After a very long and somewhat tedious 22-hour flight, I finally arrived in Philadelphia on a cloudy and chilly Sunday. The first thing I did after landing was to check into Caneris Hall, which is where I will be staying in for the next 5 months. I was immediately greeted with smiles and hugs from my suitemates when I opened the door. These girls were so welcoming and sweet, they told me about what to do in Drexel and Philly right away.
Our suite was super lovely and cozy, props to the girls for decorating it!
To be honest, I came to the US with no plans at all, just my bags packed. I was born and raised in Hong Kong, and for my entire life, I have never traveled outside of Asia. I was a bit worried about the culture shocks but mostly excited about what Philadelphia and the States have to offer. ‘Just go with the flow and have fun!’ my friends back in Hong Kong said, and so far, it has been going great!
This week was Drexel’s winter welcome week, and I am a huge foodie. So, when I found out that there would be free food at these events, I was ecstatic! I went to the Rush Building Open House and there was so much delicious food. At the event, I also got to know a few of the exchange students from Europe and Asia, and we had such a nice time there. There were different games and booths that help us learn about the quintessential things to do in Philly and some upcoming events in Drexel.
I got a Mario stuffed toy, look at how adorable he is!
What surprised me the most was how nice and welcoming the people in Drexel are. My roommate and I went grocery shopping together, and to be fair I was a bit staggered when I saw the prices. The other thing that I needed to get used to was tipping, and luckily my dragon buddy taught me how to do that. She was also a huge foodie. We had a nice dinner together near campus, and I cannot wait to get waffles with her the next time!
Dish on the right: bacon-wrapped dates. For me, it was an unexpected but surprisingly good combination!
I am writing this at 4 am on my bed, still struggling with jetlag, and it is extremely frustrating. I hope it will go away soon. I will give an update on my next blog. Stay tuned!
Published by
