Must See! – Five Attractions to Visit in Dublin

Now halfway through my time studying abroad here in Dublin, I have been able to explore most of the major tourist attractions in the city. The following is a list of my five favorite must-see attractions, spanning both historical museums and beautiful sites! 1. Dublin Castle and Chester Beatty Library An early Viking settlement and ...

What to Do and See in Philly

Philadelphia is Pennsylvania’s largest city and its collection of museums and historical artifacts, and sites boast of its richness of art, culture, and history. There is, surely, a lot to do in Philly, and here I would like to mention just a few of them. Visit Old City, “America’s most historic neighborhood” and in addition ...

History Right Beneath Your Feet (Literally!)

Dublin in Irish is known as Baile Átha Cliath, coming from the old Irish settlement name Áth Cliath – which means ‘Hurdled Fort’. The history of this city dates back to over a millennium ago, and it is crazy to compare the timeline of events in this one city to the timeline of any American ...

Progress Report on Learning Mandarin

As the semester at HKU reaches the halfway point and our midterms wrap up, I thought it’d be an apt time to give a progress report on learning a second language. Throughout middle school and high school, I learned Spanish; however, living on the East Coast in a predominantly white town gave me almost no ...

Mr. Wong Mondays – Our Hong Kong Tradition

One week after arriving in Hong Kong, on a Monday night, I found myself sitting around two old tables, surrounded by unfamiliar faces; a laundry basket filled with drinks was placed next to me, and a steaming hot platter of dumplings was placed in front of me.  At that moment and for the following four ...

Irish Parents Weekend

This week my parents arrived in Philly from Ireland for a week-long visit. Having lived in King of Prussia themselves for a year about two decades ago they were eager to see what has changed. Their first night here on Wednesday I took them to experience the culinary excellence that is Shake Shack. The crinkled ...

An Italian in Philly: 10 Cultural Shocks – Part 1

Week 5 has just come to an end, which means I am basically mid-way through my exchange time abroad. Despite still having many places to see and things to do I’ve already confronted many aspects of the American culture that shocked me, so here’s a short list. #10 Customer Service One of the first culture ...

Reading Week…or a Spontaneous Philippines Trip

When I applied to study abroad, I had never been outside North America.  In my mind, travel was a cool concept, but super stressful.  I had no idea where to even begin in terms of planning and logistics, or what problems to expect.  I wanted to take the chance in Hong Kong to visit other ...

A Small Guide to Studying Abroad at Drexel University

Halfway into the quarter has brought with it mid-term exams and papers, in addition to the weekly dose of assignments, class works and readings. Having been here for a while now, I feel somewhat equipped to share some tips or guide for navigating the system at Drexel as a new [exchange] student. I must mention ...

An Italian in Philly: The Harvest Weekend

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas… They are all amazing holidays, but sometimes you just want to enjoy the arrival of the fall season as it is, watching the trees becoming yellow and orange and the weather becoming more rainy and chilly. If you’re a fan of the fall season then the Harvest Weekend is must-go during your ...