the board or what I say, please raise your hand and say, ‘Whoaaaa slow down.’” I said this line three times every Monday. With each new class, I…

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From Lectures to Sand Dunes

SA: University of Queensland Khadija, one of the Fall 2026 Study Abroad Correspondents shares his experience abroad during the Fall 2026 semester. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed. Never in a million years would I think I would spend my weeks on different islands during the semester.…

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Playlist: Between Two Volcanoes

GRIP: Guatemala Health Initiative Cover: Perspective overlooking Lake Atitlán from the first viewpoint along the San Pedro hiking trail. 1. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell 2. “Obsesión” by Aventura 3. “Te Doy Gracias Señor” by Palabra Miel Santiago Atitlan 4. “Firework” by Katy Perry 5. “Stand By Me” by…

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I built a routine in Singapore, and now what?

GRIP: Engineering Research in Singapore Cover: Singapore Sunrise In my first post, I wrote about how discipline and routine made steady work possible during my internship at GAO Capital in Singapore. Showing up at 10 every morning, going to gym 4 times a day, and working through each day with a plan kept me consistent…

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A Meal at Noon: Making Guatemala Feel like Home

GRIP: Guatemala Health Initiative Cover: Lunch with vegetables, avocado, ribs, pasta, and corn tortillas. When I think about my month in Guatemala, I think about a lot of things: the mountains surrounding Lake Atitlán, the colorful streets of Santiago, and long days at Hospitalito Atitlán. But lately, I have been scrolling through my camera roll…

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10 Songs for 10 Weeks in Aachen, Germany

GRIP: Engineering Research Intern in Aachen, Germany Cover: Presenting at the research poster symposium 1) Friday I’m in Love – The Cure A reminder of the eventful first Friday in Aachen, where we took the local regional trains to Köln, of the nearby big cities on a trip organized by our program. We climbed its…

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Auckland Cafe Guide

GRIP: Research Assistant @ University of Auckland, NZ My favorite way of getting to know a city is by familiarizing myself with its cafe scene. As a self-proclaimed cafe connoisseur, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and variety of coffee shops in Auckland. After trying at least one barista-poured coffee per day from both…

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Three Places, One Summer: A soundtrack to my GRIP journey through Taipei, India, and Singapore

GRIP: KK Fund in Taiwan Three Places, One Summer: A soundtrack to my GRIP journey through Taipei, India, and Singapore. Taipei — Coming Home 1. 小城夏天 — LBI利比 Every summer begins somewhere, and mine began at home. Before airports, internships, and new cities, there were familiar Taipei streets, humid evenings, late-night convenience store runs, and…

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Portugal: a Microcosm

GRIP: Legal Research at University of Minho Law School (Braga, Portugal)