European teaching assistants Janek Margardt and Ana Valenciano Prieto each took part in a teaching assistant program at Pacific University as part of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
Ana Valenciano Prieto, from Madrid, Spain, assists in the Spanish department bringing contemporary culture to the groups and teaches a small conversational course on her own. She spends much of her time tutoring and preparing for her next lesson.
“It’s great to prepare classes,” said Valenciano, “I think it helps us learn how to teach better.”
Janek Margardt, from Saarland, Germany, enjoys playing basketball in his free time. As with much of Europe, sports and extracurricular activities aren’t often hosted by universities in Germany.
“In Germany, you might eat something at the university then you go back home. There is no school spirit,” said Margardt. “Here, you are like one unit when you meet someone who also goes here.”
Both students enjoy traveling and have spent time outside of Europe before. Margardt was previously part of an exchange program to Kansas and Valenciano lived in Mumbai, India for three years. Time away from home takes a toll, though. Valenciano described her homesickness:
“I want to stay here, though one day it would be nice to go back home,” she said.
“The biggest worry for an international student is cultural reverse shock,” said Valenciano, referring to the emotional and psychological stage of re-adjustment that many people experience when returning home after living abroad. Travelers can feel alienated, bored, or misunderstood after their time abroad has ended.
“Nobody talks about it much,” she says, “It’s very real.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted much of the scholars’ plans, such as attending a Fulbright conference in Washington, D.C. Both students keep their spirits high, though.
According to Valenciano, exploring the world isn’t just about traveling across the Atlantic.
“Anytime I go to Spain and I’m in my own town, I try to perceive through tourist eyes.”
—Tyler Burnett
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