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.
Welcome to the 2022-2023 Group of U.S. Fulbrighters!
From September 28 to September 30, the Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission organized the in-country Orientation in honor of the new cohort of U.S. Fulbright grantees. The event took place at the Fulbright Commission and brought together 23 American Fulbrighters who have recently arrived in the country along with their families. More U.S. grantees will be joining us in the second semester of this academic year, bringing the group to a total of 33 American Fulbrighters.
The new group of American Fulbrighters consists of scholars, student researchers, and English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) who are teaching and/or performing research in the fields of Language & Poetry, Music & Arts, American Studies, Human Rights, Education, Filmmaking, Mathematics, Cross-Cultural Studies, History, and Political Science, at universities around the country.
The first day of the orientation was dedicated to the ETAs who attended two crash courses, delivered by Prof. Lucian Ciolan and Dr. Simona Iftimescu from the University of Bucharest, on the challenges and opportunities of the higher education system in Romania and teaching methodologies. In the second part of the day, the ETAs met with their mentors from universities in Arad, Baia Mare, Brașov, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Constanța, Craiova, Galați, Iași, Oradea, Sibiu, Suceava, and Timișoara.
The day concluded with a reception at Casa Oamenilor de Știință, where the entire group of U.S. Fulbrighters had the occasion to meet with other Fulbright alumni, partners and friends of the Commission.
On September 29, the group was officially welcomed by U.S. and Romanian officials: Mr. William O’Connor, Cultural Attaché at the U.S. Embassy, Mr. Andrei Cosmin Luca, Director, Department of Cultural Diplomacy, Education and Science, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Cristina Chevereșan, Fulbright Ambassador and Associate Professor at West University of Timișoara, and Prof. Mircea Dumitru, Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission. The grantees were also briefed on consular, security, political, public diplomacy and media issues by U.S. Embassy experts.
In the second part of the day, Fulbright alumni Dr. Theresa Burriss, Dr. Diana Camelia Yuksel, and Dr. Liviu Chelcea discussed about “Adjusting to Romanian academic life and culture,” while Prof. Dragoș Iliescu talked about adapting to a new culture and “Emotional Tools for Shaping the Fulbright Experience.” The orientation continued with a session on Fulbright logistics, tackling issues such as the financial aspects of the grants, documents needed for the residence permit, reimbursements for work-related travel, but also discussing about plans on future meetings with the group and ways to keep in touch. The day concluded with a presentation about the Fulbright program for Romanian citizens and the activities of the Commission’s Educational Advising Center, outlining various opportunities for future cooperation with the U.S. Fulbrighters.
The third day of the orientation included a bus tour of the city, with a visit to the Cotroceni National Museum, headquarters of the Presidential Administration, and to the Ceaușescu Mansion.
We would like to express our gratitude to all of our speakers and participants for their presence and contribution to the Orientation. In addition to all the presentations, lectures, and briefings, we are thrilled that the in-person orientation also served as a platform for our American grantees to get to know one another and the Commission staff.
We wish you all an amazing academic year and we are looking forward to keeping in touch during your Fulbright journey!
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More photos are available on the Commission’s Facebook page.