by Oleksandra Volakova The very first event of International Education Week – a week celebrating cultures and languages all around the globe – was organized by representatives from various cultures worldwide. Wesleyan’s Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) collaborated with Fries Center for Global Studies to organize a FLTA Carnival – a festival featuring specific games,…
Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs)
The Language Fair: Bringing the Language Learning Community at Wesleyan Together
by Oleksandra Volakova The Language Fair, organized by the Language Ambassadors at the Fries Center and other passionate Wesleyan students, welcomed visitors with music in various languages, and activities to learn more about them. The students could start their exploration by talking to representatives of the Study Abroad office or Wesleyan Linguistics club, writing calligraphy,…
Eurovision @ Wes
by Oleksandra Volakova Last weekend, dozens of singers, musicians, and bands from different countries performed in the Grand Final of Eurovision, an annual international song competition. It unites people of various countries who are overwhelmed and inspired by emotions and is meant to create a politics-free safe space. Each country of the European Broadcasting Union…
Adventures Around the World for Children: Wes Students Volunteer at Russell Library for Intercultural Fair
by Oleksandra Volakova Traveling to ten different countries in four continents in less than two hours sounds impossible, but not for those who visited Russell Library on Saturday, April 27. At the “Adventures Around the World” event, children got a chance to get acquainted with different cultures, listen to other languages, and taste various international…
Bridging Politics, Culture & Development: A Conversation with Antonia Moran and Areeba Shabbir
by Areeba Shabbir Antonia Moran has been a Mansfield resident for over five decades, holding both a graduate degree and a law degree from the University of Connecticut. In her retired years, she served as the State Coordinator for the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), teaching state and local government and law at the Central…
Chinese Students Enjoy a Traditional Tea Ceremony at the Mid-Autumn Festival
by Kaili Shi, Chinese FLTA On a rainy Friday evening, the Chinese Program at Wesleyan celebrated the annual Mid-Autumn Festival, bringing together students from around the world to savor delicious mooncakes and experience the warmth of this traditional Chinese festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the “Moon Festival” or “Harvest Moon Festival,” is one…
A New Cohort of Foreign Language Teaching Assistants: 2023-2024’s FLTAs
Every academic year, the Fries Center for Global Studies collaborates with the Office of Graduate Student Services, the College of East Asian Studies, and the Department of Romance Languages to welcome a cohort of international language teaching assistants. These Foreign Language Teaching Assistants, or FLTAs, come to Wesleyan as non-degree seeking graduate students to foster…
Hindi-Urdu FLTA Priyanka Chakraborty Rediscovers Indian Classical Dance at Wes
Priyanka Chakraborty, our Fulbright Foreign language Teaching Assistant for Hindi-Urdu 2022-2023 participated in the Spring Semester Concert of ‘World of Dance’. She performed Swarajathi, an 18th century piece and a popular form of Carnatic music. This 21st century rendition was choreographed by Professor Hari Krishnan of the Wesleyan Dance Department and performed with live music by students of the Music department. Coming…
FLTA Series: Introducing Amira Ounis
Hello! I am Amira Ounis from Constantine, Algeria. Constantine is one of the ancient cities in the world. It is known with its seven hanged bridges that date back to ancient epochs. I graduated from a Teachers’ College in 2017. Since then, I occupied a position of a primary teacher of English in high school.…
FLTA Series: Introducing Romane Rousseau
Hi everyone! My name is Romane and I am one of the French FLTAs for the 2022-2023 academic year. I was born in Vendée, a region located on the west coast of France, but now I live and study in Paris. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English after completing a three-year program in…