Experiencing America: Through the Eyes of Visiting Fulbright Scholars

While all of us involved in the Fulbright program recognize that the Fulbright program exists to provide educational and cultural exchanges between the people of the U.S. and the people of other countries around the world, we may sometimes not realize in what varied ways this plays out for real individual grantees.  It is very easy to focus on the broad goals of the program a whole, forgetting that each and every Fulbright recipient experiences the program in a series of insights and experiences unique to him or her.

Receiving a Fulbright scholarship is a great source of pride.  It can also be a source of wonder, trepidation about moving far away from home and a known culture, anxiety about the new environment, unexpected joy, mountains of work, intense learning, new habits, new professional concepts, frustration, home sickness, new ideas about people and life, and new friends.  The contributors to this volume, very real Fulbright student grantees, have been incredibly generous in sharing their experiences with the rest of us.   They have shared their honest perceptions before coming to the U.S. and the experiences and thought processes that helped to change or intensify these ideas.   In the process they relate very real adventures that are insightful, heartwarming, poignant, and sometimes funny.   Their stories are sometimes distressing, but always insightful about how these very bright students see the U.S. and its people.

The stories shared in this book are especially useful for those considering coming to the U.S. to study.  While U.S. schools and Education USA staff can repeat unlimited times that people in the U.S. are almost all warm and friendly to students from other countries, there is no substitute for hearing the stories of real students from countries outside the U.S.  Each story also reinforces the reality that no one has an absolutely smooth experience, but that with imagination, patience, and a sense of humor, everyday obstacles can be overcome.  The overwhelming message of each of the contributors is that their experience was, on the whole, very positive.

Grace Clark, PhD.

Executive Director

United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan