Wesley Warshawer on Using the Fulbrighter App While Traveling the World

The Power of Leaving Your Bubble

Article written by Fulbrighter Wesley Warshawer.

Sunset over Nairobi

I have been told that I did something weird.

In March of 2020, the world shut down. I was 28 years old, working as a supply chain analyst at a semiconductor manufacturer in Silicon Valley. My job became fully remote, so I was no longer anchored to California. That change set off one of the greatest adventures of my life. 

Like any perfectly normal person, I got rid of my belongings, let my apartment lease expire, and got in my car to drive across rural America. I booked an Airbnb for a month in places like Bismarck, North Dakota or Shelbyville, Indiana or Biloxi, Mississippi. By day, I worked for an innovative company, immersed in data and analytics. By night, I closed my laptop and stepped into a new city, culture, and bubble.

I did this to break out of the hard shell that I was living in. It feels strange to write that, because I was not living a sheltered life. I read news from all parts of the world. I had friends from all types of diverse backgrounds. I had spent two years in South Korea to get my master’s degree in Global Economy and Strategy as a Fulbright Scholar. I was educated, curious, and open to new experiences. But despite all that, I was still in a bubble.   

In fact, we all are. More accurately, we inhabit many bubbles at once. They may be shaped by our geography, profession, politics, class, religion, or hobbies. You know you are comfortably inside a bubble when you recognize the cultural references, understand the social cues, get the inside jokes, and easily avoid social missteps without much thought. In your bubble, you are confident, knowledgeable, and comfortable.

But I wanted to leave that comfort. So when I had the chance, I took it. 

Finding Fulbright Friends at North Dakota State University

After nearly 18 months traveling through small towns in the United States, I set off for another three years of exploration through Central America, South America, Africa, and Europe. In each new location, I found a favorite restaurant, joined a gym, and became a regular at a local bakery. I wanted to meet local people, so I chatted with staff members and customers, trying to make connections wherever I could.

And I would always check the Fulbrighter App. No matter where I was, the Fulbrighter Network seemed able to connect me with someone nearby. Whether it was small-town USA or a megacity in South America, I was always astonished when the app flashed the names of local Fulbrighters. I met dozens of people, bonding over our shared Fulbright experience. 

But even with that shared connection, I noticed something important: Fulbrighters came from vastly different bubbles. Each one of us had a unique and distinct origin story, and that deeply inspired me. I never forgot this lesson. A few years later, my co-host and co-founder Thyda Long (Fulbrighter to U.S., from Cambodia) and I launched a podcast to examine the lives of Fulbrighters…before they received the award.

With generous support from an Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Embassy in Phnom Penh, we created UpUntilFulbright. 

UpUntilFulbright is a podcast that dives deep into the lives of Fulbrighters, before they had the privilege of winning the scholarship. There are many resources to chronicle and document the achievements of Fulbright Scholars during and after their grant period, but few focus on the path that led them there.  

It is astonishing to realize that today we all inhabit the same Fulbright ecosystem, but we originate from entirely different bubbles. Entering a new bubble can make you feel out of place, precisely because you lack the basic knowledge required to effortlessly interact with others. You are clumsy, awkward, and incompetent. Confidence plummets. Plainly put, you are ignorant in that environment, and it shows. 

A Fulbright Party in Asuncion, Paraguay

But that is exactly the reason to do it. The collision of two bubbles leads to a lot of growth…and if nothing else, many funny stories. I sometimes look back at my five-year digital nomad travel journal and can’t help but laugh at the situations I found myself in. 

Inside a bubble, there is a common set of knowledge, assumptions, and experiences that unite everyone together—when a newcomer barges into that space, the misalignment causes friction. And growth. 

Leave your bubble. Be uncomfortable. Make mistakes. Laugh. Learn. And if you would like to read about some of my cultural blunders and the epiphanies, please feel free to check out my Substack here. Or if you want to exchange funny travel stories, message me here, within the Fulbrighter Network!