Fulbright U.S. English Teaching Assistant Spotlight: Jefrrey Lin

Applying and preparing for an opportunity like a Fulbright Scholarship can be a nerve-wracking experience. To ease your mind and provide you with an insider’s look into the Fulbright experience as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Kosovo, we decided to catch up with our U.S. Fulbright community. We asked them to reflect on their Fulbright experience in Kosovo and answer a few insightful questions, from preparing their applications to what it was really like living and being engaged in Kosovo as an ETA.

We’re continuing our series of questions with 2023-2024 grantee Jeffrey Lin, who graduated from the University of Delaware in 2023 with a degree in biochemistry. He spent an academic year as an ETA at the International Business College Mitrovica (IBCM).

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers Study/Research Awards to recent college graduates, graduate students, and early career professionals. These awards allow grantees to design their projects, which typically involve working with advisers at foreign universities or other institutes of higher education, including here in Kosovo.

More info here: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/applicants/types-of-awards/study-research

What is your educational and professional background?

I graduated from the University of Delaware in 2023 with a degree in biochemistry. I was originally on a pre-medicine track, but decided to pursue a career in church and parachurch ministries instead. In many ways, the pastor and physician vocations have a great deal of overlap!

Why did you choose to apply for the Fulbright Program?

I first came to Kosovo in the Summer of 2021, volunteering with an NGO in Pristina called Shtëpia e Shpresës. I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to come back after graduation! In terms of available opportunities, I was particularly attracted to the flexibility of the Fulbright grant- a 15-hour-a-week teaching commitment would give me significant classroom engagement, and significant freedom to engage with other areas in my host community. And I got to choose which country to apply for! In this way, Kosovo was a no-brainer. 

Could you tell us about your experience as a Fulbrighter in Kosovo?

For the most part, I lived and worked in the city of Mitrovica, in the northern region of Kosovo. I taught college English at International Business College Mitrovica (IBCM). My supplemental project was establishing a children’s English course with the Roma-Ashkali Documentation Center (RADC). In my spare time, I took language lessons, got involved with a local church, and served and participated with various other NGOs around the city. Serve The City, Së Bashku, and Bonevet, to name a few. Lots of coffee meetups, hikes, and game nights with friends, too!

What is the most valuable component you have gained from the program? 

The vision of the Fulbright is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and the people of other cultures. But what does that look like, practically? The most important way I found was by listening. How do I pick up the tricky local Albanian dialect? Listening. How do I navigate difficult conversations about Albanian-Serbian relations? Listening. How do I identify a student’s barriers to improving their English proficiency? Listening. I think listening cuts through the layers of superficial and touristic engagement with other cultures that Americans can sometimes be guilty of. Listening to respect; listening to receive; listening to recognize. Through English teaching, I had opportunities to shape Kosovo’s educational institutions. But by listening, I had opportunities to myself be shaped. And that shaping will stay with me for a lifetime.

How do you plan to implement the knowledge gained as a part of the program after you return to the U.S.?

I want to organize cross-cultural experiences for young people to see the world in their place in it from a different perspective. The highs and lows I experienced in Kosovo have prepared me to walk alongside others when their culture collides another. As humans, we need such experiences. With the right framework and coaching, they can make us more empathetic, open-minded, appreciative of the others, and aware of the cultural forces that shape us at home and abroad, for better and for worse. In an increasingly global society and world, cross-cultural competence grows all the more important.

How was the application process for you, and what advice do you have for prospective candidates?

The University of Delaware has a great mentorship program for Fulbright applicants, and I even connected with a Fulbright Kosovo alumnus from my alma mater. They helped me stay on track and gave me helpful feedback on my essays. I had to put in work over the summer on the essays, but thanks to the support I had, it was a relatively straightforward (and ultimately, successful!) process.

My biggest tip is to draft, draft, and draft again. Your personal statement and statement of grant purpose are the most important components in your draft, and these are not ones to start writing at the last minute. Look for a Fulbright Ambassador panel for specific tips on what to include in these essays and how to include them. Then, create an outline and draft early. Send these out to trusted friends and colleagues and ask them to be brutally honest. Revise and repeat. Other than that, just believe in the stories and experiences that attracted you to the Fulbright Program in the first place!

What is the biggest culture shock you experienced during your time in Kosovo?

I was about the only Asian person living in my host community. While that generated a lot of interest and opened doors for building relationships, it also led to snickering, pointing, and unwanted approaches, mostly by young people. But when I got to know people, I could explain more about my culture and appearance, and it often led to helpful and mutual conversations. I just had to learn that I couldn’t have those conversations with everyone, and in those cases, to let the comments roll off me and find friends and colleagues who could support me in difficult moments.

What is your favorite place you have visited in Kosovo while participating in the Fulbright program?

Outside Mitrovica, I’d say Prishtina or Peja! Prishtina is always bustling with lots to do, and I made some good friends during my visits there. Shout-out to Pristina Poetry Club! Kosovo has some stunning natural beauty, and Peja is a great example of this. Take a hike in the Rugova Mountains! 

What is your favorite Kosovar dish/food?

Probably gullash, byrek, or flija! And any variety of stuffed and pickled peppers.