My Journey Begins in Austin

Day 1: June 24, 2012

"There are two mistakes one can make along the road to the truth... not going all the way, and not starting" - Buddha

Thanks to the persuasion of my friends and colleagues Kevin Gole, Jackie Adamson, and Marisol Ponte-Greenberg (all former Fulbright recipients) I applied for the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program. After a month long writing process and help of my wonderful friends and editors Chetal Patel & Janine Saia, eight months later I received the news that I was selected for the program.  

The 103 degree dry heat welcomed me into Austin. I took the opportunity to lay poolside and relax! Honestly I needed some time to take in the fact that in just a few days I will be embarking on a month long trip to Mexico & Colombia: sightseeing, observing, learning, and hopefully some fun & relaxation too!

Last night I met the fifteen elementary school teachers, from all of the U.S., who I will be spending the next thirty-four days with. Those who know me well could guess I didn’t have a hard time striking up conversations. Everyone on this trip has such an interesting story, so many of these people have traveled to extremely exotic places, and we all share a common bond- teaching!

 Congress Avenue Bridge 

Our First Group Photo 

We boarded a double decker cruise ship for the famous bat cruise of Austin. The Congress Avenue Bridge is the home of the largest urban bat colony in North America. Crowds of people gathered above and below the bridge to see the flocks of bats fly out from the cracks in the bridge where they live. After sailing under this bridge, back and forth several times, we heard and smelled this bats but never actually saw them. Our captain seemed to take a detour quite far away from the bridge and when we retuned the crowds were gone and there wasn’t a bat in sight. The enchiladas, wine, and good conversation made up for not seeing these famous bats!