A Taste of the Luxurious Life in Luxembourg

Tag: eta program

Posted on in 2022, Americans in Luxembourg, Luxembourg

A Taste of the Luxurious Life in Luxembourg

Nicole Duby was a 2022-2023 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Luxembourg. After graduating from the University of Arizona with degrees in French and Psychological Sciences, she worked as a language assistant in Clermont-Ferrand, France through the Teaching Assistant Program in France. In Luxembourg, she spent the 2022-2023 academic year teaching English at Lycée Hubert Clément Esch-sur-Alzette and the University of Luxembourg. We sat down with Nicole to hear about her experience in the Grand Duchy. Q: “Has Luxembourg been what you expected? In what ways has life in Luxembourg surprised you?” “Luxembourg has been both similar to and different from how I had originally envisioned it. While I had an intellectual understanding of how small the country is, it definitely shocked me a bit in practice. I saw the same people often, even when I was least expecting it, and so it led to a sense of camaraderie between me and those around me. I quickly established a routine and […]

by Fulbright
Posted on in 2022, Americans in Belgium

Culture, Music, and English Classes in Brussels

After completing her bachelor’s degree in Global Affairs at George Mason University, Samira Radwan spent a year teaching English in Cahors, France, through the Teaching Assistant Program in France before applying to the Fulbright ETA Program. During her second year on the program, Samira returned to Brussels, where she served as an English Teaching Assistant at the Athénée Royal du Sippelberg and OIRD/Université des familles. Samira loved reconnecting with her returning students and meeting new ones. We sat down with Samira to ask her about her time in Belgium. Q: “You spent two years in Belgium on the Fulbright Program, so this might be a difficult question … but what was a typical day like for you?” “I would start my morning by waking up and taking the metro to the high school I work at. I teach English or facilitate discussion tables with students. After my time there I go home and have lunch with my partner. Before getting […]

by Fulbright
Posted on in 2022, Americans in Belgium

Teaching (with a Dash of Research) at the Institute of Tropical Medicine

Maxim Petrovsky was a 2022-2023 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Antwerp, Belgium at the Institute of Tropical Medicine. Maxim graduated from Northeastern University in 2020 with a degree in Behavioral Neuroscience. In addition to his work teaching English at the ITM, he enjoyed collaborating with the ITM community on research and preparing for his time in medical school. We sat down with Maxim to ask him about his time in Belgium and how it changed his career plans. Q: “What inspired you to apply to the Fulbright Program?” “I applied to the Fulbright Program for a few key reasons. As a non-native English speaker, I have always been passionate about English teaching and sought to enable others with effective communication tools. The Fulbright Program presented an exceptional opportunity to do exactly that beyond the borders of the United States. The opportunity to teach English while ingraining myself in the unique and multicultural environment of Antwerp, Belgium was especially exciting.” Q: […]

by Fulbright
Posted on in 2022, Americans in Belgium

Hidden Secrets

When tourists think of Belgium, the cities that most often come to mind are Brussels and Bruges. Travelers typically arrive at Brussels Airport Zaventem, explore the city of Brussels for a few days, and then hop on a train from there to visit Bruges before returning home. Few people realize that during their journey between Brussels and Bruges, they pass right through the historic city of Ghent (or Gent in Flemish). Ghent, with its vibrant student culture, regular local festivities, and perfect blend of medieval and contemporary architecture, is so much more than just a stop along a train route. This is the city in which I was based throughout my Fulbright year, and I couldn’t imagine another place to call home. Or, another location to explore. One day in the depths of the dark Belgian winter, characterized by its bitter wind chills, I sat in my apartment wondering where was the best place in the city to grab a […]

by Fulbright
Posted on in 2022, Americans in Belgium, Belgium, Fulbright

Creating a Little Home

On paper, the job requirements of an English Teaching Assistant are to provide a cultural exchange in the classroom and to engage with the community. In practice, you are tasked with creating a home in a completely new place. I worked as an English Teach Assistant at UCLouvain in Louvain-la-Neuve, while living in Brussels. Coming from a big city like Dallas, I chose to live in Brussels as I wanted to experience the center of Europe up close. I had already visited Brussels in the past years and loved it. However, I soon learned that visiting as a tourist and living in a city are two very different experiences. Anxiety and Perfectionism Through my high school and college career, I strived to try to be the best at whatever I do. I approached the Fulbright in the same way. However, I underestimated the time and energy needed for such a huge adjustment from transitioning out of undergraduate to living in […]

by Fulbright
Posted on in 2022, Americans in Belgium, EU-NATO Seminar

Finding Transatlantic Parallels at the EU-NATO Seminar

Upon receiving my acceptance to Belgium’s Fulbright program, there was one thing that remained top of mind when I requested my city placement. I was fascinated by Belgium’s role in hosting numerous EU functions, including plenary sessions of the European Parliament. I hoped to spend my grant period in Brussels – a small yet lively city known for its sprawling green parks and towering Gothic cathedrals – fondly referred to as the heart of Europe. A few weeks later, I was delighted to discover that my Commission had placed me in my city of choice. I was even more excited when grantees were given the opportunity to apply for a spot at Fulbright’s annual EU-NATO seminar. Organized by Belgium’s Fulbright Commission, the seminar included visits to institutions like the European Commission, European Parliament, and NATO Headquarters. Meetings were also arranged with representatives of the U.S. Mission to the European Union, the U.S. Mission to NATO, and the U.S. Embassy to […]

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Posted on in 2022, Americans in Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Charting My Year in Luxembourg

The best way to capture my Fulbright experience was presented to me on the first day of orientation. On September 15, 2022, 30 Fulbrighters, including me, sat in neatly-lined white chairs at the offices of the Commission for Educational Exchange between the United States, Belgium, and Luxembourg inside the Royal Library of Belgium. The Fulbright Program Officers presented numerous useful tips for living abroad in Belgium and Luxembourg – from how to set up a bank account in Europe to how to navigate public transportation. What I would come to find most useful, though, was a graph. This graph – albeit simplified – depicts the peaks and troughs, the shocks and adjustments, that one may experience while living 5,000 miles away from home. I found that my experience tracked the pattern of this chart. Arrival and Honeymoon On my flight from JFK to Brussels, I buzzed with excitement. I spent the past 1.5 years working on my application to serve […]

by Fulbright
Posted on in 2021, 2022, Americans in Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Lifelong Lessons Learned in Luxembourg

When I think back on the nine months that were my English Teaching Assistantship, I am appalled at the speed with which they went by. I think of the lessons I learned, both intentionally and a majority of them accidentally. Big and small. Easy ones and challenging ones. I remember the countless buses and trains. The sprints to catch them and the looks of defeat at missing them (both mine and those I saw as I sat by the window while we pulled off). I remember the language barriers, the feelings of unfamiliarity and the triumph when I understood that the cashier had asked me whether I was paying with cash or card in French. And more lessons. Daily, weekly, monthly lessons. Giving lessons while learning them. Like, lesson one (in case you’re ever in Luxembourg): bring the Öko-Tut! Öko-Tuts are these eco-friendly bags that you purchase at stores across the country and when the time comes to restock your […]

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Posted on in 2022, Americans in Luxembourg, Fulbright, Luxembourg

Trains of Thought

Over these last few months of my Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grant, I’ve been enjoying my commute to school, gazing out the window of my train as it zooms past the mountains, the rivers, and the farms of Luxembourg. But I can still remember my apprehension when I first learned that I would be traveling 63 kilometers (about two hours) on the train each way from my host city of Esch-sur-Alzette, in the south, to teach at a wonderful secondary school and an amazing primary school in the small town of Clervaux in the north, an area known for its historical significance as a site of heavy combat in WWII’s Battle of the Bulge. After crunching the numbers, I discovered that I was traveling across approximately three-quarters of the entire country each way.  Despite the long distance, over the nine months of the grant, I’ve come to savor these long train rides. The trains have not only transported me from […]

by Fulbright
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