Friendship

This blog is not an official Department of State website and the views and information presented are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the Department of State.

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Diana, Hanane, Ozlem (one of our instructors) and Marina

Sam and Kamal from Jamaica (a neighbour)

The Prophet

by Kahlil Gibran

On Friendship

      And a youth said, "Speak to us of Friendship." 
      Your friend is your needs answered. 
      He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving. 
      And he is your board and your fireside. 
      For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace. 
      When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the "nay" in your own mind, nor do you withhold the "ay." 
      And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart; 
      For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed. 
      When you part from your friend, you grieve not; 
      For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain. 
      And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit. 
      For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught. 
      And let your best be for your friend. 
      If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also. 
      For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill? 
      Seek him always with hours to live. 
      For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness. 
      And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. 
      For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. 

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/gibran/prophet/prophet.htm#Friendship

Acclimatization

This blog is not an official Department of State website and the views and information presented are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the Department of State.

On August 11th we made our way to IU:

We were folowing our conductor, Jacob, who made sure that we do and have everything that is needed in order to feel comfortable in our new environment.

Like a conductor in an orchestra Jacob made sure that each step we take will be coordinated with his 

staff and with all 21 of us. 

Thus began our Orientation Week:

First - the 200 $ key to our room  

(if we lose it we have to pay that amount to replace the lock)

Then after a delicious asian meal and a good sleep, we were taken to shop at the nearest mall, going back and forth with the cars from the mall to our appartments and back.

We then went on to settle in, learn about our upcoming months and what lays ahead:
The courses we will audit
School visits
Friday's seminar
Cultural events
IU campus and its beaufiful sights

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First Weeks

This blog is not an official Department of State website and the views and information presented are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the Department of State.

I have  been in the U.S. for  a bit more than 3 weeks.
So much has happened since then that it is still difficult to "digest".



All Fulbrighter met in Washington DC. We stayed at the Loews Madison Hotel and had a very busy week while trying to juggle between wanting to see the city and its treasures and the wonderful workshops we had to attend.
 Lucky for us we didn't have the dog!!

Here are some of the highlights:
Sessions:
The art of Crossing Cultures
Tips and insights from U.S. DAT Aumni
Education system in the U.S.
Meeting the Needs of Underserved Students around the World
Challenges and  Strategies (more about the U.S. fulbrighters but gave me more info about the education  system here)
Developing Global Competence

In between sessions, we met each other, discussed mutuel interests, drank some wine and toured the city (see pictures in the next blog)

Everything was well thought of and in good taste. Even the waiters at the hotel were wonderful. One of them brought us a special Morocan dish to eat for breakfast (from his home).


                                           

Thw Washington Experience

This blog is not an official Department of State website and the views and information presented are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the Department of State.

In Washington we went by foot to see the beautiful streets, the White House, the museums and the gardens.
Unfortunately, I cannot upload some of the pictures but I hope I will be able to so soon.

In the above (from left to right) - Diana from Mexico, Pratiksha from India and Karina from Mexico.

And in that one - Diana, Karina, Marina from India Whei Fong from Taiwan, me, Hanane from Moroco and Sam from Mexico.
On that day we went to the nature museum and then to the air and space one.

On our last day in Washington we went to the Holocaust museum. It was very moving and I believe that it was important for my friends in order to understand me better.

A 6893

She didn’t cry

When they removed

her clothes, her ring

her shoes, her hair.

But when they took away

her name

She wept

          ~ Anna Sotto

First Day

This blog is not an official Department of State website and the views and information presented are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the Department of State.

Ithaca

(You can also scroll down to hear and see the movie clip)

When you start on your journey to Ithaca,
then pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
Do not fear the Lestrygonians
and the Cyclopes and the angry Poseidon.
You will never meet such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your body and your spirit.
You will never meet the Lestrygonians,
the Cyclopes and the fierce Poseidon,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not raise them up before you.

Then pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many,
that you will enter ports seen for the first time
with such pleasure, with such joy!
Stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and corals, amber and ebony,
and pleasurable perfumes of all kinds,
buy as many pleasurable perfumes as you can;
visit hosts of Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from those who have knowledge.

Always keep Ithaca fixed in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for long years;
and even to anchor at the isle when you are old,
rich with all that you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would never have taken the road.
But she has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not defrauded you.
With the great wisdom you have gained, with so much experience,
you must surely have understood by then what Ithacas mean.

-K. P. Kavafis (C. P. Cavafy), translation by Rae Dalven

I started my journey on August 5th 2016.
My husband and son accompagnied me to the airport and I parted filled with sorrow and anticipation at the same time. To my suprise, my flight was delayed for 3 hours and I was left with 3 hours to ponder on how did I do that to myself? Leave everything behind at mid life and go to another country?
Live with poeple I don't know, from different cultures and political views... Will I be ok? Will I fit in?
Too much time on my hand to think about things I don't have control over.
Then, I  remembered the poem.
I start my journey. It's a process that can benefit me and my surroundings.
Let's go.