Fulbright Foreign Student
Newsletter

A Geographical Expedition toward My Doctorate in Worcester, Massachusetts

Pheakkdey Nguon, 2010-2012, Cambodia, visiting the National Mall in Washington, DC

My introduction to U.S. academic and social life was through three wonderful weeks attending the Institute of International Education (IIE)-designed Fulbright English Refinement for Graduate Studies Program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.  The program staff was very helpful from beginning to end.  The most interesting part for me was the fact that in spite of the diversity of countries and fields represented, the participants found it extremely easy to communicate and learn from one another.  Within three weeks, I learned so much about my roommate's and other participants' lives in countries such as Poland, Russia, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Argentina and Panama.  I also had many great conversations with my roommate about our doctoral research projects, although we are in totally different disciplines.  By the time the program came to an end, I realized that it had given me time to familiarize myself with life in the United States and with what to expect at my university.

Time really flies.  Now into my second semester, there are so many things about the Fulbright Program for which I am very thankful.  First of all, I could not ask for a better school to pursue my research.  Clark University has all the right elements: internationally renowned yet extremely helpful faculty members, supportive yet intellectually challenging classmates, and a very nurturing environment.  Secondly, I am not required to work as a teaching or research assistant for the first two years of my program.  This is something that I really appreciate because it gives me time to focus on my classes and to structure my doctoral dissertation plan.  Finally, the Massachusetts Fulbright Association has been very active in organizing social events to help foreign Fulbrighters experience U.S. culture.  I spent a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with Professor Margaret Kerr, who was a U.S. Fulbright fellow to Thailand, and her family.  We started the day by hiking at an historic location in Worcester where Margaret told me about the town's history.  After the hike, we went to her home to help with the cooking.  In addition to the various dishes that were prepared, David, Margaret's husband, roasted a 25-pound turkey that took seven hours to cook.  In David's words, "We cannot have a Thanksgiving Day without an oversized turkey."  We had a great dinner that night.  In short, thank you, Fulbright.

To comment on and interact with other Fulbrighters about Pheakkdey Nguon's article on the Fulbright Community on State Alumni, please click here.  

Experiencing the United States: A Ukrainian Fulbrighter's Viewpoint

Nataliia Sharkova, 2010-2012, Ukraine, experiencing Halloween with a local Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

Since my Fulbright research at the University of Rochester's Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development is on infusing culture into foreign language instruction, one of the most important things I have done during my grant is to present on the role Ukraine has had in forming the world's scientific and cultural heritage.  This has been an opportunity to tell people about the history of Ukraine, show pictures of my country's beautiful landscapes, and give people an opportunity to experience Ukrainian hospitality, generosity and patriotism.  I take every opportunity to share my “comparative analysis” of American and Ukrainian cultures in different spheres, starting generally with the educational systems and ending with adolescent development issues and youth culture.  This presentation is not only a result of my thinking, but it is also a good opportunity for others to better understand their own cultures, review well-known international phenomena from an unusual perspective (mine), notice things that are taken for granted and re-evaluate them.

Experiencing the United States and deepening an understanding of your own background is something not only found by reading books, analyzing current research, using new technologies and communicating with scholars during a professional development colloquium, but also through travelling.  You can never feel how tiny Europe and Ukraine (the biggest country in Europe) are if you have not taken a 40-minute drive through Chicago.  You will never know how rich a culture's heritage is if you only see Rembrandt, Monet, and Constable paintings in a gallery in Rochester, New York.  That is only one U.S. city.  You cannot experience how accessible Harvard University is unless you enter one of the auditoriums there; and, how old it is unless you go to one of the libraries and see volumes of John Milton books.

The United States is a diverse country.  It is possible to see many people from different backgrounds and cultures.  Be open to these differences; absorb the good and the new.  Share your own Fulbright experiences and knowledge.  You will discover many interesting things that will not only broaden your outlook, but that will also shape your own philosophy of the world.

To comment on and interact with other Fulbrighters about Nataliia Sharkova's article on the Fulbright Community on State Alumni, please click here.