American Dreams

This week I helped six of my students apply for a Fulbright grant to take education courses in the U.S. and teach Arabic at the same time. The students would leave for the U.S. a couple of months after completing their courses here next year. They are all over-the-moon excited for this opportunity. The final day of the application process was a stressful time, with frantic phone calls 45 minutes before the deadline about essays corrupted by viruses, missing letters of recommendation, and faulty internet connections. I was literally editing papers until the final minute. Thankfully, they all submitted on time and I wish them all the best in their applications.

All of this stress, hard work, and and form-filling reminded me of the Fulbright application I completed in 2008. I wanted to research the impact of adult literacy interventions among the Fulani community in Senegal, near the border with Mauritania. This was an extension of the volunteer work I was doing in New York. The day I found out I didn't get the grant was the same day that I found the fellowship that brought me here. 

I applied for the program immediately and nine months later I was on a plane to Mauritania. This program actually fits my professional goals much better and brought me to the country I wanted to visit the most, which was not available in the Fulbright program. Working to train teachers puts me in the classroom, where my heart feels the most happy and where I continue to learn the most about myself and the world. Teaching uses all of my energy, creativity and intellectual abilities. Training teachers pushes me to be even better than the best teacher I can be!

I am wishing my students the same success: If the Fulbright door closes, another amazing opportunity will open. I am always grateful when life presents me with reasons to remain optimistic! Living in Nouakchott this year has been a rich and meaningful experience.