About Me

My photo
One might think that the very young are quite different than older folks. I propose that we are all the same in one major way... We love a good story, and the best stories come from real life. History is full of tantalizing, sorrowful, tragic, and wonderful stories. Most exciting of all is the fact that we are all writing our own stories at this very moment. The choices we make will affect others' stories, and in no time at all, we become the stories that will be told in the future. I have had the opportunity to travel the tiniest bit, and each time I visit a new-to-me place in the world, I feel as though I have been changed. Touched by the people I meet and their stories, I can't wait to share those stories with my students, my colleagues, and my family. If any of the discoveries I make along the way are useful to you as well, all the better.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Pinch Me!


“I’m going to China!” Until now, these were merely words on a page, words in my head, words spoken to friends and family… but it’s here.  Departure day.  This day has been a long time coming.  Scratch that.  It was only last month that I learned I would get to go.  I’m in a bit of a whirlwind as I fit each item; each piece of the packing puzzle into my suitcase and freak out a bit about whether I’m forgetting anything.   I have.  I’ve forgotten to start at the beginning of this story. 

Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad, a U.S. Department of Education program, in conjunction with The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) operates an educators’ travel study opportunity yearly.  The purpose of the program is to provide U.S. educators with greater understanding and increased knowledge of other countries.  These educators return to the states and are able to share their new understanding with students, colleagues, and their communities.  As an alumnus of the Fulbright-Hays 2010 program in Senegal, and with the knowledge of how life changing the experience is, I couldn’t wait to reapply.  If a teacher has received a fellowship in Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad, she cannot reapply for three years.

Federal budget cuts delayed the announcement of fellowship grantees until the first part of May.  I’d applied in December, and since there is only one cohort traveling this year, a mere sixteen U.S. teachers would be selected nationally.  While I wished for good news, the odds were against me, so I made other plans for the summer.  (In 2010 Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad sent teachers to six countries, so approximately 96 educators became fellows.)

BAM!  Good news arrived on May 9th.  I’m in!  I really get to do this.  In future posts, I’ll explain why I think learning about China’s history, culture, economy, political climate, and artistic tradition will benefit me personally and professionally.  I promise to let you in on my cultural blunders as well as my epiphanies.  I’d love to have you along on this journey.  Experiencing something so rare and wonderful as five weeks in China is going to be so much better if you come along.  
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)