We all had a great time meeting the other Distinguished Awards in Teaching grantees. There are about 75(?) teachers going to around 20 countries this year. I’m going to Mexico, so it was especially nice to meet the delegates from Mexico arriving to do their research in Indiana. Special thanks to Karina who gave me a list of great contacts and some “do’s and don’ts” in Mexico!
Did we only have 4 days? It seemed like a week because of the amount of meetings we were scheduled to attend. The food was great at the hotel. We also had a Culture Night where country representatives dressed in their traditional clothing and entertained us all. There was dancing and slideshows and games in different languages. Fun… A definite highlight for me was seeing my sister, Christina, during the orientation and spending some quality time to catch up on family news! Thanks, sis!
There was so much to know, too, especially about how our projects were supposed to be developed. I felt that we are given the latitude we need as professional teachers to search for the pedagogical resources we need in our countries, yet we have to adhere to deadlines and time markers.
I’m feeling the excitement of experiencing Mexico for the first time, but also some pressure to complete my project in 4 months. I am suddenly reminded that, during my second year in college, I studied for 4 months in France… And what about the project due for the Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad to Peru? Yikes.
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