Hello, Senegal! Hello, Fulbright! (très bientôt)

I probably should've posted this when I found out I got the Fulbright (in April 2015), but such is the life of a procrastinator.   =)

I'm taking a temporary pause from teaching domestically and pursuing more work in the field of international education.  

As the subject line suggests, I received a Fulbright grant/scholarship as an ETA (English Teaching Assistant) to live and work in Senegal.  Yes, that's right -- I'm heading back to West Africa!  My grant is for 9 months (much shorter than my time in the Peace Corps), and I'll be living and working in a big city (one of the biggest French-speaking cities in the world): Dakar, located on the westernmost tip of continental Africa.  ETAs sent to Senegal work at the university level (one of the biggest reasons for me applying); however, I expressed interest in training teachers, and will be working with the Office of English at the Ministry of Education to help train English teachers all throughout Senegal. 

If you're unfamiliar with what the Fulbright program is, I turned to Wikipedia to help me out a bit:

The Fulbright Program is a program of highly competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the Fulbright Program, competitively selected U.S. citizens may become eligible for scholarships to study, conduct research, or exercise their talents abroad; and citizens of other countries may qualify to do the same in the United States.

The Fulbright Program is one of the most prestigious awards programs worldwide, operating in over 155 countries. Fifty-three Fulbright alumni have won Nobel Prizes; seventy-eight have won Pulitzer Prizes.  

The program was established to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills.

There might be some of you that are interested in the Fulbright program and might want to know what the application process was like: 

• October 2014: Applied through the University of Notre Dame (highly recommended that you apply through your undergrad or grad university). You can only apply to one country. 
• November 2014: After tweaking my application, personal statement, and the like, I submitted my complete application. 
• January 2015: Passed the first round of selection from the Fulbright Scholarship Board; my application was then sent to the folks in Senegal. 
• February 2015: Had a brief phone interview with the U.S. Embassy in Dakar. Was told there might be an opportunity for a Fulbright ETA to work at the Ministry of Education. 
• April 2015: Received word that I received the Fulbright in Senegal! 
• June 2015: Was flown out to D.C. with other Fulbright Scholars heading to Sub-Saharan Africa this year, including the 7 other ETAs heading to Senegal. 
• October 2015: En route to Senegal. Will have a 3-day orientation at the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, followed by the rest of our 9-month grant. 

June 2015 in Washington D.C. for the Fulbright Pre-Departure Orientation for scholars heading to Sub-Saharan Africa. This is with the 7 other ETAs and 2 scholars + Kiné (far right) from the U.S. Embassy in Dakar. Wonderful group of people, and excited to be embarking on this adventure together. 

Whew! 

You might be asking, just why did I go for the Fulbright?  For those of you that know me very well, this goes far beyond me being a wanderlust and moving around from place to place.  I’ve realized I like the blend of learning and applying that knowledge to practical experiences, and have found a true passion for education, especially foreign language education and international education in general.  And I feel like the Fulbright fits perfectly at this point in my life.

Today, I leave San Francisco after being back home for about 2 months.  I don’t think I’ve been home for that long since 2009, but it was a truly special time seeing family and some close friends. 

Probably the greatest experience was watching over my Grandma and spending time with her (my grandparents have lived with us since we were little, and they helped raise my brother and I as my parents went off to work).  I was even lucky enough to be there for her 89^th birthday, which is a rarity!  Nowadays, she doesn’t say much but it was simply being present with her that made the difference.  And as I left the house early this morning and said a “goodbye for now” to her, I cried a little.  She told me to enjoy this experience but to find a job that allows me to stay closer to home.  I told her that there’s so much to see in the world; it’s hard for me to stay in one place.  After a long and pensive pause she said, “Michael, take care always.”  Simple as that.  And with that, I am off to this new and exciting adventure that awaits. 

US Visit: Arriving at SFO and Grandma's Birthday with the fam!

Okay, with inconsistent internet access (and a SLOW connection at that with this stupid French keyboard), it's taking me a while to post all these pictures from my trip home...

Finally arriving at SFO on September 9, I spent a couple of days chilling with the family. Then Maria and Phil flew in a couple of days after and spent the week with me (more pictures from our SF trip in my next blog post).

One of the big reasons I came home was because of my Grandma's birthday. I love you, Grandma!

Okay, enjoy the pictures and expect the next one to be up in a couple of months, haha!

Grandma and Lolo welcoming me at the airport. <3

Mom, Dad, Benji and I.

Best! Look at us in white and we didn't even mean to coordinate!

In-N-Out....mmmmm!

Filipino family gatherings are the best. Why? Well look at all this food!

Skyping with Mar in Chicago, haha!

The original four -- David, Michelle, Maureen and I! <3

Tita Imelda and Gumby with Mom and Benji. We love our dogs!

Platano's in Berkeley. I love El Salvadorean food. Mmmmm...pupusas with curdito and friend plaintains on the side with sour cream and refried beans. My mouth is watering!

Mom cooking her Sinigang soup with shrimp. Yum!

Frustrations...and also being reminded that no matter what, I'm still an American.

What a week! To start, I get back to site after a weekend in Gaoua (the Internet connection has been down for some reason and I needed to send some e-mails so I stayed longer than expected). I'm using this here blog as a venting board, so here it goes:

I turn on my laptop on Monday and...nothing. NOTHING! Nothing shows up on the screen, but I can hear the fan under the laptop slowly 'wheezing.' Ugh! So frustrating and I had a feeling this would happen. It's especially frustrating because I do work on this more than I expected (quarterly reports, things for projects/activities, etc.) and the fact that it could be broken upsets me. But Kyle's going to take a look at it so hopefully it'll be okay.

The heat is also getting ridiculous and I'm sweating like crazy. I think I might be getting heat rash on my forearms and hands which is kind of expected since I'm not used to this kind of heat. But damn is it itchy! Stomach problems during training and now this. Oyy!

A tell-tale sign that I've been living here for a little bit: my clothes and sandals are definitely showing it. I'm starting to see all these tears in my clothes, although I will say that was expected. My Rainbow sandals (most comfortable footwear ever!) are starting to tear (the strap on the left sandal) and it makes me sad because I wear these everywhere!

Work-wise, I started my Reading Club with the CE1 students (US equivalent is 2nd Grade). The teacher helped me divide up the class into 9 groups of about 6-7 students, each group with a chef (student leader) who can read well at grade level. Talked with the class as a whole beforehand and told them that after I met with all the groups, we'd do a big class competition to see which group understood the most, with a big grand prize at the end. They all seem motivated and excited!

I met with the first group on Wednesday and of course, they come late. But I was excited to work nonetheless and used the children's books I got in Ouaga. The two books I'm using are about manners/being polite in school and a book on a boy that loves soccer (the most popular sport here in Burkina Faso). I read aloud first and then each student took their turn reading a page aloud. I'd correct them on pronunciation and ask a couple comprehension questions after each page, awarding stickers to those that got the questions right.

I knew that there would be kids that couldn't read at grade level but I noticed one girl who couldn't read at all. I mean, I could hear the group leader whispering the words in her ear as she was 'reading' aloud. It was insane, but it's something I want to target now so they don't fall behind in school later. It's no easy task, and my first group meeting was exhausting but I'm here to help as much as I can.

Some of the Peulh kids on my porch after school. Look at the little boy (Hussein) with the white shoes. So cute! He was initially scared of me but I think we're all good now!

But the optimist in me is determined to not let these frustrations get to me!

This week, I was also reminded of how much of an American I am. No matter how integrated you are in a culture, you still carry traits/parts of you from your original culture. Here's a quick list of mine this week:

• I wanted to get this Reading Club up and running a while ago but it's been hard trying to get in contact with the teacher. In the Burkinabè culture, whenever you want to start a project/activity, it's customary to consult with many people, particularly authorities, even if the project could be done by yourself immediately. While I could've easily gathered all the students, discussed logistics and run everything myself, I still needed to consult with the teacher.
  
• The Ouattaras always mention 'time is money' (I guess it's a saying that they got from the American movies they watch and they always joke how Americans say it all the time). But it's true! It was getting dark one evening and I was talking with Rachid and a few friends. But I wanted to rush out and get bread for dinner before it got too dark/late because I hate biking at night. I grab my bike and as I leave, Rachid says: 'Wow, you always seem to be in a hurry.' Which I guess I didn't really realize until he said it. I wonder if his conception of 'being in a hurry' is my conception of 'doing things at normal speed,' if that makes any sense.
  
• My laptop. It reminded me of the convenience we have back in the US. Whenever something like a laptop is broken, you can just drive to Best Buy and have it fixed in a day. No problem. Here in Burkina Faso, not so much...
• One afternoon, one of my neighbors was washing his moto and he asked if back in the US, I wash my car every week. It was such a random question but it reminded me so much of how much I missed riding in my car. And with my friends! I blame all those years of college in LA, driving everywhere! Haha.
• Personal space. The concept doesn't really exist here...usually I'm pretty open with people but after living next to the school and having 20 kids peep through your windows and door all the time, it can get exhausting. Like a fish in a fishbowl. But I'm getting a wall soon! haha
  
• One of my neighbors is a teacher and she recently had a baby. And now her mother-in-law cares for the baby as my neighbor goes to work. Seeing the grandma reminds me so much of my Grandma back home and reminded me of the accesibility to family back in the U.S. And even if I was far away, all it took was a simple phone call or a drive back home for the weekend.
  
• Thinking ahead/the future. A couple of people (like Ali) have already asked me what I'd be doing after the Peace Corps and if I'd be extending for a third year. But I haven't even reached the halfway mark of my service yet! Anyway, it's got me thinking...

And that's that! I apologize if this seemed more like a bitch (excuse the language)/rant list...Heading to Ouaga again next week for a VAC meeting and I get to meet our new Country Director. Holla!