Category: Semester Programs

Durian

Submitted by Riley Hazel the 2024 Spring program in Singapore, Republic of Singapore…

Oh wow, where do I even begin? Just last week I, along with other interns, tried durian for the first time in Singapore. While I was interested to see how it tastes, the others were not. The biggest thing I’ve ever heard about durian was that it smelled terrible, but I surprisingly enjoyed the smell. It’s odd but others were not able to withstand the smell. Besides the smell, we were able to taste the durian as our office bought some for everyone. Lets just say, that I will never have durian by itself ever again. The thing that shocked me the most was that this fruit is not only the least healthy in terms of sugar, but also you can’t eat it with alcohol as it will upset your stomach severely. Thats a suprising fact as you can do so with any other fruit. Now, the taste wasn;t the most pleasant as I did gag a few times. It’s a sweet but bitter taste that can only seem to be missing the sugar. I’ve suggested that it would taste good as a cream puff or an ice cream, to which I was replied to as they have those within Singapore. The texture of the durian was the worst part of it all as it was creamy, like ice cream but also a moist banana. I hated it so much but I ate the rest of what I bit into. I’ve never head of a fruit being creamy before by just eating it raw, but this was the first. The overall rating I gave it was a five out of ten as I’ll hope to never have  it again. I was very suprised when all my coworkers from Singapore, or nearby enjoyed eating the durian. It tasted like ice cream to them which surprised me even more. How can one enjoy such a foul fruit? I gave them the benefit of the doubt since they grew up here and have ate it most of their lives, but I was still astonished. My first ever durian eating experience was surely a memorable one, but one I won’t want to relive again. Trying these new foods that we do not have within the United States is truly wonderful. (Submitted on April 29,2024)

Week 15

Submitted by Hannah Scheck the 2024 Spring program in Sydney, Australia…

New weeks, new adventures! I ate at a restaurant called Bungalow 8, where I tried their delicious fish tacos! Celebrated the holiday ANZAC Day at the beaches of Manly! My sister and I went out to dinner at The Rocks, so she could try Kangaroo! I woke up on Saturday morning for my 6 AM flight to Melbourne. Melbourne was so beautiful! One of the highlights of my entire experience so far! I walked around the city, went by the Yarra River, and ate the most delicious French Toast. I made my way to the Royal Botanical Gardens and walked around for hours just taking in the beauty. I was able to see the beautiful State Library. I walked around the Queen Victoria Markets and tried some of the food options there. I ended my first day at St. Kilda beach to watch the sunset and enjoy an amazing burrito. I woke up the next morning to start my Great Ocean Roads tour! On this tour we traveled along the Great Ocean Road of Melbourne, stopping in places like Surf Beach and Memorial Arch. We got lunch at Apollo Bay, which was such a beautiful location. Continued on our journey to a guided bush walk in the Otway Ranges. We ended our tour by seeing the beautiful Loch Ard Gorges and The Twelve Apostles. These landmarks are some of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and I was so happy I was able to do this tour. After the long day, I got some pasta and went to bed, preparing myself for the 6 AM flight I would have to do again. (Submitted on April 29,2024)

Week 13&14 Abroad

Submitted by Lauren Choptij the 2024 Spring program in Rome, Italy…

I combined the last two weeks abroad. I am still recovering from being in the hospital, but have made the most of it. Last weekend, I took my final trip to Croatia, which was my favorite country I visited during my study abroad experience. We did an ATV tour through the countryside and it was purely amazing. We got to see so many animals and ate an authentic Croatian dinner. The second day, we went to Krka National Park and saw beautiful waterfalls. It was overall a perfect trip with my roommates to end the traveling part of my study abroad experience. This week, I have been preparing for finals that are coming up and visiting my favorite places for one last time. (Submitted on April 28,2024)

Finals Week

Submitted by Megan Zalinkanskas the 2024 Spring program in London, England…

It’s hard to believe this week is finally here but it’s true, my program in London is over. But my classwork did not go down without a fight. This week, I had two presentations, three research papers, and two written exams. For a program where I had very little work for the majority of the semester, I wasn’t expecting such a dramatic increase in the workload. It was certainly a challenge to manage all of these projects while busy backing up my life in time for a flight back to the US, but I accomplished these goals and it is something I’m very proud about. Despite the pain of leaving this city that I have come to love so much, I will be happy to start my summer break away from schoolwork. It was harder saying goodbye to the friends I’ve made here in my program. I got to know so many incredible people from universities across the US and they turned into great friends that I hope to keep in touch with for a lifetime. (Submitted on April 26,2024)

My refelction

Submitted by Emma Smith the 2024 Spring program in London, England…

As this is the last week of study abroad, I have taken the time to reflect on my experience here. Study abroad is truly a time where you make your bestest friends and discover who you are. I have developed my independence and learned how to navigate not only a new city, but a new country. It is a huge adjustment, especially when you first arrive, but I promise it gets a lot easier. At the beginning of this experience I was extremely homesick and did not think I could make it until April. Now I am so sad to leave. I am so thankful I was able to have this experience and travel all over Europe. I definitely have made the most of how easy it is to travel around Europe. I had the chance to travel to Amsterdam, Paris, Italy, Switzerland, Prague, Nice, and Monte Carlo. Each of these places was so unique and they will always hold a special place in my heart. London will also hold a special place in my heart because it is where I met my best friends and discovered more of myself. It is not very easy to travel all over the United States, so traveling all over Europe was insanely amazing. I am so thankful to the University of Delaware for offering this program and I would 100% recommend studying abroad to anyone thinking about it. (Submitted on April 25,2024)

Preparing for Finals

Submitted by Emma Smith the 2024 Spring program in London, England…

As finals week is coming up, it can be hard to get into a studying or homework routine in a new country. I am so used to going to the library or a student center at my home institution that I struggled to find my groove in a new place. London is a city with cafes on every corner. Cafes are a great way to sit down and grab a coffee and get some work done. But, if this is not your vibe, there are public libraries all over the city as well. It can be useful to do a group study session and continue to get to know other people in your classes as well as compare notes and grasp a different perspective on the class material and assignments. This time of year London is becoming warmer and the sun is coming out more often as well, so parks are also a great place to get some work done. I loved sitting on a bench at the park and taking in the spring air while also watching all the dogs run around. Finals can be extremely stressful but it is always important to remember to still enjoy yourself while abroad and make the most of your last few days. (Submitted on April 25,2024)

NOMA

Submitted by Samantha Jennings the 2024 Spring program in Copenhagen, Denmark…

This week in the Culinary LLC we had the once in a lifetime opportunity to take a tour of one of the best restaurants in the world, Noma. Noma has three Michelin Stars and was awarded a Michelin Green Star for sustainability, it was also named the number one restaurant in the world in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2021. It truly was an amazing experience. Our guides, 

Sebastian and Caroline, have been working for Noma for eight and six years, respectively. They gave us an unforgettable behind-the-scenes experience of the restaurant. Our journey began in the greenhouses, where we learned how restaurant staff plant and garden their own herbs and vegetables to use in recipe development. Next, we walked under the archway in order to begin our experience in entering the restaurant. The facade of the restaurant is composed of six separate small buildings united by a glass roof. We entered Noma through the front door and were able to see how the tables are dressed in the dining room and lounge. Since it is the springtime, and therefore seafood season, the entire menu is structured around courses that involve seafood or maritime elements. As a result, the dining room and lounge are decorated to compliment this maritime menu. Seaweed hangs from the ceiling and the dishware includes pops of green and navy coloring. Each season of the year brings a new menu to the restaurant, along with new decor. Changing the decor to match the menu in this way adds to the fine dining experience of the restaurant. Although, despite this there are still elements of typical fine dining that are missing from the Noma experience, such as pressed tablecloths or chefs decorated in pristine white coats. Instead, Noma focuses on creating a homestyle guest experience in which guests feel welcomed and comfortable in the space. Next, we moved on to a short tour of the kitchens. We saw the display kitchen, where dishes are assembled for presentation; the prep kitchen, where more labor intensive elements of the dishes are prepared and cooked; and finally the test kitchen, where all of the recipe development takes place. It was truly a wonderful experience. Sebastian and Caroline even gave us a parting gift of a special bottle of liquid mushroom-umami seasoning to remember our tour by. I can’t wait to use it in my own recipe development at home! (Submitted on April 24,2024)

Festival Fun

Submitted by Samantha Jennings the 2024 Spring program in Copenhagen, Denmark…

As we are nearing the end of the semester, I decided to try and seek out some fun things to do in Copenhagen this week! I found that the Japanese Embassy in Denmark was holding a Sakura, or cherry blossom festival in Langelinie Park. I decided to go to the festival to check out how the Danes celebrate Japanese culture. There were so many different stalls with vendors selling everything from macarons and red bean pancakes to anime pins and replica samurai swords. The cherry blossoms were absolutely breathtaking. In the clearing in the center of the park a stage was set up and we watched a kendama and a bosei performance. The food at the festival smelt amazing. I tried peanut and red bean mochi for the first time and was pleasantly surprised by the flavor. I also got a mushroom onigiri with mushrooms harvested from Bygaard, the sustainable mushroom farm that we visited a few weeks ago! Overall I had a great time exploring Japanese culture in Denmark and I look forward to seeking out other festivals like this in the future! (Submitted on April 24,2024)

Hong Kong Living

Submitted by Navleen Kaur the 2024 Spring program in Singapore, Republic of Singapore…

I visited Hong Kong this past weekend and I had the best time exploring this beautiful city on my own. I did a lot of research beforehand because I wanted to make sure that my experience of solo traveling went as smoothly and comfortably as possible. In my research, I discovered some must-try food items in Hong Kong: egg tarts from Bakehouse, and milk tea, French toast, pineapple buns from the local cha chaan tengs (Hong Kong-style diners). I made sure to try these local delicacies and found the egg tarts from Bakehouse to be my favorite. I would describe Hong Kong as having the same hustle and bustle of NYC but the cleanliness of Singapore. The population density in this city is very high! To accommodate so many residents in limited space, apartments are very tall. Hong Kong is built on a mountainous region, so the geographical area where buildings can be built is less. Furthermore, I discovered that the low Google reviews of the majority of restaurants and diners in Hong Kong are not a reflection of the food but rather a reflection of the customer service. In Hong Kong, many restaurants, especially the popular ones, have many people to seat and mouths to feed. As a result, the waiters can be feisty. I am glad I did this research beforehand and knew what to expect because I would have probably gotten startled and a little offended had I not. Instead of viewing the people as rude, I learned it is simply part of the Hong Kong culture. The waiters are simply trying to be efficient and get your food to you as fast as possible. Something else I learned on this trip is that Buddhism is popular in this region. I didn’t know there would be so many temples I could visit. I visited the Po Lin Monastery, Wong Tai Sin Temple, and Man Mo Temple and loved witnessing local people pray and pay their respects. Additionally, I noted that the shopping malls in Hong Kong (just like in Singapore) have the most beautiful and complex architecture and interior design. I kept wondering throughout my trip how long it must have taken to build such expansive malls. The one that impressed me the most was the K11 Musea. This mall had high-end stores, an IMAX theater, and a wonderfully diverse food court. Overall, my Hong Kong trip was enlightening, and I am grateful I got to immerse myself in a different culture! (Submitted on April 23,2024)

A Night at the Theater

Submitted by Julia Scott the 2024 Spring program in Paris, France…

Before I leave Paris, it is very important to me that I see live performances and theater while I am here, even if just once. This past weekend I was lucky enough to have friends who felt the same way, and we bought tickets and attended my first Rocky Horror Picture Show. Typically, this performance is a very strange ritual that sticks to eccentric and vulgar traditions that have been expanded upon for decades. The musical, a cult-classic film from the 70’s, is explicit and odd, the very definition of queer culture, however what I saw was different from those high-participation shows. The theater we attended was formal, with seats with tables and a professional stage rather than a makeshift lip syncing arena. The audience was surprisingly old, and everyone was sitting politely drinking glasses of white wine and showing their enthusiasm in the form of a statement piece, or slightly more mascara than they are used to applying. My friends and I showed up in heavy makeup and flirty outfits, but I don’t think we would have been scorned if we decided to take it to the next level of drama. The performance was live, and the entire show I was absolutely dazzled at the talent of the actors’ abilities. They also had very convincing American accents and I thought they must have been a foreign tour coming to Paris, but would sometimes adlib entirely in French. I think the star of the show was the actress who played Columbia, she was hilarious. All in all, an excellent performance and a lovely night out with my friends. If you come to Paris, be sure to catch some live theater performances! (Submitted on April 23,2024)