Illustration Credit: Eva DiNino On the night of September 15th, Mexico bursts with joy and color as people flood into the streets and public squares to celebrate their country’s independence. Decorations and lights of green, white and red dress every building in sight as their residents and owners seek to pay homage to their national […]
Illustration Credit: Margot Whipps Written by G. Neely and K. Messerman In recent decades, countries around the world have begun to require that their populations learn English and with good reason. In 2013, the United Nation’s Education First (EF) English Proficiency Index found that out of 60 countries and territories, an increase in English proficiency […]
Written by: Michelle Ferguson, Yijin Chen, Gianna DeSimone Illustration credit: Peter Naktin Introduction Around the globe, English is widely regarded as one of the most ubiquitous languages and one of the most important to know, according to Mackenzie’s book, ELF, bilingualism and multicompetence. Today, there are an estimated 1.75 billion users of English worldwide, according […]
Illustrations: Peter Natkin Study abroad in Europe is well known among the study abroad students. However, Europe isn’t the only option. For the past few years, Asia has become a popular destination for American students, in particular, Japan. Our reporter flew to Japan to uncover the reason behind these students’ interest in this country. All […]
In June 2019, Temple University’s Center for Language and Culture welcomed high school students from across the world to participate in EducationUSA Academy, a State Department program to help international students learn about American culture and how to apply for American universities. During their stay, Freely Magazine held an essay contest asking students to reflect […]
In June 2019, Temple University’s Center for Language and Culture welcomed high school students from across the world to participate in EducationUSA Academy, a State Department program to help international students learn about American culture and how to apply for American universities. During their stay, Freely Magazine held an essay contest asking students to reflect […]
In June 2019, Temple University’s Center for Language and Culture welcomed high school students from across the world to participate in EducationUSA Academy, a State Department program to help international students learn about American culture and how to apply for American universities. During their stay, Freely Magazine held an essay contest asking students to reflect […]
The second of a three part series about food as both an international cultural experience and nutrition education. What memories about food do you take away from your childhood? What kinds of foods are your comfort foods? What does this say about your culture and how you were socialized into thinking about food? Does this […]
Photo Credit: Masala.com In Let her fly, Ziauddin Yousafzai, the father of Malala Yousafzai, the prominent Pakistani activist, takes us behind the curtain of her rise to fame, back to a time before UN recognition and Nobel Prizes. The story, narrated by Ziauddin, takes us through his journey from growing up in a very conservative […]
While I consider myself a Mexican since I was born and spent my childhood in that country, in reality I became who I am in a midwest town in Indiana called Terre Haute. I spent all my teenage years there, enjoying and learning from the people who gave me and my family a warm welcome […]
Imagine this: Your friend is showing you a new pair of shoes she just got. You are not very fond of the color but out of politeness, you feel obliged to compliment, “These look great!” Despite trying really hard to not upset your friend, you find your eyebrows curl up in a frown because you […]
I have been dancing since I was six years old. Throughout my years of dancing, I have taught myself with the help of TV, movies, and Youtube, learning many different dance styles such as salsa, Bhangra (traditional Indian dance, mostly done in Punjab), hip hop, and classical Indian dance. Even though I learned how to […]
Painting “The Arrival of Cortes at Veracruz and the Reception by Moctezuma’s Ambassadors”, Library of Congress. 2019 marks the 500-year anniversary of the arrival of the Spaniards to modern Mexican territory, and the observance of the so-called “conquest Mexico” has triggered a debate in the county of whether the people of Mexico should commemorate the […]
When I was in Tokyo my freshman year, March arrived with hanami. My friends and I packed some chilled drinks and mochi, got on our bikes, and rode through the streets. We rounded a corner on Yasukuni Doori and I was hit with a ripple of pink flowers in the air that I had never […]
We are not born with culture, but we are born into it. As we grow from babies into children into teenagers and finally adults, we collect memories, languages, behaviors, and customs. In this Freely Free Write, we asked writers to tell us a story from childhood in 10 minutes. Here are the responses… Chick By […]
Illustration: Sana Kewalramani In history books, Rome is a static place. The Colosseum, the Roman Forum, every piece of art and history is preserved on the page in two dimensions. But even the most ubiquitous historical emblems never remain the same for long. In real life, Rome is a dynamic city, one confronting the challenges […]
Susanna Foo moves around the kitchen of SUGA restaurant with lightness, as if cooking is a well-rehearsed ballet. Dressed in her black chef’s uniform embroidered with both her name and that of her restaurant in bright red letters, she tosses ingredients into a pan without measuring, but with the confidence of over 50 years of […]
Today, there is a thriving cottage industry of Jewish heritage tourism in Poland, with dozens of different organizations based in Poland, Israel, and the U.S. among others offering tailored personal and group tours to the country. There are also more than 20 Jewish culture festivals across Poland, dwarfing the next highest competitor, France, which has […]
Illustration credit: Peter Naktin I was born in the Czech Republic and lived there for 20 years. I moved to the U.S. after high school and let me tell you, the educational system in the Czech Republic is no joke! While many schools in the Czech Republic use a generic standardized test similar to the […]
Illustration: Sana Kewalramani Everyone who studies abroad hopes to discover a new culture. In Rome, perhaps this means attempting to converse with locals in Italian, wandering through ancient ruins, drinking unhealthy amounts of espresso, or diving into a plate of bucatini. These are the typical experiences, the ones which every student expects, and which attract […]
