Why I Started This Blog/My Fulbright Story
This blog has technically been in existence for a few years now. However, the site has sat unpublished with no blog posts ready to be shared. It had always been (and still is) my dream to become a travel writer, but anytime I tried to write about my travels, I became overwhelmed and bogged down with worries. Will anyone even read this? If they do, will they laugh? How can I consistently create posts that I am proud of? The fear of the project prevented me from starting, leaving me with tons of ideas for posts that remain unwritten. Now that I’m living abroad, I want to use my free time to share my experiences through writing. It won’t be anywhere near perfect, but that’s okay for now. As the saying goes, if you wait until you’re ready, you’ll be waiting the rest of your life!
I traveled growing up, but it was in a touristy way. I am still thankful for those experiences, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with trying to fit in a lot while on vacation. However, there is something magical about slow travel. You get to see more, learn more, and meet more people. Luckily, I have been given the opportunity to live in Podgorica, Montenegro, for 10 months, serving as an ETA. If you’re unfamiliar, the Fulbright Program is a U.S. government program that sends Americans abroad to teach, study, or conduct research. The goal is to build meaningful relationships between the countries–for Americans to learn more about their host country while also sharing their experiences from America.
I first heard about Fulbright while I was studying at the University of Pittsburgh. I had become very interested in psycholinguistics after taking a psychology course entitled “Bilingualism”. After making my roommate listen to how thrilling I found the potential models of bilingualism, she mentioned the scholarship to me. She knew I had always considered teaching English abroad, and being a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) really did seem like a perfect fit for me. I eventually joined a psycholinguistic lab, where I assisted graduate students in conducting research on various aspects of multilingualism. Their projects ranged from exploring the link between music skills and tonal languages to figuring out which techniques make learning a second language easier.
In May 2024, I started working on my application. I applied to be an ETA in Montenegro because it offered a unique opportunity to experience the close connections between the South Slavic languages. I was also intrigued by the rich history of the Balkans and by the slower way of life. I began taking a BCMS course, which stands for Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and Serbian, at Pitt. The languages are all very similar, yet are considered to be distinct languages. My professor was from Podgorica—the city I hoped to be placed in—so I loved our conversations about her country, both the language and the culture. I continued to study the language with her even after I graduated in December 2024. Along with the foreign language classes, I was also getting TEFL Certified online. By the end of January 2025, I had my Level 5 TEFL Certification.
I submitted my application in October, but I didn’t get notified that I had been selected until late May. After months of perfecting my application followed by even more months of worrying about what my future would hold, I finally had the answer. I can’t explain the happiness I felt after reading that email. I had put so much time and effort into my application and had never wanted anything more.
The next few months were spent preparing to move over 5,000 miles away from home. This included obtaining a background check, getting a new credit and debit card, attending Zoom meetings and presentations, finding an apartment in Podgorica, and getting enough of my medications to last me a year abroad, which was harder than you might think! Since I have epilepsy, ensuring I had my medicine was of the utmost importance. I can’t thank my parents enough for helping me deal with insurance!
So why start the blog now after so many years? I remember being told to search for blogs written by Fulbrighters in Montenegro and barely being able to find one, while there were tons of blogs written by Fulbrighters in other countries. I hope that this blog can be helpful for applicants hoping to apply to teach or do research here. Furthermore, I want to use this blog to connect with my friends and family back home. With everyone leading their own hectic lives on top of the time difference, it can be hard to consistently call everyone with whom I’m close. Through the blog, my friends and family can keep updated on how my life is going in Montenegro. Lastly, I hope to reflect on my past travels and share stories about the new adventures I go on. I would love to make some travel guides, too. Overall, I am thrilled to have a space to share my stories and begin my journey writing while abroad!
