A Year in the Fulbright Life: Rajaie’s Story
A Year in the Fulbright Life is a blog serie about showcasing a handful of students as they study in the United States. Each month, spotlighted students share an update as they continue on their Fulbright journey.
October/November 2022
My last month and a half have been packed with lots of schoolwork and fun activities. I was able to continue exploring the beautiful nature of Virginia by going on a few camping and hiking trips in the area.
I also was able to experience many “firsts” in the United States. Firstly, I attended my first Halloween costume party dressed as an Arab pirate with a Jordanian twist. Secondly, I attended my first college football game, and finally I went to my first Thanksgiving dinner!
During Thanksgiving break, I shared the Jordanian dish “shushbarak” at an international Thanksgiving dinner held by a local church. While there, I shared both Jordanian food and culture, and I was able to learn about many other regions’ foods and cultures!
This fall, I was lucky enough to be here for Virginia Tech’s 150th anniversary! Fireworks lit up the sky, giving a mesmerizing show above the campus.
As a bonus, I had the opportunity to volunteer (with the help of my wife) to give a lecture to the class that I serve as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for. The lecture explained the biology and practice of using the Electrocardiogram (EKG) that the students had to build for the class. We even had the chance to demonstrate the EKG I built as a TA. It was a very fun and enriching experience to get to interact with United States and international students alike in a classroom setting.
December 2022
More recently, I got to celebrate the joy of Christmas by attending a lovely Christmas orchestra performance at the Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech. It was a magical experience, and it felt like a great way to wrap up the semester. I look forward to whatever Fulbright has set for me next!
February/March 2023
During the second semester, I continued my journey of firsts in the US. With a group of friends, I was able to try skiing for the first time in my life! It was quite a challenge, but was nonetheless enjoyable.
I have also been learning more about the United States’ culture, especially how popular college sports are nationwide. So, I thought that the best way to experience it all is to attend my first March Madness Basketball game! I had a great time cheering on the Hokies women’s team, who ended up reaching the national final four for the first time since the 90's!
As an added bonus, I had the chance to visit big cities in the US that I’ve never been to before, like Philadelphia and Washington DC.
April 2023
To celebrate Easter, I got to share some of my culture by cooking the national dish of Jordan, Mansaf, for friends from our local church.
Moreover, I got to participate in two important conferences.
The first was the Annual Center for Power Electronics System (CPES) conference which is attended by professors and industry leaders from around the world.
The second was the Washington DC Seminar organized by Fulbright, where I was lucky to meet people from so many different backgrounds; overall, the attendees represented more than 70 different countries! We got to learn about DC, expand our network and give a little back to the city. I am grateful for all the opportunities that have opened up since I began my Fulbright journey, and I look forward to whatever comes next!
Rajaie is a Fulbright student from Jordan. He is studying Engineering at Virginia Tech.
Follow updates from Rajaie 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 Rajaie does this year!
