Ester Lišková is the wife of a Fulbrighter 
Petr Liška and the mother of their one-year-old daughter Lada. In August 2025, Ester and their four-month-old daughter accompanied Petr to Stanford University in California, where he began his Fulbright grant as a physical engineer. What initially seemed like an overwhelming adventure filled with unknowns gradually turned into a deeply rewarding and life-changing experience. Along the way, Ester discovered not only a welcoming local community but also that traveling abroad with a baby came with one unexpected advantage: their daughter quickly became the perfect icebreaker for spontaneous conversations and new friendships. For anyone wondering whether to accompany their Fulbrighter across the Atlantic, Ester’s answer is simple: say yes.
When my husband first mentioned applying for Fulbright, I decided not to think about it too much. I was already pregnant, and the idea of relocating to California with an infant really scared me. I remember thinking, “Let’s not worry about it right now — who knows what the future will bring.” I repeated the same sentence throughout the whole application process, as our daughter was born, as we searched for an apartment in California, and as we packed. And one day, we were just standing at Munich Airport, boarding the plane to San Francisco, and I thought, “Too late to back out now — let’s have a blast.”
When we first arrived in Palo Alto, I noticed a very nice park half a block away and went to explore it with my daughter, who was 4 months old at the time. The park was full of toddlers and their parents or nannies, and people immediately noticed us and started talking to us. Where are you from? How long are you staying? How old is the baby? How do you like the US so far? We immediately felt welcomed and had the chance to become part of a wonderful community of parents who always had time to talk to us about whatever baby or personal troubles we were going through.
I had a very similar welcoming feeling at Stanford University. The first time we walked on campus will be a memory I will never forget. As we walked through Palm Drive, saw the Oval for the first time, and stepped onto the Main Quad with Memorial Church, it all seemed unreachable — but we were standing there. That was the moment when it really hit me: I had moved halfway across the world with an infant, with no family or friends nearby.
Fortunately, Stanford University, through the Bechtel International Center, provides many activities for international families: weekly coffee socials, classes where people introduce their home countries, a moms’ club, and weekly hikes. I will dearly miss the Dish hikes and my fellow hikers.
Through the center, I met the most amazing and generous community. They immediately welcomed us as one of their own, always had a kind word for us, and the shared experience of starting a completely new life far away from home really brought us all together. Thanks to this amazing community, I also had the opportunity to apply for an educational grant and take a class offered by Stanford University.
My family also had the opportunity to go on a road trip. We took tons of pictures at the Golden Gate Bridge, saw spectacular ocean views along Highway 1, searched for the Mickey Mouse star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, were amazed by how grand the Grand Canyon is in real life, experienced the vibrant energy of Las Vegas, counted how many people it would take to hug General Sherman, looked for antelopes in Antelope Canyon and bears in Yosemite, and even had a real-life Jurassic Park experience in Fern Canyon at Redwood National Park.
To be truly honest, there were many moments when I felt very tired and frustrated with this whole experience. There were times when I wished we had stayed home, close to my family and friends, and that we had never left. But with the help of all the amazing people around me and the beautiful Californian sunny skies, I overcame those negative feelings and am leaving with a sense of a huge personal victory. I moved to a new country with my now happy toddler, managed to make new friendships, educate myself, travel through California, and create the most amazing and precious memories.
California, we will definitely miss you!
Note: Be sure not to miss Petr Liška's perspective on the family's year abroad, previously published on our blog.