Tag: travel

An Italian in Philly: best and worst foods

I don’t think I’ll shock anyone by saying that, as an Italian born and raised in Italy, food is a very sensitive and important topic for me. In this post I’ll list my top three best and worst foods I’ve tried so far in the United States. I’ve only been here for two months so ...

Things I Wish I Knew Before Studying Abroad – Rome, Italy

Najifa Hussain, ’25, is a Management Information Systems major studying at the American University of Rome this Fall 2022. It has officially been about two months since I have started my study abroad journey and I feel as if I have a good amount of knowledge to spread on this topic. In my previous blog ...

Ins and Outs of the Hong Kong Transportation System

After living in Philadelphia for a few years, I’ve become pretty familiar with taking public transportation, but it’s something that I have to use every single day in Hong Kong.  HK has a notoriously sophisticated transportation system that makes every area easily accessible, and I have so many options when it comes to traveling from ...

Trinity Electives: The Climate Crisis- Why are we stuck?

One of my main objectives in planning my courses at Trinity College Dublin was to expand my academic focus and explore topics of my interest outside of my main field of biology and medicine. An intriguing course I am currently taking is part of the Trinity Elective modules, which are interdisciplinary courses tackling key societal ...

An Italian in Philly: 10 Cultural Shocks – Part 2

To continue where we left with my last article here are five more cultural shocks that I’ve experienced as an Italian living in Philly. #5 Cost of living This point might not exactly fall into the cultural shock category, but it surely was shocking for me. The cost of living in the USA, especially in ...

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 ...