ADVENTURES AT FRANKLIN

Welcome back or welcome to Adventures at Franklin! In this post, I take a look back at some of my favorite posts. My name's Asa, and I'm the current writer of this blog (as of 3 weeks ago). This blog was a huge resource for me as an incoming freshman and I'm so happy for the opportunity to write for this blog currently and into the near future. However just as we should consider the future, I think it's just as important to look back and think about how we have gotten to where we are now.  Adventures at Franklin is 7 years old, as of 22 February 2020. Silly me, forgot to mention this on my post (about things to do during a long weekend) that I published that day. Nonetheless, happy belated 7th birthday Adventures at Franklin! Here are some of my favorite posts over the years and a few words about them.  22 February 2013: Welcome!   https://adventuresatfranklin.fus.edu/2013/02/test-post-3.html Obviously,  I have to start at the beginning, all the way bac...

Downtown Lugano this weekend Hello everyone and welcome back to the blog! I am so thrilled to be joined this semester by our original Adventures at Franklin blogger, Jessica. She is back after spending a year studying in the United States and we are thrilled to welcome her back. We will be combining our experiences and different backgrounds this spring to publish a series of posts that we hope you will find entertaining, informative, and fun to read, including an alumni feature, a spotlight on the academic resources at Franklin, a post about the Graduate studies program, an Academic Travel post. But we also want to hear about topics you want to learn more about, so tell us more in comments section. Parco Ciani , a 20 minute walk from campus I am looking forward to this spring, but it is so bittersweet. Four years came and went in a blink of an eye and I cannot believe I have finally reached our last semester at Franklin. I am headed to South Africa for Academic Travel...

Last week, I had the opportunity to share a bit of a typical day at Franklin on our official  Instagram  page. While the day-to-day routine can vary, there are definitely common threads that happen every day at Franklin that I wanted to highlight. So, let's get started! First thing in the morning, I get coffee in the Grotto, one of our school's eateries, and admire the view from the patio there. It's a very central location on campus and you always run into a friend or two on a visit there. This semester, my class schedule is evening-heavy, which is typical for upperclassmen who are studying business and management. So, I try and get downtown in the morning to grocery shop and go for a walk. I love how accessible downtown is from campus (it's about a 15 minute walk) and a lovely walk at that! I was lucky enough to catch a rainbow in the fountain downtown, and just had to share. Some people opt to grocery shop in downtown Lugano, while other students choose to...

Last weekend was quite a big one for Franklin University Switzerland ! It felt like a marathon of incredibly cool and fun events, I'm admittedly pretty exhausted now after spending so much time with Franklin friends and new students! We had the annual Spring Play, Holi - an Indian festival of colors that welcomes spring for the Franklin community. On top of that, we also had one of our Earth Month events - a cleanup of the walking trail in our area, called Laghetto, where Franklin students spent their morning cutting back invasive species and picking up any litter in the area. Additionally, it was Open House for Prospective Students , which was so exciting to meet some of the faces who will be joining us come August - from all around the world! It feels like spring on campus in every sense, people are out enjoying the gorgeous weather, it was 24 °  C (80 °  Fahrenheit) yesterday! I truly cannot believe how fast this semester has flown, and luckily there is still so much t...

Mom and Dad. Hello everyone! I hope you have been having a lovely week -- we got heaps of snow this past weekend here in Lugano which has turned campus into a winter wonderland. I actually got a chance to escape the snow and head to Barcelona to see my wonderful parents who were visiting there. I thought it might be interesting for the blog, and for prospective students who might be reading, to ask them some questions about what they've thought about my experience here at Franklin so far. I thought after three years they might have something to say as Franklin parents! So, a little background. I'm the oldest of three children, my sister is 18 and a freshman at University of San Diego, and my brother is 15 and a freshman in high school. I grew up mainly in Boston, but I also spent time in high school living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, studying Spanish. We have also gone back and forth to Switzerland my whole life, but my mom will elaborate on that! I was the first c...

Sometimes as Franklin students we get so caught up exploring Europe (and beyond!) on our weekends, that we forget to appreciate the beautiful city we live in. Lugano is actually a tourist destination for many Europeans and a true gem of Switzerland. So whether you are a student looking to get more acquainted with your new home, a visiting friend, or a parent dropping your child off, here are some of my favorite things to do in Lugano!  SAN SAL : The steep switchback hike is not for the faint of heart, but the view from the top is absolutely incredible! You can see all of Lugano's surrounding lakes, the mountains, and even Italy! If you are short on time (or don't want to hike) you can also pay to take a funicular up to the top.  SWIM : If you are here during the warm months, don't neglect to take a dip in Lake Lugano. The best place to swim is at Lido al Lugano, for 6 francs you get access to a beach, swimming pools, high dive and more.  LAGHETTO : ...