Moving Abroad in a Pandemic

16 November 2020
Back

Getting to one’s host country in the midst of a pandemic is, to put it mildly, no easy task. We asked two members of our 2020–21 cohort, US teaching assistant Allison Gilmore and Austrian teaching assistant Beatrix Schimek, to share their experiences preparing for their time abroad and arriving in their respective host country.

Allison Gilmore

My journey to Austria began on 5 March 2020 when I found out that I had been awarded a Fulbright community-based combined grant in Austria. I was ecstatic and began mentally preparing for my September departure. I did not expect that almost two weeks later, the United States would begin to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and my grant would be affected. Unfortunately, because of the complexity of my grant, it was canceled. However, I was still invited to come to Austria and teach through the United States Teaching Assistantship (USTA) program.

As I began preparing my paperwork for my residency permit, I realized that my passport had expired. I quickly got my paperwork together, but when I applied for a new passport, I was told that it could take a minimum three months until I received it. I panicked for a short moment but began to exhaust all of my resources and figure out how to expedite my passport application during a global pandemic. I had all my proper documentation for my residency permit by 1 July and was waiting on my passport to turn in my residency permit application. I even bought my airplane ticket for $700 with a European airline because I knew that it may be easier to deal with cancellation or rebooking fees then to spend $1500 closer to the departure date.

As I continued to wait patiently, a family friend of mine urged me to reach out to my congressmember about my pressing situation. On 2 August, I sent my member an email about my need for an expedited passport, and on 3 August I received a reply and filled out a form to request my passport. My passport was in my possession on 5 August, and I was able to submit my residency permit application that same week.

After it was confirmed that US teaching assistants could travel to Austria since the Austrian authorities considered us business travelers, I arrived in Linz on 12 September. As other teaching assistants began to trickle in, one that applied for their residency permit on the same day as me was able to make an appointment to pick their permit up, but the authorities in Linz told me that my permit was not in their possession. The Austrian education ministry was able to assist me in this process, and my permit was approved on 1 October.

Getting to Austria may have been a bit stressful, but it was worth it. Many international programs are being canceled due to COVID-19, yet with the USTA program, I can still live out my dream. I am enjoying my school, and my students are eager to speak with a native speaker. In a short amount of time I have taught lessons on topics including the US elections, the women’s rights movement, and the Vietnam War. As we have transitioned to online learning, my headmaster reminded me that I am “not just a language assistant, but a member of the team.”

Beatrix Schimek

At the start of this year, I was beyond excited to have been nominated for a Foreign Language Teaching Assistantship (FLTA) by Fulbright Austria, to get the chance to live in the US, teach my native language at a university, and meet other Fulbrighters from all over the world. Then COVID-19 hit, a global health crisis, lockdown. It felt like life was put on hold—and with it all the things I had planned. As the days, weeks, months went by, my dream of starting my Fulbright year at the University of Oklahoma faded more and more.

Mid-July I had already accepted the thought that I was most likely not going to travel anytime soon when I got an email saying that the US embassy in Vienna was opening again for visa applications. I did not know what to think. I was excited, scared, overwhelmed, and skeptical. As much as I wanted to be happy that there was a spark of hope that I might be able to travel to the US, the joy was clouded by worries and uncertainties: Was it responsible and safe to travel? What kind of health insurance would I need? What if I traveled to the US and the university decided to go online? How would I even be able to meet new people?

After much consideration, I decided to at least give it a try. I received my visa and made travel arrangements. Before I knew it, 21 August had arrived, and I was on my way to Norman, Oklahoma. With everything happening so fast, I kept my expectations low. I was determined to just “go with the flow” and see where it took me.

Two months later, I am happy to say that I have settled in well. I know that things are very different to what they would usually be, but I am trying to make the most of it. I am teaching a beginner German course at the University of Oklahoma five times a week, in person. Wearing masks while teaching still feels weird. I find it especially difficult to read my students’ facial expressions—like when I make a joke and I don’t know whether they are smiling or just blankly staring at me.

Making friends during a pandemic is as odd as anticipated. There are hardly any events going on, and with masks and social distancing policies on campus, it is difficult to approach other students during the classes that I audit. Nevertheless, some of my colleagues have become very dear friends, I get along super well with my housemate, and I successfully downloaded a dating app for finding friends—strange times ask for strange measures.

I also have a lot of time for drawing and reading, and I am teaching myself new skills, like crocheting and stenography. Although it seems like not much is happening, I find myself busy most days, and I am very grateful that I am where I am.

Please send us an email if you would like to share the experience you had traveling to your host country for your Fulbright Austria experience.