Přeskočit na hlavní obsah

Goodbye Czech Republic!

For three weeks now, the Czech Republic has closed its borders. Our US grantees were strongly urged by the Department of State to leave the Czech Republic and return to the US. For us, but especially for our grantees, it was a heartbreaking and a very emotionally-demanding time. Most of the grantees did not manage to say proper goodbyes to those they worked with and befriended in their cities. So, now, we share their Facebook posts from the past days, as well as reports from the colleagues who enjoyed working with them. Warning: you may get emotional!


















Štítky:

Populární příspěvky z tohoto blogu

Czech Prom Season: A Story of a Feathered Raffle Win

Authors: Griffin Trau, Katie Winner, Alanna Powers (current Fulbright ETAs) If you’re an American, chances are we all had similar prom experiences in high school. Usually a few weeks before graduation, boys ask girls to the prom. Girls buy a fancy dress, and boys a nice suit with a matching tie. Prom night consists of about an hour of picture taking with your date and friend group, followed by a ride to prom in a nice car or a limo. The dance itself is about three hours long, and the only people in attendance are typically students at the school with a handful of teacher chaperones. After prom ends, around 10 or 11 p.m., all the students leave and go their separate ways for the night, usually to a post-prom hang out. After attending six (and counting!) Czech proms, I can confidently state that Czech proms are nothing like American proms. At all. My school, Střední Škola Informatiky a Služeb, is a technical school with seven different concentrations of study. Of these seve...
Další informace

Ian Zwaschka: The Czech Republic Was Once Just a Postcard

Ian Zwaschka is a high school English  teacher. In 2024/2025 he served at the Petr Bezruč Gymnázium in Frýdek-Místek as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. With a BA in English, Creative Writing, and Cinema, and a year of teaching in South Korea under his belt, he slipped into the rhythm of a Czech college-prep high school as if he’d been there for years. During his grant, Ian energized students with a popular improv club, joined the local folk band Ondrášek on stage, presented at an academic conference, and dove into Czech lessons so he could chat with locals instead of relying on wild gesturing. Somewhere between the mountains, the music, and the everyday wonder of a town of 50,000, Frýdek-Místek stole his heart. So when a job offer from the Vocational High School arrived, Ian didn’t think twice. His Czech adventure was not ready to end. The Czech Republic was once a postcard to me – a saturated image of the Charles Bridge with Prague written in cursive at the bottom. Th...
Další informace

Dawn Norris: From Fulbright to Full-Time Research

Dawn Norris is a sociologist. She received her PhD and Master’s degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park, and previously served as a professor at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. In Spring 2023, Dawn traveled to Prague as a Fulbright Scholar—and she "caught the bug." While teaching at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts, she explored how national history, social structures, and culture shape work trends and experiences. Beyond the classroom, her research delved into how people living in and around Prague understand the meaning of work and unemployment. Then came an unexpected twist: during her final week on Fulbright, Dawn met someone who instantly made her aware of a research position for which she could apply at the University of Ostrava. The project? Conducting in-depth interviews with Czech coal miners about their identities and what work means to them. It was a perfect fit. Today, 15 months into this life-changing move, Dawn reflects: "Every day ...
Další informace