A Year in the Fulbright Life: Azza’s Story

For the next year, Fulbright MENA will be showcasing a handful of students as they study in the United States with their new series, A Year in the Fulbright Life. Each month, spotlighted students will share an update as they continue on their Fulbright journey.

August 2019

My longtime childhood friends came to say goodbye to me at the airport in Egypt. It was so hard to say goodbye to the people I have seen constantly for the past 20 years, knowing I would spend a long time away from them. But they kept telling me how proud they were of me and it was all the encouragement I needed.

I always felt like I could get through the move easily, I never thought I’d miss my home so much! Standing outside of my apartment with my luggage, I felt homesick already! I was finally able to say a tearful goodbye to the rest of my family as I headed down to take a cab to the airport.

My Gateway roommate in Richmond, Virginia was this amazing girl from Turkey! I have always loved Turkish culture, and I love watching their TV shows and listening to their songs. We had so much fun practicing her language and listening to our favorite Turkish songs together. Two weeks after the gateway and we are still in touch, I’m so glad I made such a great friend.

As part of our gateway program, we got to paint water color paintings! I haven’t done those since I was ten, but it was part of our ice breaker session given on the first day of the gateway, and I loved it. Nolwazi (from Swaziland) and I showed off our paintings, demonstrating how we feel about Fulbright. For me, Fulbright is a happy planet earth because we are all meeting from different countries and exchanging cultures and great ideas, making earth happy! For Nolwazi, Fulbright is a bridge which will help her aid her people back home.

Bubba (from Mongolia), Dorieke (from the Netherlands) and I enjoying a mid-session break, learning about each other’s cultures and showing off our Fulbright memorabilia! So happy I met those girls and made promises to visit them in Chicago and Washington DC!

It was hard to say goodbye to this amazingly diverse beautiful group at the farewell dinner. The gateway introduced me to so many cultures and ideas through those incredibly nice and warm pioneers! Towards the very end, I kept wishing the gateway was longer than three days, so that we’d all spend more time together. It was and will remain one of my most memorable experiences.

While on our trip, we had a dinner with the very cool Jeanie, our American host mom! She was so fascinating and told us all these great stories about when she used to work in the White House administration and her life in Washington. She made us laugh the whole time and we had so much fun. It was a great chance for Mongolian, Jamaican, Georgian, and Egyptian Fulbrighters to enjoy sharing their very different backgrounds with an American.

September 2019

The month, after I settled in, was all about New York! This picture was taken on top of the Empire State Building at sunset. The 102nd floor observatories provide unforgettable 360° views of New York City and beyond. It was just breathtaking. Visiting New York has always been a dream of mine! So, standing there and taking it all in was one of my happiest moments. It was also so cool to learn about the history of the building and witness how it was pivotal in many movies and stories. Definitely planning on going again when it’s warmer.

Of course, when you go to NYC, you have to take a walk on Brooklyn Bridge! It was truly a great way to experience the city and to get a unique view of both boroughs (administrative divisions of New York City). The energy you feel while walking amidst the hustle and bustle with New York’s beautiful skyline right in front of you is just spectacular.

Nadia (from Lebanon) and I had the chance to attend the famous musical “Chicago”, the second-longest running Broadway production of all time, at the Ambassador Theatre close to Times Square. The theatre was beautiful of course and the show was just spectacular! Such great humor, singing, and dancing; the show was just all about the “razzle dazzle” (a song from the musical)! This certainly won’t be my last time to attend a Broadway show, it’s great to experience art in all its forms!

What I love the most about Fulbright is that it’s always giving me the chance to meet amazing people everywhere. This picture is from my first “Fulbrighters in Connecticut” gathering. I had so much fun talking with current Fulbright grantees from different countries as well as American Fulbright Alumni! I love meeting people from different ages, groups and backgrounds, it made the evening so memorable.

November 2019

My first time hiking in the United States! Connecticut is famous for its beautiful hiking trails, and I started with an easy yet absolutely beautiful one! This picture was taken on top of Talcott Mountain. The view was just breathtaking and worth how out of breath I was at the end. I will definitely do more hiking when the weather gets warmer.

I visited Boston for the first time and stopped by Copley Square, one of the most historic city squares in the United States. It was a mixture of Venetian and Gothic buildings with Romanesque architecture and modern architecture thrown in the mix. Trinity Church was so majestic, I had to pose and take a picture!

Omar, Mehdi, Dina and I (all Connecticut Fulbrighters) decided to visit New York City for Thanksgiving to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. All the streets were full of people celebrating from all around the world and it was absolutely festive. We walked all over Manhattan and had so much fun.

I bought my very first real Christmas tree! I had so much fun with my roommate picking out the Christmas tree and buying the ornaments. After that, we spent the evening decorating the tree and putting on the lights. It smells amazing!

December 2019

My first snow experience! We never had snow back in Egypt, I was so surprised by how fluffy it can be! Snow does change how everything looks, winter wonderland indeed. Also, my toes were freezing in that picture, I never forget to wear boots and crew socks now!

I attended the annual Christmas party hosted by Connecticut Fulbright alumni! I had the chance to meet awesome people from Romania, Luxemburg, and Portugal as well as reunite with Fulbright friends. It’s always fun to catch up and meet with new people, and I love how Fulbright gives me the opportunity to do so through its amazingly tight community!

Azza is a first-year Fulbright student from Egypt. She is getting her MBA from the University of Hartford.

Follow updates from Azza and other Fulbright students on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Check back here every month for more updates on the blog and Medium Series to see what Azza does this year!