Habitat for Humanity experience

My first academic term at Virginia Tech was a very fruitful experience and broadened my perspectives in life. Some of the most enriching experiences that I had during my stay were those involving community service.

During our gateway orientation in New York City at the Queens Botanical Garden, my fellow Fulbright grantees and I did some “gardening work," where we delved into the soil, weeded out the parasitic grass, and created circles around the trees. The Construction department at Virginia Tech offered students the opportunity to volunteer on a construction site of houses being built by Habitat for Humanity. My wife Amal, who is also a Fulbright student, and I immediately registered for the event.

The Habitat for Humanity experience was really challenging, but it was one of the days that I enjoyed most throughout my stay in the US. First, we had to wake up early in the morning in order to be at the construction site at around 7:00 AM. It reminded me of my previous job back home where I always had to be early on site. The houses were located 40 miles outside of Blacksburg, VA in a residential neighborhood. I was very excited to work with my peers and to enjoy spending time with them, but what made me most eager to get started was that I was coming back to a field that I have built up a lot knowledge in over the years through my work experience working in construction. However, I was greatly surprised that we were going to work with wood! I was conscious that wood construction was very popular in the U.S., but before that day, the word "construction" had always meant "concrete and rebar" to me.

A few minutes after we arrived, we were introduced to our construction manager who briefed us on our tasks and gave us the appropriate tools and safety equipment in order to get started. I was expecting to see volunteers around our age but I was totally surprised to see the opposite. Most of the volunteers were either middle-aged people in their 60s, or even in their 70s or 80s! I was so impressed with these people's conviction to work, and with their team spirit and willingness to contribute to community development. They were devoted to the cause and some had been volunteering for over thirty years. They managed to stay devoted to the cause for so long even while having successful careers. This was a real inspiration for all of us and was a real life lesson for me.

Our work required coordination of people from different generations, from all around the world, and with different backgrounds and skills. It was obviously not only socially beneficial for the group, but it was also physically demanding! All of the team members were involved in building, erecting scaffolding, painting, installing vinyl siding, constructing and installing window frames, building cabinets, and also moving rocks out of the path of the workers. Our team accomplished a wide variety of tasks!

Our day ended at around 2:00 PM and our hunger was greater than our desire to get back home for a warm shower and well deserved rest. We had lunch together and shared some conversations with the other volunteers before heading back to Blacksburg.

The hard work and effort we put into the construction of these homes provided me with a new life lesson about the importance of community building and teamwork. I am very glad I came. Thank you Habitat for Humanity for this wonderful experience!

Khalil Benali is a Moroccan Fulbrighter pursuing a Master’s in Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech.

Around the US!

The Fulbright experience is one of the best things that has happened to me. I'm so thankful for having the occasion to nourish my passion for civil engineering in one of the best universities in the world, Virginia Tech. I'm equally grateful for having the chance to live the Fulbright journey side–by-side with my other half, my husband Khalil Benali. We two Fulbrighters are living and enjoying this experience to the fullest.

Since Khalil and I are both devoted travelers, we are continuously seeking out opportunities to check out the next destination on our long "places to visit in the U.S." list.

From DC, to Florida, California, Arizona, and Nevada, these adventures have had a cultural significance for us and have given us a new perspective about America and how diverse this great country is. We have met so many new people and learned much more about the rich American culture than if we had spent all of our free time on campus. We have also significantly increased our resourcefulness by living in situations we would never have encountered back home.

In addition to skylines in the big cities and enormous bridges and highways, we specifically fell in love with Williams, Arizona, which we had the chance to visit on our way to the amazing Grand Canyon. Williams is an original mountain town in Arizona located along the historic Route 66. It is an insanely beautiful small city. It reflects an authentic image of a Western village and celebrates the historic Route 66 through different vintage car shows and absolutely eye-catching cowboy settings.

Our trips around the U.S. created memories for a lifetime. Now, we have many more nice as well as crazy stories to tell people. However, the adventure doesn't stop here. There are still many other places in the U.S. where excitement is waiting for us, and the best is yet to come!

Amal Bouraga is a Moroccan Fulbrighter pursuing a Master’s in Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech.

My Fulbright Experience

As an Arab woman who lived in a country with limited opportunities and resources, it was challenging for me to pursue my dreams, especially my Master’s. However, being a Fulbrighter has given me a great opportunity to pursue my dreams and it exposed me to ideals of freedom, cultural understanding and respect that have altered the way I have come to relate to others who face a similar plight as me.

I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in International Development and Social Change at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. Clark University, a liberal arts university whose motto is “Challenge Conventions, Change the World”, has instilled in me the idea that individuals when provided with the opportunity to do so can be quite powerful in changing the world. In the last one and a half years, I have matured as a critical thinker who is able to assume leadership roles and be able to advocate for those whose voices have been silenced. In the process, I learned how to build consensus between people with diverse cultures, religions, statuses, and beliefs.

This personal transformation was recognized not only by the department, faculty and staff, but also by my colleagues who elected me as their graduate representative for the Student Affairs Committee in the Board of Trustees and for the Diversity and Inclusion Committee at Clark University. I was chosen for that role because of my ability to bridge differences in perspectives and backgrounds, and because of my demonstrated leadership skills which were driven by my colleagues’ trust in my ability to influence positive change.

These personal transformations also inspired me to apply the theories of social justice and social change that I was learning at Clark University to the refugee and immigrant communities that have recently been resettled to Worcester, Massachusetts. Using my background and my bilingualism in Arabic and English, I was able to come up with innovative ways of accessing these isolated communities that were facing challenges on a daily basis and have largely remained hidden from mainstream U.S. society.

For my final Master's thesis, I conducted lengthy interviews and community forums with recently arrived refugee women from Iraq who never had the chance to share their stories of isolation, trauma, and sadness from being uprooted and forced to start all over again without any resources and support. Through this work, I was also able to assuage their fears about integrating into the U.S. society by teaching them English, facts about American culture, and celebrating their newly found freedom in their new home. Another project that I initiated as part of a course called “Displacement and Exile” involved getting to know a Somali Bantu refugee community. In the United States, Somalis are poorly understood and stigmatized because of the historical and political conflict that has spread throughout the world. In my project, I participated in their social gatherings, collected some of their poetry, songs, and stories and presented it to other students who have never encountered such a radically different culture than their own. This also allowed me to demonstrate to American students the richness and beauty of other cultures, and to convey the peacefulness and friendliness of this poorly integrated community.

The two previous projects fueled my passion and desire to continue this work outside of academia. I was given the opportunity to work as an intern with the Lutheran Social Services during the spring of 2014. My primary objective for this internship is to help displaced refugees assimilate to American culture. This, I am confident, is the first step in my aspirations for a long-term career trajectory that tries to bridges differences and fosters mutual understanding.

I am tremendously appreciative of the generosity and support of the Fulbright Exchange Program in allowing me to come to the United States to pursue my MA degree. In the process, I was able to become a better citizen of the world.

Ronza Almadbooh is a Fulbrighter from the West Bank pursuing an MA in International Development and Social Change at Clark University.