A Year in the Fulbright Life: Nourelislam’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.
July 2019
At 1am on 29th of June, I arrived at my first destination in the United States. I was in Fayetteville, Arkansas for my Fulbright Pre-Academic program. I was tired and sleepy after a long trip but still, I was full of excitement!
I was so lucky to be a part of different unique and stunning activities such as celebrating the 4th of July in which I was hosted by a very kind American family, Joy and Tim. Sharing nice moments and exchanging culture with this nice American family was simply fascinating and unforgettable.
During this amazing Pre-Academic program we had the chance to visit many places in three different states: Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.
Visiting Lost Valley, Buffalo National River and Little Rock, AK including Capitol Building and Central High School which one of the locations of the Civil Rights movement in U.S. history with the Little Rock Nine.
We also attended an International Music and Dance night in Fayetteville.
August 2019
As a Fulbrighter I have a sense of exploring. Once settled, the first thing I did was explore my new city, Charlotte.
This city is fabulous! It has many fascinating places to visit such as the Green, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, and NASCAR Hall of Fame. I already love this city!
September 2019
For the first time in my life, I watched a full American football game. Not just that but I was in the stadium too! What an entertaining event, it just amazing! During this month, I also had the chance to meet a very kindhearted and loving host family, Josiah and Cara, who welcomed me into their home.
Lastly, I attended a major event at my university, the International Festival. The whole world came to UNCC! As always, meeting people from different places of the world is a unique experience. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be fabulous! I feel so lucky to be a Fulbrighter!
October 2019
This month, my host family took me to the Carolina Raptor Center. I had the chance to take part in a live presentation held by a staff member about a lovely owl. I also saw the Golden Eagle and the American Bald Eagle. The latter is used as a symbol in many American governmental agencies so it was impressive to actually see it in front of me. My host family and I spent a lot of time at the American Bald Eagle cage, we were so surprised by its size, it was really big! Definitely, it was my favorite raptor that day! I really enjoyed this visit, the trees and the views, breathtaking nature.
November 2019
In November, I celebrated Thanksgiving two times! I was invited to two Thanksgiving dinners on the same day: an early dinner with my friend Josiah’s family and a late dinner with my friend Cara’s family. Celebrating Thanksgiving was a first for me!
Also, I had the last class of my Machine Learning course. The remaining classes are allocated to write a final paper. After a long and exciting semester, we had to say good bye to our professor, Mohammad. Finally, my group mates from my Computer Vision course and I held a poster presentation in which we explained our project to a professional audience. This was a very beneficial and valuable experience and was made possible thanks to our brilliant professor Stephen.
December 2019
After a long and challenging semester, winter break is here! I have been planning it for months with my Fulbright friends, Christopher and Cindy. Our first destination was Washington D.C. The city was so beautiful and quiet at the same time. We visited most of D.C.’s main landmarks like the United States Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and many more.
Our next destination was the Big Apple! It was the most beautiful and high paced city I have ever visited. In NYC, I met more of my dear Fulbright friends: Olga, Regina, Nathalia, and Andinisa. Together, we visited well-known places that I have always dreamed about: the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, Grand Central Terminal, Times Square, and the less famous Vessel. Because I love to travel, visiting D.C. and NYC was so amazing. Now I can take them off my ‘Best Places to Visit’ list!
January 2020
While visiting NYC during winter break, I met with other Fulbrighters from different countries, such as Libya, Russia, and Panama. We spent wonderful times together, shared stories, and exchanged parts of our diverse cultures. It really reflected the spirit of the Fulbright Program. On the last day, we went to a Panamanian restaurant. I enjoyed tasting food from another culture; it was so unique and delicious.
February 2020
I have always loved sports. My second favorite sport after soccer is volleyball. One day, as I was leaving the swimming pool after finishing a swimming session, I saw a group of people playing volleyball in the gym. My passion for this sport pushed me to ask if I could join them. After that, we played volleyball at least once a week. Thanks to volleyball I have made friends from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and the United States.
April 2020
Due to the pandemic, I had to stay at home most of the time. However, this was an opportunity to try new activities. I enjoyed a Zoom call with fellow Fulbrighters I met during my pre academic program in Arkansas. We shared updates about our Fulbright journey and remembered the unforgettable memories we made together. It was a very nice idea, and we had wonderful times.
May 2020
I have adapted to the COVID-19 situation. To cope with the challenging situation, I had to come up with workarounds. In the past, I used to go to our lovely gym to practice different sports like swimming, volleyball, indoor running, etc. But due to coronavirus, physical distancing is being enforced. Therefore, I switched to outdoor running. I was amazed by the amount of joy I have doing this activity! The pandemic has been a chance to discover new hobbies.
Nourelislam is a first-year Fulbright student from Algeria. He is studying Computer Science at UNC Charlotte.
Follow updates from Nourelislam 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 Nourelislam does this year!
