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Sender: American Memory Fellows <AMFELLOWS@LISTSERV.LOC.GOV>
Poster: WstrnMooV@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: Fulbright Memorial Program
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I went in October two years ago. It was simply a fabulous time. The
requirements are minimal in the sense you make a plan on how you will share
what you've learned when you return. I emailed back to my class and school
everyday and the material was passed on to a lot of friends, parents and
community. I then devised some lesson plans, one involving women's history in
comparison with our LOC lesson on Women and the vote.
I flew to S.F. and had an orientation and then flew out to Tokyo the next
day....two planes, 100 educators each. A long flight and you arrive the next
day so you are wiped. Went to dinner with a Japanese Fulbright scholar and
then to bed. Two days of orientation, lectures, meeting the small group you
will be with. Then two free days to explore on your own. Then my group flew
to the northern island of Hokkaido, the most rural area of Japan. Stayed in
Kushiro a seaport actually not too far from USSR. Toured schools, had
fabulous food, stayed at an Inn and a three day stay with a family. Tours of
government facilities, museums and free time just to explore. Went to the
mountains with my family, saw the Ainu the indigenous people of Japan. A
wonderful farewell dinner there and then back to Tokyo for two days of
debriefing, sharing and being wined and dined again. A really hard
assignment. Spent the final Saturday in Tokyo and then flew back and spent
Saturday again in L.A.
I don't know how you feel about Japanese cuisine. I was antsy about raw this
and that and I ate the most wonderful stuff, although I learned to ask AFTER
I ate it. Whale, jelly fish, all kinds of raw sea food, eel. I am not a big
fish person but was converted to sushi et. al.
I don't know if this answers your questions but feel free to write specifics.
I might still have the emails somewhere if you are interested.
Japanese cinema and literature really helped me enter into the experience.
Read quite a bit about the culture to avoid real culture shock. Seemed
people from east and south struggled more than those of us on west coast,
since i guess we contact Japanese culture more.
As with American Memory, the teachers I met were top notch, inspiring and
mostly just great fun loving and interesting people.
To close: go go go Knowing you, I think you are exactly what they are looking
for and you'll have a ball.
Chris Langley
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