Teaching assistants Lu Ting and Maryam Al Hajri joined the St. Edward’s University community for the 2010-2011 school year through the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Program. Lu and Al Hajiri hail from the Hunan Province in China and Oman, respectively.

Al Hajri, who could not be reached for comment, is teaching ARAB 2311 and assisting in ARAB 1311. Lu teaches Chinese III (CHIN 2311) and is the teaching assistant for Chinese I (CHIN 2311). She teaches three hours-per-week and holds study sessions with students in Chinese I.

“They give our students extra exposure to Arabic and Chinese that is so important for first year students as they begin to learn a new language. This is especially important in languages that have a different kind of writing system and vocabulary that has very few cognates,” said Jann Randle, associate professor and FLTA adviser.

But one does not have to be a student enrolled in Arabic or Chinese to learn from Al Hajri and Lu.

 “Our FLTAs are also ambassadors of their home countries and cultures. We hope that instructors and student groups will invite them to talk about their home cultures, and what they are observing about the U.S., Texas and campus life at St. Edward´s. The more we can learn about other cultures…the better,” Randle said.

Lu is learning as well. She attends classes in Second Language Acquisition and Methodology (LING 3339) and the American Experience.

Though living in Austin is Lu’s first American experience, it is not her first experience in an English-speaking country. She lived in England for three years and attended the University of York, where she earned a Master’s degree in Second Language Acquisition. Scholars studying second language acquisition examine how people learn a foreign language.

“I want to learn how the field is being developed in the U.S.,” Lu said.

Before she came to St. Edward’s University, Lu taught at a university in China. She will resume her teaching position there when the school year concludes.

“My boss told me to apply to this program,” Lu said, “Here I can practice what I’ve learned in York.”

Outside of her academic interests, Lu is adjusting to life in Austin and facing transportation challenges.

“My problem is I don’t have a car,” Lu said. Lu relied on public transportation in England and China, where the “bus service is really often.”

She is also living on her own for the first time.

 “I am the only daughter in my family so my parents were watching me all the time. This is my first and only chance to be independent,” Lu said.

For Lu, part of being independent includes learning how to cook.

“I’ve got to learn to cook for myself, it’s part of the experience,” Lu said, “It’s easy for me to make soup!”

In addition to developing her cooking skills, Lu enjoys talking to her friends and watching television series—both American and Chinese—in her free time.