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…
Ask Me About… What it was like to be abroad for the first time, taking only Penn classes while also working in Spanish. My GRIP placement in MedellÃn was my first extended time living outside the United States, and it pushed me to adapt quickly to a completely new environment both academically and professionally. I…
Contact Ask me about… Other students should ask me, “How was it like not being home for almost 6 months?” As an international student studying in the US, I have navigated the complexities of being away from home for extended periods, but this year was particularly unique. I had not been back home since after…
Contact Ask Me About… I had the exciting opportunity to live in a homestay in Uruguay. While daunting at first, it turned out to be a beautiful experience. This made for the ultimate cultural exchange where I was able to have deep, heartfelt conversations with my host family. We also shared slang in our languages,…
Contact Ask me about… As a FGLI student, traveling abroad was something very inaccessible for me and my family. Traveling in general was always far too expensive, and my parents only ever traveled during family emergencies. This is why I value PGS and Penn Abroad so much. Being able to partake in a PGS course…
Contact Ask me about… After reading the itinerary before departure, I knew that a part of my China trip was meeting students at both Peking University (PKU), a prestigious university in the capital of the country, and Qufu Normal University, a smaller university in a fourth-tier city (Qufu). Meeting university students was a very unique…
