Fulbright U.S. Student
Grantee Newsletter

Spinning a Web of Hope

On January 21, I walked into class with a spring in my step.  We slog through so many rainy mornings during this time of year.  But the day opened with unusually clear blue skies, perhaps an omen for what was to come.

“Why am I excited today?” I asked.  My students' brains were still warming up.  The question provoked no response.  “I’m American. Why am I excited today?”  Some shifting in seats and a few, “Oh, oh…!” sounds told me that a couple students were turned on and searching for words.

Melinda Amman, 2008-2009, Indonesia ETA, with the web of ideas created by her students

“Obama!”  they started shouting.  The inauguration ceremonies had concluded only a few hours before.  Approximately 1.8 million hopeful Americans gathered on the National Mall in Washington were joined by more than a handful of viewers from Manado, a small city in North Sulawesi, who were glued to their television sets.

For the first time, I wrote, “President Barack Obama” in the middle of the white board and circled it.

“I want to know what you think” I told the 10th graders.  Indonesian students are rarely asked to share their thoughts and opinions.  Usually, students spend their days respectfully deferring to authority, scribbling down their lessons, and asking precious few questions.

“Picture President Barack Obama in your mind,” I said.  “What do you see? What does he make you think of?”  I explained that we were going to create a web of ideas on the board, like a spider web, with their ideas branching out from the central theme.

The flow of ideas started to trickle out.  Many Indonesians view shyness as a virtue, particularly girls.  Some students feel obliged to perpetuate the impression that they are "too cool for school."  The foremost impediment to our web’s progress, however, was that most students, even those with strong English skills, lack confidence in their language ability.  A little patience and a little goading got us started, and soon the floodgates opened.  These students knew a lot about Obama, and they had already formed quite a few impressions of him.

“Clever.”

“He has good speech.”

“He’s gonna make a change.”

“The first young president.”

“An exotic person.”

“He comes from black people.”

“Handsome.”

All my students, and all Indonesians, know that President Obama lived in Indonesia as a youth.  They were not as sure what this fact might indicate about him or about the future of our respective countries.  Does he speak Bahasa Indonesia?  Is he a Muslim?  Can he make peace?  My students couldn’t wait to find out.

We spent the first half of a 90-minute lesson on the web of ideas and the ensuing discussion it sparked.  Discussion-based lessons are not an easy trick with 40 students in a small, hot room.  This was our most successful attempt in my first five months of my program.

“You look very fresh today, Miss Melinda” one of my colleagues commented on my satisfied glow after class.  As a teacher and as an American, I felt I had new fuel for optimism.

Alumni Perspective: The Gobi Desert Half-Marathon

The journey started on a cool September morning.  We were joined by forty-three Mongolians (with copious amounts of luggage) in a thirty-person bus for a ride that was supposed to be about twelve hours long.  That was an optimistic estimate, in the unlikely event of any breakdowns.  There certainly weren't any paved roads.  Say goodbye to personal space and legroom.

The start of the Gobi Desert Half-Marathon

Our first stop was Khan Hongor and we were the guests of honor!  This city hosts the region’s music and dance school.  Michael, a Fulbright Fellow in drama, was to visit a group of teenage dancers and musicians for whom he had arranged a visit to his U.S. alma mater, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, to participate in a cross-cultural collaboration.  Darhuu, the music and dance school's principal, allowed us to stay in the school's office.  Bold, the school's director, ushered us to his friend's ger, where we proceeded to drink camel airag (fermented milk).  The taste was somewhere between rotten milk and tangy yogurt.  The performances and students were inspiring during their English class.  The students were a bit nervous for their upcoming trip but also very excited.  We were able to share our culture with them and discuss life in America as well as our favorite foods.

After two days enjoying this relatively posh treatment, we headed out to Bayandalai to visit a farm cooperative.  Todd’s Fulbright research was a photographic exploration of Mongolia’s new vegetable gardens.  The Gobi Desert oasis is the site of one of the largest gardening projects in the country.  The spot of green amidst parched earth was remarkable.  There were at least twelve different vegetables and many herbs and plants not grown anywhere else in Mongolia, where little other than potatoes, onions, cabbage, and carrots typically grow.  We arrived during harvest season, in perfect weather.

Michael Littig (left) and Todd R. Forsgren (right), both 2007-2008 grantees to Mongolia, at the marathon's finish line

Then came the bus ride home with our sore legs (our bodies already sore from the run on the previous day), bouncing over bumpy roads backwards, with a seat-and-a-half between the two of us.  A very fond memory involving both nausea and laughter.

This epic journey was the ideal culmination of an incredible summer in the Mongolian countryside, and one that will affect us for the rest of our lives.