A Year in the Fulbright Life: Fatima’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
August was the month of lots of change for me but good changes! It started off with saying goodbye to friends and family. My undergraduate classmates arranged a get-together and surprised me with a cake that filled my heart with so much enthusiasm to start this new journey! I went out with my Red Cross fellow volunteers to have wings (my absolute favorite) for the last time before I traveled. My family also had a farewell gathering in my hometown. I could sense the pride they all felt as I was about to start my Master’s degree in the United States. With that seen, I was all ready to embark on my Fulbright adventure!
When I arrived to Greenville, North Carolina mid-August, I had to furnish my apartment. My fiancé, who is also pursuing his graduate studies in the United States, came all the way from Texas to help me out with settling in, and that definitely added the factor of FUN to my moving-in process.
September 2019
With the start of the fall semester, quizzes, homework, and projects were starting to hit and come our way. It was a bit overwhelming because the system here is quite different from what I’m used to. This month, I’ve developed my studying habits and tried to make it fun. Somedays I would go to the Student Center at ECU Health Sciences Campus to study and just absorb the positive energy of the students around me, where everyone is studying so enthusiastically. This motivated me. One Sunday, I was there at sunset and the view was mesmerizing. I couldn’t help myself but take a break just to look and take a snapshot of it (guilty!).
Feeling a bit homesick during September’s third week, I decided to visit my fiancé in Austin; being around him makes it a lot easier. He is a PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin. We went on a tour around his campus, visited the Texas Capitol building in Austin, and had a morning walk by the riverside. It was a very fun and much needed break. I loved every part of Austin (except for the hot humid weather), and I am looking forward to visiting Austin again sometime soon!
October 2019
This month was pretty special. I was able to tick one thing off my bucket list: visiting New York City. I am “How I Met Your Mother’s” biggest fan, and visiting New York City, where the show was mostly filmed, was definitely on the top of my bucket list. My cousin had a conference to attend in the United States and we agreed to meet up for the weekend while she was here in New York City. We spent 3 days in the city, and it was the time of a lifetime. We visited the Metropolitan Museum of Artand the art pieces were utterly stunning; we were amazed! We also went to Times Square.
We visited a place that is inspired by MacLaren’s pub (the iconic bar where Barney, Ted, Marshall, Lily, and Robin from “How I Met Your Mother” hung out). My inner self was screaming out of excitement! It meant a lot to me to be there. We also managed to tick off many of the New York City must do’s: we went to Central Park, visited Rockefeller Center, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, and went on a boat ride to see the Statue of Liberty. I was lucky to be reunited with one of my Fulbright cohort friends, Yara Murr, who’s pursuing her master’s there. I fell in love with New York City, and I’m definitely going back!
November 2019
As we were approaching the end of the fall semester, things were starting to get pretty busy and what better way to deal with life’s pressure than giving yourself a break and getting some food? One Friday night, amidst all the stress and studying, my friend Leah and I went bowling and had dinner with her church group. We had a lot of fun and shared lots of laughs!
After that, we had two weeks of hard work because we had exams and projects due the week before Thanksgiving. Right before our Thanksgiving break, my Speech-Language Pathology cohort organized a get-together and we celebrated Christmas early. We exchanged gifts and got to know each other more.
For Thanksgiving, I flew to Austin to spend the holiday with my fiancé, another Fulbrighter. On Wednesday night, we invited his friends over for a Friendsgivingdinner and prepared some Lebanese food. I don’t mean to brag, but the food was delicious! It was such a special time and a great reminder of how blessed we are to be surrounded by people we love and care about. I am thankful for many things, and the Fulbright experience is definitely one of those things!
December 2019
I consider December the best month of the year. Even though it started out with finals and projects, it passed by quickly. After finishing my first semester of graduate school, I went to a Christmas gathering with my friend Leah and her church group. We played games and had a cookie decorating contest. Although I did not win the contest, I was happy with the cookie that I decorated: a Lebanese patriotic gingerbread man. It was such a fun experience.
During my winter break, I traveled to Austin, Texas where my fiancé Mahdi and I went to Pennybacker Bridgeand Austin’s Trail of Lights at Zilker Park. Both experiences were mesmerizing! December 2019 surely did not disappoint. I am looking forward to 2020 and to what this year has in store for me!
January 2020
I started off my year the right way, surrounded by the people I love the most after my fiancé and I flew back to Lebanon. While our stay in Lebanon was quite short, it was amazing. The highlight of my stay was that I got to spend some quality time with my 2-year old niece. During the last week of January, I returned to the United States, leaving a piece of my heart at home with my loved ones but committed to always making them proud.
February 2020
The highlight of February was visiting Tennessee. I was invited to participate in a Fulbright Enrichment Seminar. I met and connected with Fulbright grantees from all around the world, enjoyed great music, and made unforgettable memories.
We also got the chance to pack food meals with Rise Against Hunger to help fight worldwide hunger. We were able to prepare 4,752 meals in less than 2 hours, talk about teamwork!
March 2020
During the first week of March, I traveled to Austin, Texas for Spring break. Little did I know that I was going to stay there for more than I had planned (not that I’m complaining; I love Austin)!
Before the World Health Organization officially declared the Coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic, I was able to visit one of the many beautiful spots in Austin: Mount Bonnell. The sweeping view from the summit of Mount Bonnell was breathtaking.
April 2020
Almost every aspect of our normal life has been affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. We had to quickly adapt and find new ways to keep on moving forward. It was overwhelming to have to deal with such a sudden and drastic change, however, I was able to cope by making sure that I took time for myself. Sometimes, I’d take walks in the park while practicing social distancing. Those walks helped a lot.
While this was not the experience I wanted to get as an international student, I am thankful that I was able to stay safe, healthy, and connected.
May 2020
The highlight of May was finishing my first year of graduate school. While I was getting closer to earning my master’s degree, several of my Fulbright friends were earning theirs. And what do Fulbrighters do when one of them achieves a goal? We celebrate! We were not going to let Coronavirus take that away from us!
June 2020
While feeling homesick after coming to the realization that I will not be able to visit home for the summer, I found comfort (and joy!) in making traditional Lebanese food. Suddenly, home did not feel so far away anymore. I cooked a traditional breakfast, Manakish, and a classic lunch/dinner, Shawarma.
Fatima is a first-year Fulbright student from Lebanon. She is studying Speech Pathology at East Carolina University.
Follow updates from Fatima 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 Fatima does this year!
