Fulbright Reality Czech

By Maureen Heydt This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Becky Schwartz If you look at a map of the Czech Republic, you can see an interestingly shaped deviation along the western Czech border, where the line breaks and forms a small pocket. This pocket area constitutes the most western reaching area of the Czech Republic, and is surrounded on three sides by Germany. And here within lies the border town of Aš, home for one year to Becky Schwartz, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to the Czech Republic. Becky, a music aficionado, spends her time teaching eight different grades in the local gymnazium, and experiencing an unexpected multiculturalism in this crossroads town. Read below to find out more about Becky, and her unique experiences living in a Czech border town. -------------------------------------- Fast Facts ------------ --------- ------------------- Hometown: West Hartford, Connecticut College, Major/Minor: Bates College, American Cultural St...

By Maureen Heydt This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Kelley Garland Kelley Garland hails from Wantagh, New York, and is spending the 2016-2017 school year serving as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to the Czech Republic, in the northeastern town of Nová Paka. In a town of about 8,000 people, Kelley devotes her time to teaching English in the local high school, while also involving herself in creating cross-cultural connections between herself and her students, colleagues, neighbors, and community. Read below to find out more about Kelley, a former class president of her college, as she speaks about her experiences living in a small Czech town, and why she considers international education and exchanges to be so important.   -------------------------------------- Fast Facts ------------ --------- ------------------- Hometown: Wantagh, New York College, Major/Minor: Providence College, Global Studies/Business Studies, French, Sociology Scho...

By Maureen Heydt This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.  Rachel Landau Rachel Landau is a native New Yorker, who is serving this year as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in the small town of Hranice, Czech Republic. Having pursued Environmental Studies for her baccalaureate degree, Rachel was placed at a Czech high school specializing in the field of forestry. Along with her teaching duties, she has participated in as many activities as possible with her students, ranging from taking dance lessons, making home visits, to even going out on a hunt with students. Rachel works earnestly and dynamically to make the most of her grant year as possible, serving as an exemplar of what the Fulbright Program is all about, making lasting connections across cultures and countries- a message that’s as important as ever today. Read below to find out about Rachel’s myriad passions, and her experiences spending a year teaching English at a forestry high school ...