Greetings from East Tennessee
East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and English Language Services (ELS) have been long-time partners of World Learning. This fall, they are hosting three Global UGRAD participants – Baha from Tunisia, Kyawt from Burma, and Didor from Tajikistan. We had the opportunity to visit them and their beautiful campus in November. Fall turned out to be the perfect time to see the colorful range of foliage on this beautiful campus. 
With an undergraduate student body of about 15,000, ETSU’s campus is active with extra-curricular activities most days of the week. The Culp Center is the activity hub, housing student organizations, dining facilities, student lounges, the campus bookstore, and of course, Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A. Residence halls and academic buildings are scattered around campus and the centrally located Sherrod Library is an oft-visited study spot for the Global UGRAD participants.
For us, the visit to East Tennessee captured the regional diversity within the United States. In Johnson City, Tennessee the culture, accents, trees and architecture are different than those we are familiar with in Washington, DC.
The three Global UGRAD participants get to experience this southern culture and are doing extremely well, whether leading discussions in class, sharing their cultures with others, beating their peers in table tennis, or exploring all the state has to offer. The staff and teachers at ELS and ETSU continue to praise their many talents and we can’t wait to hear what they accomplish and experience next semester.