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Fulbright Program for U.S. Students

Fulbright U.S. Student
Grantee Newsletter

Issue 5 | February 2008

Stories from The Field
table of contents

 Program Updates

You're on a Fulbright to... Canada?

by Irit Rasooly, 2007-2008, Canada

"You're on a Fulbright to... Canada?"

Conversations always seemed to get to this point during my first few weeks in Ontario. Often accompanied by a skeptically raised eyebrow, the tone and expression with which the question was asked implied a certain confusion as to why I would be going on cultural exchange to Canada.

At first I would hasten to explain that I am in Canada not to focus on a seemingly familiar culture, but rather to study the indigenous peoples known as First Nations. My project involves examining the clinical management of diabetes on a reserve in northwest Ontario. I hope to understand how diabetes treatment guidelines are modified (or should be modified) so as to be effective and culturally appropriate. This type of exchange seemed, somehow, more authentic than the one I was living day-to-day in an urban and commercial landscape similar to that of the U.S., albeit measured in meters.

I’ll be the first to admit that Canada does not often show up in glossy study abroad or exchange program pamphlets. I too, had my doubts about what I would learn from spending a year north of the border. A few months in however, I am becoming convinced that there is much to learn, culturally speaking, in places presumed to be familiar.

Irit Rasooly, 2007-2008, Canada 
Irit Rasooly, 2007-2008, Canada 
Theoretically, as an anthropology student, do I really feel comfortable relegating “culture” to the unfamiliar and far away? No doubt my cultural register has to be somewhat more sensitive to pick up on cultural differences in a country so near to my own, but after a few months of hearing about hockey, healthcare, converting currency and Celsius degrees; negotiating cell phone plans and bank accounts; waking up to the “E-Zed Rock” radio station; wearing a poppy for Remembrance day; watching Canadian Idol and CBC; spending the Jewish high holidays with a 4th generation Toronto family; strolling through the historic Montreal neighborhoods along Rue St. Laurent; having lunch and staff meetings with co-workers who come from all over the country and the world; and planning my research with investigators from three major medical institutions. I cannot help but sense something uniquely Canadian that ought not be missed or dismissed.

Indeed, I was surprised to find that on a day-to-day basis there are things that feel unfamiliar. French and English on all packaging and advertisements, cultural references I missed, stores and brands I did not recognize, and a political system that is, well, foreign, serve as strong reminders that external similarities and proximity mask important internal differences.

As much as I am excited about examining the intersection of culture and medicine on the First Nations reserve, I remind myself that there is culture at work here in London, Ontario too. We are all products of our regional, historical, educational, and familial contexts. As important as it is to recognize common ground, appreciating the diversity and individuality of places, people, and community is not to be forgotten.

This revelation has implications for my research. Reminding myself that doctors, nurses, and researchers all come from particular cultures is critical in analyzing the forces at work on the reserve. While that culture is somewhat “invisible” to me as I am so much a part of it, it is nonetheless a force that directs and impacts the work being done and thus one that cannot be ignored or overlooked.

Thus, I enter my third month in Canada with a new appreciation for both this country and the concept of exchange. It is impossible to make broad, sweeping generalizations about this 33 million-person nation with its vast linguistic, ethnic, socioeconomic, and regional diversity except to say that the warmth of the welcome I have received by fellow researchers, mentors, peers, and local families has been a highlight of my time here. I look forward to learning more about their history, their political and social systems, and, yes, their culture.

Now when people ask, “You’re on a Fulbright to… Canada?”  I just smile, nod and say, “Yes.”



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Submitting Photos to the Fulbright Photo Gallery


We are now collecting photos from the entire current cohort of Foreign, FLTA and Fulbright U.S. Student grantees.


-- The first time you submit photos, please send an email with your contact information to sallen@iie.org or tclaudino@iie.org. This email should not include any attached photos and is simply to notify us that you will be submitting photos to a specific gallery.

-- Please indicate your grant year and the country in which you are engaged in your Fulbright program. Photos from non-U.S. Fulbrighters are organized by home country; photos from U.S. Fulbrighters are organized by the country in which they are conducting grant activities. When in doubt, please send us an email with your questions.

-- With all submitted photos, you must include a caption that clearly indicates your name, country and a brief description (i.e., the title of the event attended, location where the photo was taken, etc.) of the content of the photo.

-- If you would like to create your own gallery of photos instead of submitting them to a country gallery, please notify us and we will create a personal gallery for you. Again, please make sure to add captions to each photo you submit.

-- You can only add photos, not delete them. If you need to delete photos, please contact us.

-- Click on the link below to enter photo gallery's home page:

http://photos.fulbrightonline.org

Enjoy using the Fulbright Photo Gallery!



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A Good Year in Germany

by Robert Scholz, 2007-2008, Germany

As I near the end of my fourth month here in Germany, I can truly say that my Fulbright experience thus far has been nothing short of incredible. The experiences I have had and the people I have met have been unlike any other. Although I cannot begin to comment on all of my experiences, I’d like to mention a few that illustrate just how rewarding and, to put it bluntly, how awesome, my Fulbright grant has been.

Robert Scholz, 2007-2008, Germany 
Robert Scholz, 2007-2008, Germany 
I arrived in Frankfurt at the end of July 2007 and was immediately thrown into a foreign yet oddly familiar world; foreign because I found myself 6,000 miles from home and familiar because I have grown up with German culture, but never have been fully been immersed in it. My first three weeks were spent in Mainz living with a host family, who helped make my transition into German life as worry-free as possible.  I remember on my first day, just hours after arriving in Frankfurt, my host dad took me on a walking tour of the city. However, more than simply showing me the typical tourist points of interest that I could have read about in a travel book, he shared stories with me from his own life and expressed his opinions about many of the situations facing Germany. At one point in the day we sat by a fountain near the city center and discussed everything from Germany after World War II from reunification, to the new sense of German pride he saw expressed for the first time during the 2006 World Cup. It was at this point that I realized my year abroad would forever change the way I approach, observe and interpret the world around me, myself included.

After saying goodbye to my host family, I bravely moved to the sprawling metropolis that is Geisenheim, which would be my new home for the next 10 months.  In actuality, Geisenheim is a small town of about 12,000 people and home to Fachhochschule Geisenheim, the institute where I received my grant to work in the lab of Professor Dr. Hans Schultz. My project focuses on characterizing the binding interaction between tannin and grape berry cell walls in pinot noir. While the majority of my research is conducted in the lab, I have had the chance to visit and harvest grapes from some of the best vineyards in Germany. This work has allowed me to make connections between German and California wine production, producers, and analytical methodology, relationships that I feel are vital to the continued success of both the German and California wine markets in the face of ever increasing global competition.

In the three months I have lived in Geisenheim, I have had the chance to develop relationships with people from France, Greece, South Africa, Thailand, and, of course, Germany. Despite our diverse backgrounds and the occasional, or rather frequent, “lost in translation” moments, we have come to understand each other through our individual experiences and those experiences alone. As an ambassador of the United States, I am honored to be spending this year abroad and proud to have the opportunity to share my experiences.



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A Call for Articles with Photos



We welcome articles with accompanying photos for future issues of the Fulbright U.S. Student Grantee Newsletter. Articles should ideally be about your experience of being abroad as a Fulbright grantee (and cultural ambassador), and any relevant and/or unique musings you might want to share with your fellow Fulbright grantees and others interested in the Fulbright Program. The length of the article should be no more than 500 words and not require much editing in order to be published. The accompanying photos should show you engaged in program activities, or be illustrative of your article's content. Please submit your articles with photos within two weeks of the release of this newsletter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to receiving your articles!

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