After seven months of teaching with Fulbright in Belarus, I was told to leave. It was March in Belarus, year 2020. I was living in an adorable 1950s apartment in a small town in Belarus, where I was trying my best to immerse into the local community and help locals learn English...
The energy starts to change in February in Belarus. You’ve gotten through the worst of winter, the days start getting longer, and the early beginnings of Spring start to show. Yes, there was still snow and I still needed my parka, but there was a sign of hope that we made it through...
Fulbright is one of the most prestigious fellowship programs in the world. It’s also one of the most competitive. You must have a strong application in order to be competitive. I was awarded a Fulbright ETA to Belarus for the 2019-2020 academic year. I loved it! I’m sharing my...
In my previous Belarus update, I was in Germany celebrating Christmas with my parents. Once they left, I planned on exploring some of Poland on my way back to Belarus, then spend the rest of my January in Belarus. Instead, I realized how deeply I missed familiarity and my friends in...
If you read my previous update, you’ll know that I was greatly anticipating a refresh. While every day is a new day to start again, a new month feels more smashing a reset button in my book. December in Belarus was going to be different for me, and it was. It was filled with...
Do you think I’m fat? Because some Belarusians do and, in November in Belarus, they weren’t afraid to tell me. Positive remnants of Soviet culture remain in Belarus, such as the immaculately clean cities and no one living on the street. It’s so safe here that young...
Time flashed before my eyes this month. I blinked, and my Belarus in October was over. I found my groove in Belarus this month. Naturally, I don’t have everything figured out, but I’m comfortably shopping, navigating, and living out daily life. Here are the defining moments...
I’ve been excited all month to write this post, but now I realize how difficult it is to summarize 30 days of excitement, confusion, friendship, and frustration. Belarus is quickly appearing on travelers’ radars, but they have no idea what this country is about. Hopefully, I...