Lectures like I'm back in college

Day 2: June 25, 2012

This morning we boarded a shuttle bus to the University of Texas at Austin. Our morning began with brief introductions with all members of the group, including Natalie and Carly who assisted in organizing the trip, as well as Jacques (who will be our tour guide in Mexico) and Leo (who will be our tour guide in Colombia). Leo, who was born in Colombia and currently lives there, was pleased to hear I was from Queens because he lived in Jackson Heights for four years.

Our first lecture, given by Matthew Butler, was a very intense history of the Mexico: From Decolonization to Democracy. The next, a lecture by Jesse Cromwell, was the history of Colombia. After lunch and a short break outside in the 104-degree heat, Marco Munoz gave a lecture on rural Veracruz, a town we will be visiting in Mexico. Lastly, Donna DeCesare presented a heart felt lecture about her work as a photojournalist that has worked in several different countries. She spoke in particular about a project in a women’s prison in Colombia.  Through this project women were given the opportunity to take photography classes and some of their pictures were presented in a gallery in the prison and later in several other locations throughout Colombia. Her photos and techniques of story telling through photographs were very inspiring.

http://www.donnadecesare.com/

http://www.destinyschildren.org/

Upon returning to the Radisson, my roommate Joan and I decided to “take a swim” and relax and unwind at the pool. Our roommates for this trip are on a rotational basis and luckily Joan and I have hit it off (I honestly wish we didn’t have to switch!) She is a lovely British lady that lives in California and has traveled all over the world- to places I’ve never even heard of! This is her third Fulbright Hays Summer Abroad. Her, along with most of the participants, have been all over the globe and have endless stories to tell.

My buddy Jackie would be happy to know that I’m started a long list of the places I intend to travel to. We finished our day off at the Moonshine restaurant, where we enjoyed some delicious Austin cooking, like corndog shrimp.

Looking forward to leaving the U.S. and spicing up my blog! 

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!