KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — John Fulkerson is adapting to life in Belgium.
“I've been here for about two and a half weeks now and things are very, very different from East Tennessee,” said John Fulkerson. “And I would say a really good thing is that a lot of people over here speak English.”
The former University of Tennessee power forward is playing with the Leuven Bears, a Belgian professional team in the BNXT league.
“I’ve made more trips to the grocery store in two and a half weeks than I probably did in six years at Tennessee. I've been doing a lot of cooking," he said.
The Kingsport native and Vol-for-life has an apartment and a car. Thanks to his new teammates, Fulkerson isn’t homesick yet.
“It’s almost half and half with Americans and local Belgian players,” said Fulkerson. “It’s been really fun and convenient to have those other people that know English, know what college basketball is like back home and college football.”
The biggest challenge is being away from his bride-to-be. Fulkerson popped the question before he left for Belgium.
“Long story short, we were getting some pictures taken together. I said some things to her just from my heart. And then I did it. We took some pictures after and I mean, it was truly, truly amazing," he said.
Now, they're busy planning a wedding which isn't easy being an ocean apart with a six-hour time difference.
“We’re still trying to navigate those waters to see what's going to be the best for us. But she's going to come in maybe a month or two and stay for a little bit. I miss her,” said Fulkerson. “I would say around next August in Knoxville is probably a safe bet to when we will get married.”
Growing up, Fulkerson rarely missed a football game and he's not about to start now.
“I was there for almost every home game for six years. We have the best fans, and I just saw on social media the renovations to Neyland Stadium,” said Fulkerson. “I'm more than tuned in over here for every game. You know, they have my full support.”
Fulkerson has met several VFLs in Brussels and looks forward to watching future Tennessee games with them.