Ao abrigo de uma Bolsa Fulbright-Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA), Inês Almeida foi assistente de lecionação da Língua e da Cultura portuguesas na Northwesten University, IL, EUA.
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At Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, I had one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, academically and professionally, as well as personally. I was warmly welcomed by all the professors, students and staff in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese. As a Foreign Language Teaching Assistant for the Portuguese language, I had the opportunity to work closely with students, assist them in their studies, and contribute to create and organize so many different extracurricular activities, where I could share with them my passion for the Portuguese language and cultures in all its wonderful varieties. In such a rich program, mostly directed towards Brazilian Portuguese but which strives to encompass the complexity of the lusophone world, it was so enriching to collaborate with other professors and bring new perspectives and my life experience to the classroom and outside of it, too.
As an FLTA, I was also able to study in an academic environment of excellence with professors who are leaders in their respective fields within the Humanities and Linguistics, which was inspiring for the continuation of my studies and research work. The greatest advantage of this experience was definitely having participated in and contributed to an environment of true intercultural exchange, where languages and cultures intertwined in an atmosphere of respect and appreciation, and where we had fun growing and learning together. I will always carry the memory of this year at Northwestern with me, of all the travels around the USA and especially to Chicago, and of the great friends I have made.
I am so grateful to Fulbright Portugal for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And to all my friends at Northwestern, go Wildcats!
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Thank you, Inês, welcome back!