Hello! My name is Halleluia Zeyohannes, a senior at UMass Lowell studying Computer Science. In my free time, I enjoy playing Pokémon games, reading books, learning new languages, and trying out new food. When I get the opprotunity, I love to travel as well.
*To learn more about the game and its plot check out Nintendo's page here.
Take a look at what I've read recently. Clicking on the titles will take you to the Goodreads website for more information on the book!
| Cover | Title | Author | Rating | Review |
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Throne of Glass | Sarah J. Maas | 3/5 | Throne of Glass has an interesting, though not very original, premise and there are some twists that kept me hooked to the end. While it was an enjoyable read, it didn't meet my expectations; I read the book because so many people loved it but it didn't live up to the hype for me. |
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A Deadly Education | Naomi Novik | Reading in Progess | So far, I'm loving A Deadly Education. I haven't read any books with a similar magic system before and the danger it can pose is intruging. In addition to getting used to the power system, the progession of the book is somewhat slow which can make it hard to read, but I'm looking forward to how it ends. |
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The Red Pyramid | Rick Riordan | 5/5 | One of my all time favorite books and series. I read The Red Pyramid as a child because of my interests in Egyptian mythology and how Rick brought it to life in this adventure. I recently reread it and the nostolgia makes it 10 times better! |
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Spy x Family series | Tatsuya Endo | 5/5 | I started reading Spy x Family because the facial expressions and personality of one of the main characters went viral on social media. Once I started reading the series, I couldn't stop until there were no more pushlished English versions. While the plot is decent, the characterizations in the series really make it lovable and hilarious. The premise makes for a blend of comedy and family good feels that you just can't not enjoy. |
Due to COVID, I haven't been able to travel as much as I want to. However, I was lucky to be able to go on three different trips just before the pandemic, in 2019. As I mentioned, I love learning languages and these experiences allowed me to put my practice to the test in the most challenging way- with native speakers!
During the 2018-2019 school year, I got chosen along with several classmates to be a part of the Spanish Exchange Program. In March 2019, we went to Collado Villalba, Spain for two weeks, where the exchange school was and our Spaniard partners lived. We got to travel to other cities of Spain as well, such as Toledo, Granada, Segoiva, and Madrid, the country's capital. The two weeks were spent learning about Spain's history and culture, especially putting the Spanish we learned in class to the test. It was truly one of the most memorable times of my life and an irreplaceable experience. This blog is where the other American students and I shared our experience: BHS Spanish Exchange Blog
In the summer of 2019, I went to Ethiopia for the second time in my life. My family is from there so the purpose of the trip was to visit family that my parents hadn't seen in a long time. We mainly stayed in the capital Addis Ababa where most of my family resides. I even got to meet some family that lives in France because they were visiting at the same time! My paternal grandmother and some other patenal relatives live in Axum, a city in the northern Tigray region so we visited them and saw the hawelti, or obelisks.
Lastly, I went to China right after the end of the Fall 2019 semester. I went with several other UML students and we mostly stayed in Beijing. However, we got to travel a bit and saw part of the Great Wall of China, which was super exciting because it had always been something that seemed unreachable to me as a kid. I also witnessed a traditional tea ceremony and got to experience the life of a student at a language university in Beijing. During my time here I made a few Chinese friends that also taught me some basic Mandarin which was awesome! I also got to try duck for the very first time as well as kung pao chicken and baozi(my favorite).
Here are some foods that I tried on my trips that I recommend to everyone.
| Country | Food | Rating | Review |
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| Spain | Churros | 4/5 | This snack/dessert is any sweet lovers dream. It's delicious, especially served hot and fresh with melted chocolate to dip it in! It's crunchy on the outside and warms you up on a cold day. I haven't had churros quite like the ones I had in Madrid. I look forward to returning to Spain for many reasons, and this is one of them. |
| Spain | Tortilla Española | 5/5 | In English, this is called a Spanish omelette. Tortilla española is a national dish and eaten often. I love food with egg and this dish was something I always looked forward to eating as a part of the lunch my exchange "parents" gave me everyday. It's typically served at room temperature but I love it when its served hot as well. |
| Ethiopia | Firfir | Infinity/5 | I grew up eating firfir, and my mom makes it so good, but the firfir that I ate while staying at my aunt's hotel was some of the best I've ever had. Firfir is ripped pieces of injera(a type of flat bread) cooked in a spicy stew to soften it, typically doro wot or kai wot. It can have cut up pieces of meat like goat, lamb, or beef. Soft foods are always a win for me; this dish is top 2, and it's not number 2. |
| China | Baozi | 6/5 | Every morning I spent in Beijing, I would go to a street vendor near my hotel and get myself 2 beef and green onion baozi for breakfast. Freshly steamed, the breaded dumpling has a soft outside and savory filling that I looked forward to everyday. The last day I was there, I got 4 just to take with me to the airport. |
| China | Iced Black Tea with Vanilla Ice Cream | 5/5 | In a shopping center near my hotel, there was a boba shop called A Little Tea that me and my friends frequented. This drink was the reason why. Unfortunately for us, they only have store locations in China so we got it as much as we could while we had the chance. I've tried making it at home; while it tastes good, it isn't the same and I can't wait to go back. |
Copyright ©2022 Halleluia Zeyohannes
