Jim Moster was a 2022-2023 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Belgium. In 2022, he graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and political science. After spending the summer as a teaching assistant at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, he worked as an ETA to Hasselt University. We sat down with Jim to ask him about his time in Belgium and how he came to feel at home in his host city.
Q: “What is a typical day like for you, as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at Hasselt University? What did you do today?“
“I rode my bike to the UHasselt campus in Diepenbeek, where I met my colleagues for a coffee before class. Then I gave lectures on Business English to the second-years, and grabbed a quick lunch at the cafeteria afterwards. I biked to the gym in the city center, graded in the library, and went to my French class at the local language learning center. Finally, I chatted with some friends in the lobby of my building.”
Q: “What has been the most interesting or rewarding topic you have been able to share with your students?”
“I have been able to provide an insider’s look into American culture and politics, debunking or giving nuance to the images that my students received from Hollywood and social media.”
Q: “What misconceptions do you think other Americans may have about Belgium? What do you wish everyone knew about Belgium?”
“I wish people understood that Belgium is a patchwork quilt of different identities: Flemish, Walloon, Brussels, international, immigrant. Your experience in Belgium will depend greatly on who you are and where you’re located with respect to these identity clusters, which are often not just cultural but also institutionalized.
Also. Belgium is not strictly or even mostly French-speaking. Dutch (or Flemish) is the most commonly spoken language. I would argue that English is spoken in Belgium as well, even if it is no one’s household language. Many people in Flanders speak great English and for many immigrants, it’s the second language they use to get around.”
Q: “After teaching your students about American culture, how was there a change in perception of the United States in your students?”
“My Flemish students had wildly diverging views of the United States. Some were terrified and wanted nothing to do with it. Others were starstruck and shared their dream of American vacations with me. Most, I’d say, were mystified, and didn’t know what to make of it. I think that the last reaction is fair. We are a wildly large, diverse, and frankly chaotic country compared to Belgium. We’re filled with contradictions, conflicts, and ideals totally alien to Belgium, and even worse, most of my students received these images through social media. Any question beginning with ‘Is it true that…?’ would probably be answered with ‘No, not really.’
I had to walk a fine line between explaining issues like guns, abortion, and student debt, and justifying them. I hope my students came away with a better understanding of American political and electoral institutions, and our history and founding ideals, but also a better view of Americans themselves. Most of use aren’t mean, or scary, or stupid. At least I hope not.”
Q: “As Fulbright grant comes to an end, can you tell us about any particular memorable moments from your time in Belgium?”
“At first I was skeptical of my placement in Hasselt, a small Flemish city far away from the glamor of Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent. At a certain point, maybe halfway through the grant, I realized something had clicked and I loved my city. I love my regular spots, my friends, the locals, the pristine streets, the provinciality, the occasional goofiness, and surprises.”
