Second Impressions, Part One

7 January 2020
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One always has first impressions of a new place, and while those impressions can solidify, often times they change as we become more acquainted with the new culture and setting. We asked our Austrian program participants to share their first and second impressions of their host institutions and the US cities and states in which they live, and we share four of those stories with you in this post.

Alexandra Efstathiades

I feel settled here at Bates College; I have found my routines at work and home, made friends on campus, found my favorite places to spend my free time. 

The first snow has fallen and stayed, Maine is a beautiful place all year around. I hiked along beautiful trails on the coast during the fall and was surrounded by autumn colors, and now I listen to quiet footsteps in the snow as I make my way from our house to campus. 

I live with other language teaching assistants here, and we share our experiences and ideas for classes and spend free time together.

I have made friends and we have traveled together on weekends and holidays.

The people I have met here are kind and welcoming. Professors and students are eager to engage in academic discourse, being supportive and mindful of each other as they do so.

My first semester here is almost over, and students are working on their finals now, so I get to see them frequently during office hours. Within the German and Russian department, we have offered a lot of cultural activities, which the students enjoy attending. We had a lantern workshop for St. Martin's Day, we baked German desserts, made an excursion to a German restaurant in Portland, watched movies together, and are baking cookies and drinking punch together this week.

Teaching here as an FLTA is a unique experience. Students approach you openly, because they are curious to learn about the culture around the language that they are putting so much effort into learning. You are part of what makes their language acquisition become more real, grounded in intercultural interaction. As you get to know culture in the US and specifically culture on your university's campus more during your Fulbright grant, you will see that you equally have the chance to share your own cultural background. 

Fulbright and IIE as well as the university or college you work and study at also offer workshops and networking opportunities. There is much to learn and much to share during your time as a Fulbrighter in the US. Be open, reach out, get in touch with students and professors, share your thoughts and ideas, and don't be shy to make an impact, to engage in discourse and activities, and you will have a great experience!

Alexandra with fellow Austrian FLTA Lisa Oberberger

Christina Gray

Looking back at when my Fulbright experience started, I conclude that a lot of my first impressions have changed. I have been to the Midwest and the West Coast before and in comparison, North Carolina seemed so different. For instance, I had a hard time understanding the southern accent and had the feeling that I couldn’t socialize as well as I wanted to. However, both have changed. I soon made friends, got involved in several campus communities, and started integrating well. And even though the Fulbright Conference in Washington, DC, was amazing, I missed Greensboro and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro a lot.

Furthermore, I faced some difficulties finding my role on campus. I am a faculty member, but at the same time I live in the dorms, which I thought I had to strictly separate. However, the FIR Program made me realize that all I had to be was myself—in class as well as in the dorms. Now, I feel like I found my place and role on campus and am grateful for every day I am here.

Nevertheless, I have not yet gotten rid of the feeling that the general living quality in Austria is better than here. There is more homelessness and no public social network or security, and organic groceries are way more expensive than in Austria. However, I love living and working in the United States because of the opportunities the country has to offer. The fact that so many people of different backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, and all sorts of diversity can live and work together is a worldwide unique situation that I am proud and thankful to be part of.

Ingrid Geier

Thank you for this unique opportunity of a Fulbright scholarship in Hawai'i. It was amazing! Looking back, I am still impressed by the great variety that I could experience within my scholarship in cultural, social, and ecological perspectives in various facets of this island and that became apparent in a great culture of welcome.

The University of Hawai'i campus is unique. Because it was once built as a botanical garden (arboretum), it houses many beautiful trees from different parts of the world. Life on campus is also quite different from Austria in various aspects like climate, plants, food, prices etc. There is an enormous infrastructure, and many activities are offered for students and faculty.

In academic life, I experienced a very warm welcome and got involved in numerous activities, which greatly supported my research and teaching assignments. The people were incredibly appreciative, respectful, and open-minded to each other, and I was immediately welcomed into their “ohana” (family).

 “Mahalo nui loa” (Thank you very much) for this unique opportunity to do research and teach in such a great place!

Julia Höfferer

I am still amazed at how friendly people are here. I also appreciate the supportive attitude that is prevailing in my work setting as well as the trust that is put into teaching assistants to design and conduct lessons: this freedom has allowed me to grow immensely, personally and professionally. I also noticed a few other differences, especially when I had to visit the doctor—there are numerous differences, some more obvious, others more subtle. I still think that most of them are not better or worse, just different. Nevertheless, I feel myself developing due to these impressions and the constant interactions with Americans. 

I am still very excited about teaching at Bowling Green State University. I already look forward to next semester, as I will be teaching a parallel course with a friend and we plan on creating some projects for our students. I also appreciate the academic classes, as I had multiple presentations, which helped me improve my linguistic and presentation skills.

I am still convinced that the network created at the orientations has been a tremendous help, as there are individuals there with whom one can share impressions. It is also useful to exchange organizational questions and, especially, experiences made at the host institutions.

 I feel that life is faster in the US—the days seem busier and there are a lot of extracurricular events. A major difference is also campus life—which is a closer-knit community than in Austria—and the size of their supermarkets!

I think that the biggest difference between the US and Austria is the mentality regarding work-life balance. I notice a lot of people coming to work/classes sick, as they either cannot (or feel that they cannot) miss anything. The hardest thing for me is the dependence on cars or some other form of transportation to go somewhere. While I have a big and supportive network, it sometimes still feels weird to always ask people to drive me places. However, I hope to be able to do the same for them when they come by to visit once I am in Austria again. 

Another thing I noticed about the US is that living facilities seem to provide more amenities—a lot of them include fitness centers or similar components. I also feel that people here tend to focus a lot on community life and are very willing to have people at their family's house, e.g. for Thanksgiving. It is definitely a warm welcome!

I would advise future Fulbrighters to live with roommates (ideally from the US), as I learn so much from them while having a great support network. Also, going out and to events is crucial—especially in the beginning—to build a social network, which makes everything easier.  I would also advise them to create a big social network of people from the US and international people to deepen the understanding of the culture and see similarities/differences between their upbringing/states/colleges etc. Also, I would advise them to not underestimate the workload of some courses and to plan on having a few "stacked" days to not have a few "loose" hours (1–2) in between events and classes, as the days can otherwise become long. And: go out, talk to people, be open!