Best Roommates

When I was applying for housing at North Dakota State University, I requested a studio apartment. I thought that as a graduate teaching assistant I would need all the time in the world to plan lessons, work on my papers, and grade coursework--which was true. However, all of the studios were full, so the residence life office assigned me to a quad room with three roommates. At the beginning of this experience, I was not sure what to expect, though that quickly changed. When my roommates and I first moved in together we all kept our distance. However, soon enough we would all meet in the kitchen late at night looking for something to eat, so we sat together and chatted about the day. Very quickly we got to know each other better and became more comfortable in each other’s company.

Our creative ideas sparkled when we worked together. One of my roommates has a TV and DVD player. The other one brought a cable from home. So we had the TV in the common area. And we decided that Friday would be our movie night. It has become a weekend ritual where we buy snacks, or cook something, and watch a move chosen by one of the roommates (we select in turns).Additionally, we regularly cook one or two meals together for dinner and over the weekend. Cooking has become very creative as we try each other’s recipes. It is a real mix of cultures.

Among all this, I forgot that I was on the waiting list for a studio. In the month of November, I received an email from the residence life office saying that I have to move to my studio room as soon as possible. My roommates and I were shocked. My roommates encouraged me to talk to the director of the residence hall I live in to see if I could stay. They even came with me to talk to the RA first to ask if I could stay. I was really touched that they stood with me. The RA said he was not sure if there was something that could be done, so we went back to our room. We started thinking about packing and going to see each other every day. We planned on continuing to still go shopping together, share food, and keep each other updated by using the phone application “WhatsApp”.

After talking to the RA, I wrote an email to the director asking when I should be moving out and he replied the next day saying that I could stay! We all thought this was a good reason for a celebration since it was clear we had become much closer after living together for only a short time. We kept our celebration small and we bought ice cream and stayed in talking about what we would have done if I had actually left.

I am now glad to be in a quad with my roommates. We can have all the quiet time when we need it, but we enjoy learning about each other and living together.

Ibtissem Belmihoub is an Algerian Fulbrighter pursuing an MA in English at North Dakota State University-Fargo.

My Independence Day in the USA

Experiencing the 4th of July in The United States of America is a unique experience. You can notice the United States flags on the majority of buildings, and people dress up patriotically as much as they can on that day! The colors red, white and blue are seen everywhere, even on cakes and candies. Some people go to festivals and concerts, while others enjoy barbecues and picnics with their families and friends. Many young people celebrate and set off fireworks for several days, but the fireworks on the 4th of July are the biggest and the most beautiful of all. I’m really thankful to Fulbright for giving me the opportunity to experience American culture!

Wissam Razouk is a Moroccan Fulbrighter doing research in Computer Science at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

Independence Day in the USA

I spent the 4th of July in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In the morning, my colleagues and I had brunch before seeing the parade, which took place in downtown Chapel Hill. It was the first time I saw an American parade in person. I really loved it. It was joyful and fun, and many people were present. At lunch, my friends and I gathered around a barbecue. There were many people of different nationalities and we spent the afternoon together. At the end of the day, we went to Kenan Stadium on campus at the University of North Carolina to see the fireworks. As the first time celebrating Independence Day, this very special day for The United States of America, I had a great time and made wonderful memories. I am glad to have had this experience.

Imane Allali is a Moroccan Fulbrighter studying Bioinformatics at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

My July 4th Experience in the USA

I was ready to celebrate Independence Day in New York City but I was so sad that the weather forecast was bad. Storm Arthur was approaching NYC and there was a possibility of postponing the fireworks celebration over NYC from the Brooklyn Bridge! Just a day before the event, the forecast said it would be cleared on the 4th by 5:00pm but with the possibility of rain, so I took the trip from Valhalla, NY to NYC to set up my tripod and camera. I had to put all of the tutorials I watched on Youtube on “how to catch the fireworks on camera” in action, because this was my first time watching fireworks and I never had this exciting event in Iraq.

I stood there on the shore of the Brooklyn Bridge Park facing the great history before my eyes, the great landscape of NYC and the sunset behind that great city and nation which is based on free men who wrote “freedom” on the wall of eternity once upon a time, and all Americans celebrating this moment from now till the end of time, this is the power of free will.

Ammar Al-Attar is an Iraqi Fulbrighter pursuing an MS in Physiology at New York Medical College.

Visiting Disney World in Florida!

I am a Fulbright scholar from Jordan, and I was in the United States for a Master’s program at Florida State University. I feel I am very lucky to study at this school for two major reasons: it’s the number one college in football games, and it won the national championship in 2013! That was a big deal and it was great to witness and watch great games and all this success for such a famous college. I also had the chance to actually attend games which was so much fun and a unique cultural experience. I attached a photo of myself while getting excited to enter a football game and cheer for my school :) Go Noles!! 

The second reason I feel lucky to have studied at Florida State, which might even be a greater deal, is that Florida is the Sunshine State, and is the home of DISNEY WORLD!!! Visiting Disney World was my childhood dream and this is the place where dreams come true! :) People pay so much money to travel to Disney and I could just drive by car to get there! Disney World consists of four parks and I was able to go to two of them: the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. When I first entered the Magic Kingdom, it brought out all of my childish spirit and drew a wide smile on my face all day long!! I went on almost every ride, jumping from one to another to make sure that I got most of them in my precious time! It was a lifetime opportunity, and it was a great deal for me and I felt like I was dreaming! I also had the chance to meet and take photos with my favorite Disney characters like Minnie Mouse, Daisy, Aladdin and Jasmine, and Belle. In addition to exploring different rides I saw the amazing Disney parade, where there’s a dancing show and every character walks around with lovely Disney songs. I was lucky to see the night parade, which was magnificent, with sparkling lights and music...it was just great! I ended the day with best the part: Cinderella’s castle fireworks show!! That was definitely the best day of my life so far!

I also went to the Epcot center, which is another great place to visit. It has a different style with future-themed rides and different international country shows, with amazing landscape views with lakes and flowers. I felt like travelling the whole world in one place! I had lunch in Italy then desserts in France; I then visited Morocco, then later took a jungle boat trip in African forests, and I ending up having Chinese food for dinner! Can this get any better?! We also had a training and simulated travel to the moon!! :) We landed safely though!

I can say that the Disney experience is the best thing that happened to me in the USA and my life (besides getting my Master’s) and I have seen things that I've never experienced in my life. It is certainly an unforgettable, amazing memory and I wish to go back again and again!! I am really grateful for having this chance!

Oh...and I finally graduated!

Having the chance to study in an American academic setting was not only a unique experience, but it also opened my eyes to more opportunities. I can tell it wasn't easy for me especially in the beginning to get used to a new studying system, which mainly rotates around independence and giving the student many options to choose from when pursuing a degree. This decentralized system is also another form of student freedom, which is the reason why the U.S. system produces distinguished students where anyone can have a customized studying plan to meet one’s needs and produce a new, different major.

Mingling with different students (whether international or local) was also a fun experience for me and I learned a lot from them, especially about the way they think and live. It all added up to my academic experience until graduation day, which was my ultimate pleasure and the fruit of all sleepless nights I had!

Zein Al Zomut is a Jordanian Fulbrighter alumna who graduated with an MS in Nutrition Science at Florida State University.