And the bottom line is, who do I have to thank? YOU! Because your tax dollars are sending me abroad. That's right folks. But don't worry, I won't waste it. And you kind of get some returns back by reading my blog. So it's pretty much win-win, right? ;-)
I can't believe that two years ago today I was getting ready to go to China for the first time. Now I'm getting ready to return to Nanjing for another 10-month stint--this time for something slightly more fun: the Fulbright. This time I'm receiving a regular salary and NOT getting graded: a double whammy of awesomeness. As the summer is winding down, I get déjà vu on a daily basis as I'm saying goodbye, getting my visa, buying my plane tickets, setting up my Skype account, ect... Things are looking up: I'm going back to China (my dream since I came back to the states in August 2010) and I'm NOT going back to school. YAY! Although I will be auditing some classes at Nanjing University, I'm over the whole "school" thing... for now (you know I'll be getting another degree in no time). For those of you that are wondering "what the heck is the Fulbright?" well, first of all, you must have access to the Internet, so Google it, for Christake! But for those of you that just don't feel like Googling (um what's wrong with you?) here is a press release the Fulbright sent me "to send to local newspapers." It would have been cool if it had included some things about me, but alas it is just another Fulbright publicity stunt. Nevertheless, it does have my name in it (they even refer to me as "Tynen" at one point). Here it is:
Sarah Tynen Receives Fulbright Award
Miss Sarah Elizabeth Tynen of George Washington University has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship to China in Sociology, the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced recently.
Tynen is one of over 1,600 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2011-2012 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Program operates in over 155 countries worldwide.
Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 300,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in government, science, the arts, business, philanthropy, education, and athletics. Forty Fulbright alumni from 11 countries have been awarded the Nobel Prize, and 75 alumni have received Pulitzer Prizes. Prominent Fulbright alumni include: Muhammad Yunus, Managing Director and Founder, Grameen Bank, and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient; John Atta Mills, President of Ghana; Lee Evans, Olympic Gold Medalist; Ruth Simmons, President, Brown University; Riccardo Giacconi, Physicist and 2002 Nobel Laureate; Amar Gopal Bose, Chairman and Founder, Bose Corporation; Renee Fleming, soprano; Gish Jen, Writer; and Daniel Libeskind, Architect.
Fulbright recipients are among over 40,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. For more than sixty years, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has funded and supported programs that seek to promote mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered by the Institute of International Education .
For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, please visit: http://fulbright.state.gov or contact James A. Lawrence, Office of Academic Exchange Programs, telephone 202-632-3241, or e-mail fulbright@state.gov
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