Fulbright FLTA Newsletter

Message from Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs

Thomas A. Farrell, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs

Dear Fulbrighters,

On behalf of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, I would like to welcome you to the United States.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has challenged students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals to learn about other peoples and cultures, while growing personally and professionally. As one of the approximately 1,800 visiting Fulbright students beginning grants this fall, you join the 273,500 program alumni from over 150 countries for whom the Fulbright experience has been the foundation of a lifetime of leadership.

International Education Week (IEW) will be held from November 13-17 this year to build worldwide awareness and support for educational and cultural exchanges. During this week, I encourage you to organize and participate in activities highlighting the Fulbright Program in classrooms, on campuses, and in the community. For ideas and information on how you can get involved in International Education Week, visit the IEW website at http://iew.state.gov/.

We wish you success with your endeavors while on your Fulbright and encourage you to share your experiences with those you meet while in the U.S. and with your countrymen upon your return home.

With warm regards,

Thomas A. Farrell

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs

Procedures for Traveling Outside the U.S.

Please carefully read the following points before contacting IIE regarding your travel plans.

For travel within the fifty states, we recommend that you carry your valid passport, DS-2019 and I-94 card. These documents indicate to any examiner that you were properly and legally admitted into the United States. For domestic travel by air, click here for more helpful hints. For additional information, please refer to your copy of the Fulbright Foreign Fellows Handbook or click here for 'Resources for Current Grantees.'

If you plan to travel outside of the U.S. (including Canada, Mexico or your home country) for the winter break, please make sure you:

• Have a multiple entry visa. On the visa page of your passport, under Passport Number, in the section titled 'Entries,' an 'M' indicates multiple entry, and an 'S' indicates single entry. Individuals holding a single entry visa will need to obtain a new visa before returning to the U.S. To avoid possibly being denied upon re-entry into the U.S. or re-entry delays, we recommend that FLTAs with a single entry visa NOT leave the U.S. during their time in the FLTA Program.
• Inform your supervisor of your plans to travel. Also make sure that your travel dates will not interfere with any of your Teaching Assistant responsibilities or coursework.
• Inform the FLTA Program Office (FLTA@iie.org) of your travel plans. If you are uncertain of your exact travel dates and only have a general timeframe, please inform the FLTA Program Office of the definitive dates for your departure and return as soon as possible. You must also inform us of your intended destination(s).
• Express or FedEx to us the original copy of your DS 2019 (regular mail service is acceptable, but we recommend a traceable mail service) for an Authorized Responsible Officer (ARO) travel validation signature at least two weeks prior to your departure date. You will not be able to re-enter the U.S. without this signature.
• You will only need the 'Travel Authorization' section of your DS 2019 signed once by your ARO in order for you to travel multiple times outside the U.S.
• Your ARO is Edward Monks. You can mail your DS 2019 forms to him at the following address:
  
  Attn: Edward Monks
  FLTA Program
  Institute of International Education
  809 United Nations Plaza
  New York, NY 10017
  
• Please be sure to include a note informing IIE about your travel plans. We will mail the document back to you via FedEx as soon as it is signed.  

If you will be attending the FLTA Workshop, scheduled for December 14-17, and do not plan to travel internationally until after the workshop, you may bring your DS 2019 form with you. Edward Monks will sign the form for you at the workshop.

FLTA Workshop Participation

Please click here to see which conference you will be participating in. 

Additionally, please remember to book your travel itinerary, submit your biographical information and your presentation proposal.

Ancient Chinese Story

I’d like to begin my article with an ancient Chinese story. It goes like this: A frog in a shallow well boasted to a big turtle from the sea, “Look how happy I am! The well is heaven for me!” The turtle, after failing to squeeze itself into the well, then described the vastness of the sea to the frog. Hearing this, the boastful frog in the well felt both surprised and shamefaced, saying to itself, “How tiny this well is compared to the boundless sea!” Indeed, a frog living in a narrow environment has meager knowledge of the outside world, for it can see the sky only as large as the mouth of a well. The story, in a subtle way, captures one of the most important themes of our time -- we cannot afford to confine ourselves in a small universe. It also echoes the goal of the Fulbright Program in that exchange will “increase mutual understanding” among people from diverse lands.

Zhai Zheng, China, 2005-2006

I felt extremely honored to be part of the Fulbright Program, which was not at all unfamiliar to me. All professors in my graduate program were Chinese Fulbrighters and we had at least one American Fulbright professor teaching in the program every year. Their devotion, passion, and enthusiasm in promoting a dialogue and better understanding between the two great nations left such a deep impression on me that I dreamed of following their footsteps one day. My dream came true.

To learn about a foreign country, most people have to rely on the media, which, as we all know, tells only part of the story. In this sense, the “human informant” can play a vital role in revealing the scenes that have not attracted the limelight. With this belief in mind, I went to the U.S. to reveal China in a personal way. Different observers, of course, would see different truths in the same event; but I could at least place a small piece in the bigger jigsaw puzzle.

In class, I often incorporated personal anecdotes or comments so that my students could glimpse into Chinese culture behind the language itself.  By showing Chinese movies, making Chinese food, and celebrating traditional Chinese festivals, I tried to create opportunities for sharing viewpoints on issues of interest concerning our two nations. I actively reached out to the local community beyond the college campus. I visited schools to share intellectual, cultural, culinary, musical, and other traditions from China through presentations. I attended church services and talked to church members. I contributed an article to the local newspaper and explained a Chinese philosophical thought. Some readers even called me for further discussions!

While sharing what I know, I learned a lot that I didn’t know before. As a curious traveler and avid photographer, I took thousands of pictures in the U.S. Putting some of them online and maintaining a blog, I encouraged my friends and students back home to see the country through my own lens and discuss my observations with me. Needless to say, such first-hand experience enabled me to speak about the U.S. with enhanced credibility.

As a cultural ambassador, I sold nothing but the idea of tolerance and respect for diversity. My discussions with American and Chinese friends by no means always ended in consensus, but it is through such candid exchanges of ideas that we could further our mutual understanding. As a cultural ambassador, I not only introduced China to people in the U.S. -- I gained a deeper perspective on the U.S., and my own country as well. Thanks to the Fulbright FLTA Program, I become the turtle who traveled afar and who described the outside world to people.  I was proud to be a cultural ambassador.

My Experience as an FLTA at Missouri State University

I was a Fulbright FLTA at Missouri State University for the 2005-2006 academic year. During that year, I established a name for myself among my colleagues as an accomplished and dedicated teacher of the Arabic language. I spared no efforts in serving my students. I repeatedly offered additional evening study sessions for interested students, or for those who needed extra practice. My approach in teaching Arabic was creative, varied and dynamic, and I regularly designed handouts.

I believe the FLTA program was an excellent venue for exchanging religious and cultural knowledge, and I contributed profoundly to the richness of the multicultural aspects of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages. I was a valued and highly respected representative of Arabic culture, language and religion. To this end, I established the Arabic Society that afforded students an opportunity to broaden their culture experience and understanding.

Additionally, I held several faculty and student seminars on Arabic languages and culture, and worked with Dr. Mohammad Olimat to send students to Jordan for the Arabic and Middle East Politics Summer Program. During summer 2006, five students from Missouri State University took advantage of this new Arabic Program in Jordan and studied at the Amman Arabia University. I enthusiastically encouraged U.S. students to learn the Arabic language and visit some Arab Countries.

Abdulmanan Kalanadar Ismail Al-Balush, Oman, 2005-2006

The Fulbright FLTA program is a wonderful asset to the U.S. in general, especially at a time when Americans have much to learn about the day-to-day life experiences, faith and culture in Middle Eastern countries. I believe it would be extremely difficult to find a more effective program that provides cultural and linguistic ambassadors, so direly needed in American society today.

My advice to current FLTAs is to work very hard in teaching foreign languages to American students. I also suggest that FLTA grantees should distinguish themselves first and foremost as dynamic and conscientious instructors. Finally, I found that U.S. is a most beautiful country with many nice and wonderful people to meet, and many fantastic things to see and do. Therefore, I highly recommend that FLTAs see as many different areas of the U.S. as possible.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to the current Fulbright FLTAs, especially those from The Sultanate of Oman, and wish them all the best in their current careers. I hope that they are genuinely enriched by their experiences in the U.S.