Always Find a New “First”: My Fulbright Experience

If you are reading this article, the first thing that you need to know is that I have been writing this for two years. I actually started once I had been notified that I was accepted to the Fulbright Program to study in the United States. In fact, I had been accepted to pursue a Master of Architecture at Kent State University, where I wanted to learn about the relationship between architecture, education, design, and learning. However, this meant I was going to leave my family, my friends, the magnificent weather in Tunisia, and its tasty cuisine.

My Fulbright journey started with a pre-academic program at Kansas State University in 2019. My first steps in the United States took place in Manhattan, Kansas, also known as the “Little Apple.” Manhattan is a charming, heartwarming place where I was fortunate to spend three weeks with 39 brilliant minds from 31 countries wo were brought together through Fulbright. Despite our various languages and our different cultures, we shared classrooms, trips, meals, laughter, and even tears during our last day together.

Holding the Tunisian flag during our last week together, when we created a cultural show combing dance, music, and cinema from all over the world.

My first pitch in the US: “How to improve our learning environments?”

During our great hike at Konza Prairie with my dear friends: Lucas from the United States, Adama from Senegal and Nouri from Afghanistan.

Now on to grad school! Kent, Ohio, was my new home for almost the entire following year. My life at Kent was a combination of discoveries, firsts, hard work, breaks, all-nighters, stress, and joy. Coming from a Mediterranean country, I would never forget how it felt to be around snow for the first time. Everything was white, the weather was freezing, and I felt I was about to slip at every step I took.

First snow of the season: I would’ve done anything to get inside the oven of the “Pizza Hut” behind me.

Now that you have learned that I am not a huge fan of snow, you can imagine how thrilled I was when I found out that we had a study trip to Miami, Florida. Even though I’ve had the chance to visit many major cities, including Barcelona, Geneva, Istanbul, New York, Boston… I would say that Miami simply took my heart, especially a few days after the 2020 Super Bowl.

At Brickell Key, a few moments before visiting “Pininfarina”, one of the major design firms in the world.

Kent State University not only provided a high-quality education, but it also gave me the chance to be socially involved. I was able to share my culture as a Tunisian and a North African. Being invited as a panelist to speak about my culture during the “Cross-cultural Dating in Digital Age” event was one of the main highlights of my Kent State experience. I shared the floor with friends from Ghana, Indonesia, and the United States. We contributed a variety of opinions to the attendees of the Center for International and Intercultural Education event.

As a panelist during the “Cross-Cultural Dating in the Digital Age” event.

Cultural exchange is a key component of every Fulbrighter’s journey. I had the honor to be part of one of the Fulbright Scholarship Board’s quarterly meetings. During this meeting, I had the privilege to meet Dr. Jeff Bleich, Chair of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Chatting about our Tunisian “Jebba” and “Chechia” was an amazing cross-cultural moment when people from all over the world got to learn about Tunisia.

With Dr. Jeff Bleich, Chair of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board during one of the Fulbright Scholarship Board’s quarterly meetings.

Then COVID-19 happened! During the first week of March 2020, we were notified that the college will be closed for 14 days, and we would come back a few weeks later. Guess what? I didn’t come back until my graduation on May 15th, 2021.

A once-in-a-lifetime experience: the only passenger on the plane from Akron to NYC.

After making the choice to fly back to Tunisia due to the pandemic, I found myself flying from Akron, Ohio, to New York City. I was the only passenger! It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Once in Tunisia, I had to quarantine for 14 days. It was tough, especially with online courses, but I made it with the support of volunteers from the Tunisian Scouts and the Tunisian Red Crescent.

Despite the pandemic, a repatriation flight, a 14-day quarantine, a six-hour time difference, and exams (some of them started at midnight and ended at 3AM), I made it and succeeded with a 3.77/4 GPA. Most importantly, I was awarded a research traveling fellowship from Kent State University to travel to Finland and continue my research, on something I am passionate about, which is innovative learning approaches and educational strategies.

The long-awaited graduation picture.

I could keep writing about this journey and the impact it had on me forever. If there is one thing that I need you to keep in mind: during your journey, the more “firsts” you have, the more fulfilling it gets! Think about your first chat with your Uber driver, your first new magnet key, your first night alone in your apartment in a whole new country, your first course, your first new friend, your first burger, your first Mountain Dew- all of these are exciting experiences during “the honeymoon phase” in a foreign country. Then, you start feeling homesick- just when you started getting used to everything, it all becomes challenging. That is when it is time to do more “firsts”- go on your first kayak trip, your first hike, your first trip, your first new meal, your first bike ride, your first national park visit, etc.

For those who made it to this point of the post, I would like to say that each and every one of us has our own unique path that will make us reach for what we’re made for — the challenges, the struggles, and even the failures that will help you learn more than just success will.

Nadim is a Fulbrighter from Tunisia. He recently received his Master in Architecture degree from Kent State University.