Fulbright Foreign Student
Newsletter

My First Experiences as a Fulbrighter

Coming to the U.S. as a student is very challenging - especially for those whose first language is not English. Nevertheless, the American academic environment facilitates the integration of newcomers; shortly after arriving, you become an important member of the student body.

This phenomenon helped me in joining Georgia Institute of Technology's (Georgia Tech's) 2007 Solar Decathlon Competition team. The Solar Decathlon competition, sponsored by the Department of Energy, involved twenty university teams presenting their vision of the solar house of the future. For two years before the competition, teams worked to design a zero-energy house that generated as much energy as it consumed. Solar energy was to be used in providing energy for light bulbs, systems (air conditioning, heating) and electrical devices. Ten different categories such as architecture, engineering, systems and marketing were evaluated.

Gabriela Zapata Poveda (center), 2007-2008, Ecuador

The most prestigious schools were participating, so I was very eager to be part of the competition. I was even aware of the competition's existence when I started considering schools during the application process - just after being selected in 2007 as an Ecuadorian Fulbright grantee. Back then, it was just a hope; being admitted to Georgia Institute of Technology did not necessarily guarantee my participation at the Solar Decathlon. What were the real chances I'd be in that competition?

Luckily for me, I ending up attending Georgia Tech and joining the Solar Decathlon team. I also had an opportunity to meet students and professionals from different fields. We had immediate hands-on experience, as participating students built the solar house from the foundation right down to the finishing touches. As with any building activity, the work was demanding but a great learning experience.

The competition started in October; each participating school moved its model house to Washington D.C.'s National Mall, where the contest was held. We had a few days to work on-site before the launch date when public could view the houses. The teams continued installing their houses on the Mall throughout the public viewing, repairing any damage the houses suffered during their journey to D.C. and adding the last details.

In the months prior to the competiton, I never realized that I was in U.S. studying at Georgia Tech since I was so busy. And yet there I was - not just studying in an American graduate program, not just at the Solar Decathlon - but in Washington, D.C., right in front of Capitol Hill, next to the Washington Monument and in walking distance from the White House. Indeed, there I was in U.S! This was what I had been dreaming about for a long time! What a dream!

The Georgia Institute of Technology Solar Decathlon House on the National Mall, Washington, D.C.

I Am A Villager

I am a villager from a remote area approximately 90 km south of Bandung, the capital of West Java, where the cell phone network was installed a just few years ago. Back in my village, I wasn't able to find any Internet cafés. Perhaps some further technological developments are underway in Bandung as I am writing.

Being a villager, I hadn't seen any sorts of checks in my lifetime, let alone owned any. I used to use cash when buying things. Some villagers still barter in the market. For example, vendors give vegetables in exchange for rice. This type of exchange is still commonplace in my village. I became familiar with the new sophisticated banking devices like ATMs and debit cards as I spent some years learning English in Bandung.

Eri Kurniawan, 2007-2008, Indonesia

The moment I arrived on campus in the United States and received my Fulbright welcome packet, I hadn't realized that there would be some money contained within the envelope. I wondered why the international officer, who handed me the packet, questioned my visit to his office. "You're coming here simply to take money, right?" I replied, "No." simply because I didn't know I would be receiving some.

I then took the envelope home and checked everything inside. I found a small piece of paper on which a large amount of money was indicated, around $5,000. I genuinely thought that it was just a receipt like those I typically received back in Indonesia. I therefore complained to IIE about the money I should have received. Then, I actually found a debit card in the envelope (I could easily recognize it because I has been using one back in Indonesia). I checked my balance but I was surprised to see that I hadn’t received the full allocation as I thought I would.

I insisted to IIE staff that I hadn't received the money. When it comes to money, the image that always came to my mind was always physical -- such as pieces of paper or coins. I again put forth my complaint to my IIE regional contact in Denver. I told them I did receive my welcome packet and debit card, but found not enough funds to pay my tuition, books, etc. IIE staff promptly replied they had sent it. I then consulted with staff at the Fulbright Commission in Jakarta. They then directed me to Student Services in IIE's New York office.

Baffled and bewildered about what was going on, I felt the pressure of the situation amplify as I badly needed the money to pay my rent and buy books. Student Services in New York told me that this kind of problem shouldn't have taken place and there must be some mistakes in the process. They informed me that all incoming grantees should have received a welcome packet containing a debit card plus a check for tuition.

After a while, something rang my head. In a rush, I opened the drawer where I kept the envelope and took out that piece of paper from the envelope. For some time, I looked at it very thoroughly and I eventually realized that it was the check IIE had informed me of! To reinforce my conviction, I rushed to the bank the following day and had all the funds cleared in my checking account. It worked! It was the real check and I quickly had all the money cleared in my account!

Realizing this whole situation was purely my silly mistake, I wrote to all respective parties that the problem had been resolved. Thus far, I still haven’t told anyone that the root of the problem was in fact, the poverty of my knowledge and experience.

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