Fulbright Reality Czech

Barbora Kaplánková is a film specialist  who focuses on animated films and fantasy. She is currently pursuing her PhD in the Department of Theater and Film at Palacky University. During the 2023/2024 academic year, she spent five months at Idaho State University as a Fulbright grantee, researching gender within the fantasy franchise from 2000 to 2020. The university is located in Pocatello, the sixth-largest city in Idaho, at an elevation of 1,360 meters above sea level. Barbora's journey to the U.S. illustrated what to expect during her Fulbright grant—overcoming challenges and adapting to different ways of doing things than at home was inevitable. Recognizing the transformative power of her experience across the Atlantic, Barbora encourages others who struggle to envision themselves far from their comfort zones to apply for Fulbright: "I went to do research on fantasy in a small town, and now I’m someone who has seen a bison. If you’re hesitating, I wholeheartedly recommend ...

Isabel Keleti is a pianist. Bree Nichols is a soprano. Their paths first crossed in September 2021, when they met at the Fulbright orientation for U.S. grantees in Prague; they were just beginning their academic year in the Czech Republic. Isabel came to study Leoš Janáček and other Czech gems of the piano repertoire, and it is no surprise that her host institution was the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno. Bree's research project "Czech Art Song: An Anthology and Recital Series 'From the Page to the Stage'" was hosted at the Faculty of Education of Palacký University in Olomouc. Although they had not originally expected to collaborate, Isabel and Bree would eventually perform together in seven concerts in six cities across the Czech Republic throughout their grant period. One highlight was their early June performance on the rooftop of Prague’s Lucerna together with future Czech Fulbrighter Tomáš Jamník. In this blog post, Isabel and Bree share...

Jiří Pánek se věnuje propojování virtuálního a hmatatelného geografického informačního systému v Centru pro geoprostorovou analýzu na North Carolina State University. Do půlmilionového města Raleigh v Severní Karolíně se v říjnu tohoto roku přestěhoval společně s manželkou Lenkou a dcerou Šarlotkou na šest měsíců. Svůj výjezd do USA plánoval asi dva roky předem. Jeho hlavní motivací byla příležitost naučit se nové věci, posunout se dál a přinést novinky na domácí Univerzitu Palackého v Olomouci. O významu dlouhodobého stipendijního pobytu v USA pro další akademickou práci i obecný kulturní nadhled dobře věděl od kolegů z oboru a mnoha přátel, kteří s Fulbrightovým stipendiem do USA vyjeli v minulosti. Jiří Pánek se o své dojmy ze života v USA pravidelně dělí na svém osobním blogu . V následujícím textu nabízí českým stipendistům svou aktuální zkušenost s nákupem auta.     Jedna z otázek, kterou řeší snad všichni Fulbrightisté před a během jejich pobytu, a to bez...