Romania took hold of my heart in 2015 and since then has consumed my mind and soul. As with any genuine commitment, my relationship with this beautiful, complex country has grown and deepened over time as I have learned of its many tragedies, as well as its many triumphs. I have surrendered myself to Romania. [...] As I continue my Romanian journey, I marvel over the resiliency and fortitude of the people. I am fortunate to have developed close relationships, familial in many ways, with many Romanians. And I am eternally grateful to have been granted a Fulbright and honored to become part of this amazing community.
U.S. Fulbrighters to Romania Participate in EU-NATO Seminar
English Teaching Assistants Elyse Reed, Gabrielle Popa, and Reana Radu recently joined fellow U.S. Fulbrighters from across Europe for the annual EU–NATO seminar in Brussels and Luxembourg.
Reflecting on the experience, Elyse Reed shared:
“I remember when I first visited Brussels two years ago, I sat outside the European Commission–the EU’s policy-making body–on a bench with a waffle watching smartly dressed, busy people ingress and egress. Politics geek that I was, I marveled at this imposing institution that helped govern most of a continent, and hoped to someday, in the distant future, be able to go inside.
When I was selected to represent Romania to the Fulbright Seminar on the EU and NATO, I found myself suddenly invited into these same institutions just two years later. The seminar’s purpose is to convene American Fulbrighters from across Europe to study the importance of Europe and the United States’ relationship. My fellow delegates Reana Radu, Gabrielle Popa, and I arrived in Luxembourg City on February 24th to embark on a high-intensity tour of Europe’s highest governing bodies with 45 other Fulbrighters. We received a crash course in the history of the EU, then were immediately shuttled to the U.S. Embassy, where we met the ambassador and Fulbright alumni working in and around Luxembourg. The next morning, we visited the European Court of Justice (where I was particularly starstruck) and sat in on a real oral argument in the high court, and received a lecture on the court’s history by Fulbright alumnus Judge Paul Nihoul.
We then journeyed to Brussels, where we were graciously welcomed by the European Commission and Parliament to discuss how they create and legislate viable policy for 27 member countries with different environments, economies, and cultures. The process is predictably incredibly complex, but the expert staff took time to answer our questions and humanize the work of the institutions. We ended our time in Brussels with a day at NATO headquarters speaking with the Foreign Service Officers and staff of the U.S. Mission. There we had frank discussions on the politics and operations of NATO, a voluntary alliance for defense across the North Atlantic.
At the risk of banality, I must say, however, that the most impactful part of this seminar was the people. Fulbright captures some of the most curious young scholars in America studying medicine, engineering, humanities, politics, public health and more; bringing 48 of them to one place to connect and learn together is a rare gift to every participant. Thank you especially to Erica Lutes and Jace Jasper of the Fulbright Commission to Luxembourg and Belgium, who led an incredible program that connected us all!”