Facilitator Corner: Nail Hassairi

"Sky was the limit. And it was." - Facilitator Nail Hassairi reflects on his experience in the FIUTS community, first as an exchange student and later when he returned as a graduate student.

FIUTS Facilitators are student leaders from all over the world who welcome new international visitors, help organize events, and lead activities for hundreds of students each quarter. Read on to find out more about the FIUTS facilitator experience from Nail Hassairi.

Name: Nail Hassairi
Country: Czechia
Major: Economics
Class: 2010
FIUTS Facilitator Since: 2014

Brief IntroductionAn alien paying taxes. Addicted to American Dream. Foolhardy, foolish.

What does it mean to be a FIUTS facilitator?
To be a FIUTS facilitator is to be a gate-keeper, a bouncer, the bellboy, the waiter, a friend, a guide, a medium through which the values of mutual respect, tolerance, friendship are being offered to whoever steps in the door.

Favorite FIUTS anecdote as a facilitator
I'll break with the tradition and say something about the participant experience. In 2009 I arrived in Seattle, USA. I had traveled a bit before. Italy, Italy and some Italy. I had meting random people a bit before too. In college. Volunteering. There was something strangely seductive about landing far, far away and not having the slightest idea what will happen next. Half-Tunisian, half-Czech, I always felt a bit foreign pretty much everywhere. An Eastern European, huddled masses. I felt exuberant. I was a bit afraid, coming to US for one quarter (I was an exchange student) surely would have felt like taking the red pill and then having to go back to the Matrix. I spent much time preparing for this, mostly learning English and preparing academically. Socially, I was very much unprepared. Cataclysmic changes in the world order have hurled my country back into the open world and for everyone there was suddenly much catching up to do. I grew up on cultural artifacts that made it to my country 10-15 years after they debuted in the US. Fear, admiration and envy are the feelings of choice among my countrymen when it comes to the US. Cultural shock was an inevitability. I did not really expect one, I had thought that US and Western Europe are pretty much the same thing. Still, exuberance was the strongest feeling I had. First time flying more than 3 hours in a plane. First time spending more than 4 weeks away from home. First time living by myself. First time in an Anglophone country. First time crossing the Atlantic, first time leaving the Afro-European-west-Asian space. Sky was the limit. And it was. I met some wonderful people, Betty Voigt, Rosie Icban were among the best but there was a truck-load of awesome people. And vast majority of them were from FIUTS. FIUTS has almost monopolized my exchange student experience and I was lucky that was the case. The FIUTS community has no agenda except international peace and understanding. The FIUTS community is non-judgmental, low barrier. The FIUTS community is diverse and culturally rich. So much so that when I came back for my graduate program one year later and tried to branch out into the Seattle community proper I was very disappointed and dissatisfied. I realized I had been taking FIUTS for granted. That all these values, this warm embrace, unconditional love are not a naturally occurring phenomenon or aspect of Seattle culture but a product of hard work and much effort on the part of the FIUTS staff and community. The world outside of FIUTS was much harder to navigate. Parceled by religion, ethnicity, professional aspirations, the world outside of FIUTS moved with a much stronger sense of purpose, with business-like relationships, with agendas, open or hidden. Quid pro quo. The law of the jungle. The spirit of competition. The hard work. The sharp elbows. The practiced salesman's pitch. The painfully projected persona of confidence. The rat race. The insecure ignorance. The 'real' America felt a bit different than the stuff of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Beverly Hills 90210 that I grew up with. I still think that the US is the most fascinating country in the world and that's because whenever my experience felt a bit scary, whenever I was having the blues or the mean reds FIUTS was like a safe harbor where I was always welcome. Also, FIUTS is a truck-load of fun. Betty was like the most social person I have ever met and she took me to so many events and even if I felt a bit shy or self-conscious about being from Eastern Europe she helped me ease into it. This is me, one big paragraph and no story:)

Tips/comments for peer facilitators
I am the most impractical person, facilitating with FIUTS is made fool-proof easy by the FIUTS staff. It's also made fun by the participants. I was worried at first that people would judge me on whether I am doing a good job or not but everyone is relaxed, everyone is just trying to have fun and make the most of the amazing time.

Check out our past Facilitator Corners:

Sophia Chakalo, Bader Alfarhan, Peirce Kirkham, Alissa Mustre, Ang Li, Wedward Wei, Terry Jung, Hassan Almuzaini, Isabella Ning, Lucy Deng, Nhung Le, Abigail Lim, Ferris Maghi, Kevin Sander, Joey Liao, Anya Raj, Minhtu Nguyen, Jianyang (Jane) Zhang, Jialu Sun, Fleur Xuanlin Li, Saleh Alwabel, Clara Jiayao Lu, Le (Juliet) Huang,David Veth, Yili (Jacky) Chen, Jonathan Cheng,Fah Thamsuwan,Charlie Warner, Katherine Li, Nabil Sutjipto, Jeremy Sculley, Ani Antonyan, Jaisang Sun