Feeling the Pressure

I sent the third draft of my personal statement to my Fulbright advisor earlier this week. Her reaction to my overall essay was good, she thought it was very powerful. But she also had several recommendations. For instance, I began the essay with a short description of the influence my study abroad experience had on my personal growth. But she told me that because most students who are applying for the Fulbright have studied abroad too, many of the essays that the committee receives begin with that sort of intro. So she recommended that to make my personal statement stand out I should begin it with what makes me more unique- being a first generation student. So in my fourth draft I have rewritten my intro, but this change a long with all the other changes I need to do is making things difficult. I have to re-structure the entire essay and so far I am pretty frustrated. All this stress and I haven’t even begun the second essay. Guess what I will be doing over Labor Day weekend?

Also, I need to get this fourth draft completed as soon as possible for another reason. One of my recommendation providers has asked to see a draft of my essay so that he could get a better understanding of the context in which he is writing his recommendation. As I need everything (including the recommendations) submitted by Sept. 10th, this is becoming another huge pressure point under which I am working. However, what will be beneficial is that when I send him the latest draft of my personal statement I can ask him to give me some feedback on it as well. The more perspectives I can get, the better. 

The process of writing my personal statement has been surprisingly stimulating. I don’t think I would have ever truly understood exactly why my life is the way it is without trying to articulate it. Forcing myself to put my feelings about my background and my future into words has elevated my awareness of myself and has put components of my life into better perspective. For example, I didn’t really understand why I felt inclined to so strongly embrace my Hispanic heritage and add a minor of Hispanic Studies to my degree. I just felt that it was a part of my background that I wanted to know more about. But after forcing myself to write as much as I could about it, more started coming out. I realized that it was more about not letting my family’s cultural heritage fade away, like what happens to most immigrant families through the generations. Preserving pieces of our past and having pride is important, not only to my own identity, but to the identity of this country, which was built upon the backs of immigrants, both willingly and unwillingly. Though we are “Americans,” it is our individual stories that collectively weave the fabric of our American-ness. I realized that this is why I felt the need to retain my diverse background. Because losing that, for me, meant losing my own identity as well as a piece of the grand mosaic that is our nation. 

A Little About Colombia

I have finally finished a decent draft of my personal statement essay. It only took three drafts and two weeks in total, but finally, with a little (okay, A LOT) of help, I have produced something that I feel is worth sending to my Fulbright advisor. She will hopefully be able to give me more feedback on the direction and content of my essay, before officially submitting it with the rest of the application.

Unfortunately, I have to endure this process all over again once I start my grant purpose essay. That essay will go into more depth about why I chose the country I did (Colombia) for the English Teaching Assistantship grant and what my proposed side project is. I still need to do some more brainstorming and fleshing out of details for my side project, but currently I am thinking of creating a community newsletter of some sort for whatever area I would be placed within Colombia. 

I chose Colombia as my host-country because it is a nation that has intrigued me for some time. Most Americans think of drug cartels and violence when they hear “Colombia.” And admittedly, once upon a time, that is what I thought of too. During my study abroad program in Ireland, I listened to a seminar on Colombian refugees in Ecuador. I had never known of such a huge displacement crisis in Latin America before- it even rivals that of Sudan. When I returned to campus I began researching more on the issue, shared what I learned with my LSU club members, and gave a presentation on it to my Spanish class. And it is STILL shocking to me how little the media has chosen to dedicate to such a crisis.

Anyways, it was this initial interest that partly influenced my decision, but it was the people I have met from Colombia who secured it. A good friend of mine and her husband are Colombian. I met her at my gym and whenever we got the chance to workout together she would bear with my (very) novice Spanish skills so that I could get more practice. I have never met someone quite as encouraging in my language learning experience as her. She painted a picture of Colombia that I had never seen before. An image that you would never get from the media or from Hollywood. I can’t even count how many movies I have seen that present Colombia as a horribly dangerous place. And in some spots, yes it is dangerous, just like most other countries that feel the burdens of poverty and political tension. But most areas are incredibly pleasurable places to be. And the people- I have heard overwhelmingly wonderful things from even non-Colombians about their hospitality and friendliness towards foreigners. I REFUSE to let the promoted ugly sides of countries prevent me from experiencing the beautiful character underneath. And I refuse to let possible danger restrain me from living my life in the most fulfilling and meaningful fashion I can. (end rant)

Now, this is not to say that I would go to a place like Syria in its current, war-mired condition. A great indicator of the safety of a country is, in my case, the Fulbright grant itself. As my advisor mentioned, Fulbright would not offer grant opportunities in Colombia (there are currently 30 English Teaching Assistantship grants offered in Colombia) if it did not consider it a safe site for its grantees. This is opposed to my recent example of Syria, where there are no ETA or research/study grants available. This is true, in fact, for most of the Middle Eastern and North African countries. One day, though, hopefully this will change (I know, naïve optimism, I can’t help it).

 

A cathedral in Bogotá, Colombia’s capital.
http://www.nuevalenguatours.com/english/tours.htm

(Re)Introduction

As stated in my revised “About” page, I have decided (at the suggestion of my boss/mentor) to not limit this blog’s function as a travel journal and to include the journeys of my attempts at other international opportunities. Because this blog is present on the Office of International Program’s website, it will hopefully be a useful tool for other UWT students who are also interested in such opportunities. 

On a side note, I would like to explain the title of this blog because I don’t think I have yet. “Gypsy Feet,” for me, isn’t just a clever way of describing my love for travel. When I was young, my mother and I moved A LOT. From southern WA and the Portland, OR area, to the Puget Sound, to the deserts of Pasco and Walla Walla wine country, we have lived in almost every area of Washington state at least twice. Though this is not a vast area and our residency has mostly been contained to this state, we nonetheless were lovingly given the description of having “gypsy feet” by my grandfather, due to our incapability of staying in one place for too long. This did have some effect on me to a point; friends came and went quickly and starting over at a new school every year or two wasn’t so fun. However, the constant change did provide me with a decent ability to adapt  and, of course, a subtle need for new surroundings and adventure.

I feel that the term “gypsy feet” still applies to my life today, but possibly in a different manner than it used to. I am no longer picking up and moving every year or so, but I do have a constant craving to throw myself into unfamiliar environments and test the limits of my abilities. And so, as I do this throughout my life by traveling the world (something that I don’t ever expect to stop doing), it felt very suitable to title my online travel journal with what described me so well from the start.

As for right now, I am in the midst of doing something very scary. Scarier than applying for a study abroad program, or for a position to help lead ten students around Europe. Even scarier than applying to grad school (which will be on my list soon enough). I am applying for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship grant. For those of you who don’t know what Fulbright is, it is a highly competitive, highly prestigious program that provides grants for “international education exchange.” The specific grant that I am applying for allows the grantee to serve as an English teaching assistant in a country of their choosing for approximately ten months. The grantee receives a living stipend, gains highly valued international work experience, and can go on to teach English elsewhere. 

Now, I know that this is a long shot. And it is pretty petrifying. But teaching English abroad is something that I am going to do no matter what. Even if I don’t get to call myself a “Fulbright Scholar” in the process. But this grant would be PERFECT for what I want to accomplish, so I am going to take a chance, sacrifice hours to the application process and essay writing, and see what happens. Luckily, I have a great support system on campus to help me a long the way. But I don’t have much time. I decided to go for this opportunity a little late in the game, which could definitely be to my disadvantage if I don’t stick to the timeline. My application, along with the two essays I have to write, is due by my campus deadline of the 10th of September. After that date, the appointed advisory board at my university will interview me and then pass on my application to the Fulbright committee, whereafter I will be notified if I will, or will not, receive their funding. My next post will outline my own application process and detail a little more about my grant proposal.