Contact Ask Me About… My experience is unique because, as an Egyptian born in America, I had always been connected to my roots but through the lens of my parents’ perspective. Every 8 years, we’d visit Egypt, staying primarily in the village where my family is from. These visits were special but often limited to…
Contact Ask Me About… Students should ask me about navigating study abroad as an adoptee returning to my birth country while still learning the language. My semester at Fudan University in Shanghai was not just about classes, but it was a personal journey. As a Chinese adoptee raised in the US, I looked like many…
Contact Ask Me About… As I’m already studying in a country that isn’t my own as an international student, people could ask why I’d choose to go abroad again. For me, each new environment pushes me to re-learn how I operate, from the way I approach assignments, to how I communicate in group settings, to…
Contact Ask Me About… Starting with GRIP: Power Up Gambia, my first-ever summer internship was also my first time working in Africa. What made this experience unique was learning how to navigate a completely new culture while carrying out my first professional role. I was adapting to new work expectations, living in a rural setting,…
Contact Ask Me About… If other students ask me just one thing about my experience abroad, I’d tell them about celebrating Christmas in July. Coming from the northern hemisphere, July has always meant sunscreen, iced tea, and maybe a beach trip, not scarves and Stollen. But in Australia, July is mid-winter, and the city embraces…
Contact Ask Me About… Student accommodations. This opportunity was one of the various paths I could’ve chosen in terms of housing in the grand city of Dublin. I was stuck between a homestay, which allows me to be culturally immersed with a family that is already well settled in the neighborhoods of Dublin; or living…
Contact Ask Me About… When I signed up for the Penn Global Seminar Future of U.S.–China Relations, I was the only STEM major—and the only pre-med—in a policy-heavy class. Surrounded by political science, history, and international relations majors, I wondered if I was qualified to contribute, or if my science-focused background would set me apart…
Contact Ask Me About… These are a couple of questions I’d be happy to expand upon if asked! How do you manage traveling without knowing the local language?I found creative ways to navigate transportation (sleeper bus!), order food (local apps), and explore new places despite the language barrier, and I’m happy to share practical tips…
Contact Ask Me About… Studying abroad in London was my first experience traveling to the UK and Europe while navigating a different academic culture alone. London taught me independence, and I learned how to truly take care of myself. Of course, while at Penn, you also learn to be independent, but starting from scratch in…
Contact Ask Me About… One unique aspect of my study abroad experience that other students should ask me about is what it’s like to be fully immersed—in language, culture, academics, and community engagement—all at once. I studied in Sevilla, Spain through a small program of about 25 students, which created a tight-knit community and allowed…