A Year in the Fulbright Life: Pretty’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 2021
After an exceptionally long 32-hour flight, I finally made it from Egypt to the Concordia Wisconsin Campus! When I left my home, many mixed feelings remained inside. Leaving my friends and family behind was difficult, but I later started feeling excited about beginning a new phase in my life.
Making it to Concordia and soaking in all the surrounding beauty made for a great start after a long trip.
I felt extremely excited to be the first Egyptian female and Fulbrighter in my Master’s program in Rehabilitation Science (MSRS).
The best thing I experienced so far were the questions and comments about the colors of my hijab, as well as questions about Egypt. Sharing stories about my customs and country made me feel as though I were a cultural ambassador, which to me is a beautiful concept.
Another part of my experience so far that has really impacted me was my professor inviting students to her house so that we can get to know each other. Meeting a professor on a more personal level was completely different than what I was used to, but I appreciated the time she spent getting to know us. In Egypt, we don’t typically have this type of student-professor relationship, so being invited to my professor’s home made me feel like we were all equal, no matter who we are.
September 2021
This picture represents the first major cultural difference I experienced during my Fulbright journey. I went out with my professor and his wife to celebrate a festival in Cedarburg. I was not used to seeing my professor outside of class, but it was fun to see a professor in a different kind of setting!
October 2021
I am so grateful to a local American family with whom I’ve become close. They have been so helpful and kind to me, so I am very happy I met them.
If I hadn’t met them, my experience would’ve been much more difficult. Ann is a very nice lady who is like a mother to us all. Keith is so funny that I can never stop laughing when I’m around him! Liz is the little girl of the family, and she is so beautiful and lovely. They truly have been the best part of my experience so far.
They were so kind to celebrate my birthday with me and took me out to an Arab restaurant for dinner. It felt just like home!
I’ve also become close friends with my classmate, Khadija. She is from Saudi Arabia and is like a sister to me. Life here in the United States is a lot easier with her by my side!
November 2021
It was an honor to get the chance to talk about being the first Fulbrighter and Egyptian student at Concordia University Wisconsin during International Education Week. It was a great experience to serve as a cultural ambassador and to inform people that Egypt is much more than just being known for pyramids!
Apple- picking and shopping for pumpkins were some of the first cultural experiences I had in Wisconsin. Seeing so many pumpkins reminded many of my friends and I of watching Cinderella as kids!
December 2021
I had the chance to visit Devils’ Lake which is an absolutely magical place to enjoy hiking. Going hiking for the first time was a bit scary initially, but reaching the top and seeing the beautiful view was completely worth it.
We have the coolest professor ever! My friend and I were celebrating International Saudi Day and he decided to show up wearing this shirt!
January 2022
I had a really nice winter break with a lot of fun and first experiences! I fulfilled my dream of visiting Disney World and Universal Studios, but being there made me miss my brother. Our childhood was built on Disney and Harry Potter movies, so I wish I could’ve shared some of these experiences with him, but I couldn’t wait to tell him all about it after visiting.
Having elements from your childhood surrounding you was an amazing feeling! Once I arrived at Harry Potter World and saw so many people sharing the same love for a series that meant so much to me, I felt a warmth fill my heart.
To finish off my break and the first month of the new year, I got the chance to try ice skating for the first time in my life. I was expecting countless falls, but luckily, I ended up only falling once!
February 2022
Trying skiing for the first time and experiencing so many winter sports was my favorite part of winter. We don’t have snow in Egypt, so it was the perfect time and perfect place to try new activities!
My school arranged for us to visit the Milwaukee Public Zoo. Even though it was rainy that day and we didn’t see many animals, it was still nice to see a new place.
March 2022
I always told myself that I couldn’t study in the United States without visiting Washington, D.C. and New York City! My brother and I always dreamed of visiting those two cities when we watched movies and TV shows as kids.
I was amazed to see iconic sites like the Lincoln Memorial up close and in person!
When I was in New York, I visited the Museum of Natural History and was so excited to see the Easter Island Statue that is named “Dum Dum” in the movie “Night at the Museum.” I couldn’t contain my excitement to see it!
I was so thankful I had two great partners to accompany me on this trip: Khadija and Mansour.
April 2022
April was the busiest month of my entire year! I attended my first American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) conference with my neuroscience professor and had the chance to meet physical therapists from all over the world. I even had the chance to discuss my research project about motor imagery techniques by presenting my first poster at the conference. It was an enriching experience to have people ask me questions about my research.
The Enrichment Seminar in Boston was a great experience because this was my first time being among other Fulbrighters from all over the world since I am the only one at my university. I was happy that I met other Egyptian Fulbrighters and that we created a strong bond even though we will be leaving soon.
May 2022
Kassie is a lovely woman who I got to know during my year here. She introduced me to her family, and I spent a day at their lake house. It was such a blessing to meet her!
I got the chance to attend a Coldplay concert in Chicago! I was so excited to go since my brother and I used to listen to them all the time. He encouraged me to go and it was even more fun to experience it with my friend Khadija and her brother Mansour.
June 2022
Meeting the Hacker family was the highlight of my year. They helped me so much ever since I arrived at CUW and showed me some of the best sites in Milwaukee. I am so grateful to have met them, and I can say without a doubt that I have a family in Wisconsin now to visit in the future.
Jessy was my classmate and a Chinese friend I met on campus who accompanied me on many adventures. It was interesting to get to know Chinese culture through her eyes and have intercultural exchanges with her.
July 2022
July was my last month in United States. By the end of the month, I knew that I had made friends for life. One of my more recent friends arranged a surprise goodbye party for me and gathered all the people that I met during the year to celebrate with me. Between trying different things and saying my goodbyes, I can say that those were the best two weeks of my entire year and made me believe that there’s so much more to explore in this world.
Pretty is a 2021 Fulbright student from Egypt. She is studying Rehabilitation Science at Concordia University Wisconsin.
Follow updates from Pretty 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 Pretty does this year!
