ktravula – a travelogue!

Top Twenty Questions FLTAs Would Be Dying To Ask

Every time I start believing that I am sufficiently removed from my Fulbright experience to return to my anonymous student life, I get requests like this from readers like Darsh who want to know more about the FLTA experience in the United States. I’ve once written about what to expect in a one-year trip away from home, but here are a few more. As soon as you have passed the initial stages of being selected at your local country consulate, you are almost on your way to the United States.

1. How much is the monthly stipend? A: In 2009/2010, it was a little over $1000 per month. I hear that it also depends on where in the US you’re posted to. I was posted to Southern Illinois. f you are on the coast, you get a lot more (but then spend a lot more as well for food, and rent).

2. Is the stipend ever sufficient? A: Yes. With very prudent use, you would usually spend about half of the whole stipend monthly on food, housing and books. At the very worst case scenario, you would still be able to save about $300 every month.

3. Can relatives visit me from home? A: Technically, they can, but that is not what the program is about, so it is not encouraged. Believe me, the last thing you want is carrying the home baggage with you. But then, it’s up to you.

4. Can I date my students? A: No. Bad idea.

5. Can I date other students on campus? A: Yes.

6. If any of the people I date at #5 ever become my student in another semester, what should I do? A: I have no idea. But the fact that you know that such scenario is possible should make you re-think #5. You’ll find very many opportunities to meet other new people.

7. Will I need a mobile phone? A: Yes, but you don’t have to bring it along from your country.

8. Will I need a car? A: Not usually. You’d be able to get by without one on most campuses. Many FLTAs however often apply for, and obtain, a driver’s licence before they leave the US. It could be a worthwhile endeavour, so pursue it if you can.

9. How cold is a cold weather? A: Very cold. If you have never seen snow/experience winter before, chances are you will start needing to buy winter clothes and boots as soon as late October. Right now, it is 6 degrees Celsius.

10. Can I stay in the US after the program? A: No. There is a mandatory “return policy” which you’d sign on your way in. As soon as you’re done, you are required to head home first, before you do anything else. Many people return to the States for advanced degrees afterwards.

11. Tell me more about this “return policy”. A: Every grantee is obligated to spend two straight (consecutive) years in their home country after completing the Fulbright program. The aim of this clause is to make sure that the grantee returns home to contribute to the development of their country. If you do return to the US immediately after you return home after the FLTA, and spend a couple of years pursuing a degree, you will still need to eventually complete this mandatory 2 year home stay period before you’re ever allowed to process any long-term immigration to the US later in life.

12. Do I have to live in campus housing during my Fulbright year? A: You don’t have to, but in my experience, campus housing gives you a chance to know a bit more about American campus experience. And if you’re lucky to have stayed in a highbrow student housing like we had in Edwardsville, you will have a fantastic experience. However, many FLTAs have found other housing arrangements downtown (or somewhere close to school) that are more affordable than the campus housing (sometimes through r00m sharing with other international students). This can work too, but you may lose out on much of the “executive” campus scholar experience.

13. Can I send money home? A: Why not? But in most cases (refer to #2 above), the money is barely anything. By the time you buy an iPod, a camera, and a few gifts to take home with you, you barely have anything left. And if you hope to return for advanced degrees, you might want to save as aggressively as you can.

14. What do I need to take along to be a successful teacher of my language? A: In my case, a few books, some movies, plenty traditional clothing, and an adventurous spirit. American students are curious and they’d appreciate your efforts. Dressing to class at least once a week in your native wears will send a message of cultural appreciation more visibly than one month of teaching. I also showed a couple of movies in class. Use YouTube. There are plenty there that you can use to illustrate any point that comes up during teaching.

15. Can I travel out of my state? A: You will travel, at least once during the program. The first travel takes place before your teaching starts: you will be taken to another state for the FLTA Orientation. And then, in December, you will have to attend the annual conference in Washington DC. This is a five-day event which will allow you to meet up with your fellow scholars, and visit parts of the nation’s capital. Aside from these mandated trips, you will also have the time during your year to visit any other place you want, as long as you do it during times where your presence is not physically needed in your place of primary assignment. If you’re in Illinois, you should try to visit Chicago or Springfield.

to be continued…

Q & A

Q: What really have you been up to?

A: Many of them are really personal, family stuff. I have also taken steps to properly “graduate” from the University. This includes a very long and tedious process of undergoing “clearance” from almost every section of the University – Sports, Alumni etc. Yesterday, I got my certificate, but discovered that my name was written with an extra “N” in a wrong place, again. Sigh.

I’ve also been watching Michael Moore. Two days ago, it was Capitalism, a Love Story, a really enlightening documentary. Yesterday, it was “Bowling for Columbine.” I’m not done with that yet. When I am, I’ll be onto “Sicko”. Michael Moore is one of my favourite film makers. He is an inspiration, and I like the way he takes on issues. If I ever make movies someday, I’ll be borrowing so much of his ideas. The very moving last scene of Capitalism, a Love Story has him drawing a “Crime Scene – Do not Cross” tape around Wall Street. Then he made a bullhorn announcement for all the CEOs to come down and voluntarily arrested for defrauding the nation. I recommend the movie to everyone.

Q: Who is your next favourite team in the World Cup since the exit of the Nigerian Super Eagles?

A: I support the USA (of course) and Ghana. The US because they have not been known as a football-playing nation (I know they call it “soccer”), yet they have been spectacular in the tournament. I hope they go far. Maybe it will reduce some of the craze for American Football :). I support Ghana because they have also been quite spectacular, and of course since they’re the only African team left in the competition. But here is my dilemma: Ghana will be playing with the United States in their next match, and one of them must be knocked out. I will have my fingers crossed for that one.

Q: So when are you coming to a city near me, as you promised?

A: Soon. One other new discovery I’ve made is that it is more costly, and tedious to move around the country without a private helicopter or a travel grant. Still, the plan is on course, very much. Are there particular places in Nigeria that you’d like me to visit? And why?

Q: Where will you be this weekend?

A: Maybe at the Bookjam event in Lagos. Will you be there?

See you guys around.

Questions and Answers

Q: When exactly in May do you leave for Nigeria, and what is your flight itinerary?

A: I don’t know. When that day comes, a helicopter from the White House is going to land near the KTravulake, commando style, and smuggle me out before anyone knows, and drop me right at the base of the Statue of Liberty in NY where a boat will ferry me to the JFK airport. From then the Air Force Ten will pick me up and drop me into France since all commercial airplanes are no longer flying in there because of the volcanic ash clouds. After a few hours in the streets of France speaking poor French and confirming to myself once and for all that all the French I claim to speak is nothing but trash African Vernacular French, I will hop onto the Air France Concorde plane brought back from retirement just for my sake, and fly home into Lagos’s unsuspecting but hot embrace. French expressions learnt so far: “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?”, “Je t’aime”, “Tu est belle.” and “Merde!” Why none of these have to do with getting directions, finding the nearest restaurant, or getting out of trouble is beyond me. My French friends are the most mischievous kind. From the sound of them, I know I’ll be getting into trouble. Ah, wish me luck. I’m gonna need it. 🙂

Q: What is the ONE experience that you will miss the most about the United States. I’d like to know.

A: Beside access to fast and stable internet and electricity access, it must be the opportunity to ride my bike every day on the bike trails around Edwardsville. Somehow, I wish I could change that about Nigeria’s high dependence on fuel and motorized vehicles. If we could only develop the bicycle transport system and make laws to construct paths for bicycle users. The sad fact is that there are no good roads for vehicles either, so bicycles are not a priority. And that is sad, considering how much we pay for fuel, and how much of the environment is destroyed by continues gas emissions, and how more affordable, and more sustainable a bicycle is as a means of transportation. The groups http://www.bicycles-for-humanity.org and http://bikesfortheworld.org are currently involved in securing used and unused bikes from people in developed countries, and sending them to developing countries. How could one claim such for the many thousands of elderly, poor or simply interested people in Nigeria who could have otherwise benefited from the programme if the environment in which they live does not even support a safe use of such a simple and yet effective means of transportation? Sad.

Here’s an article on cycling in berlin (thanks to Loomnie.com)

10 Questions for the Traveller

10. Why do you focus on Nigeria a lot these days?

A: Are you kidding? Nigeria has been in the news even before I started talking, but if you prod me a little bit more, I might tell you that it’s because I’m going to return there in less than three months, and I am interested in its success. Staying back in the US is not only not an option, it is escapist and does not really count as progress. There is a stipulation to spend at least two years in my country after this programme before any application for permanent residency in the United States afterwards. That way, beneficiaries of the Fulbright can get to contribute to their countries of birth and residence. The better Nigeria gets then, the better for me.

9. Are you really looking forward to going home?

A: Yes, actually.

8. What will you miss the most about the United States?

A: I’ll miss the friends I’ve made. I’ll miss my host parents, Papa Rudy and Laverne Wilson, I’ll miss Chris and his adventurous spirit. I’ll miss Olga even though we don’t see each other much these days. I’ll miss my students, my office, and my wonderful Professor Mattson who shares the space with me. I’ll miss my department and Belinda, its beautiful head and Sherry its cool and sometimes mischievous secretary, and also my friend Catherine in the language lab for allowing me trouble her many times. I’ll miss the genuine smiles and laughter I get from colleagues, and I’ll miss the days of uninterrupted superfast internet access. There are so many lovely people that will kill me for not mentioning their names here. I’ll mention them in due course.

7. What will you do when you get home?

A: I have a tentative plan, which is to go around my country to places I haven’t been before. I also hope to visit places I’ve been before but which hold a certain interest for me and for friends. I think I have only visited about seven states in Nigeria, out of thirty-six. I have a long way to go. I also hope to return to the University to complete my Master’s programme in Linguistics and/or Language Documentation. Would it not be better if I come over to do it in the United States along with a PhD? Maybe. We’ll see how that goes.

6. I love those your photographic artworks. How can I get one?

A: I am raising money with them for Jos, Haiti and for Chile. If you’re interested in participating in the project, check out the very simple instructions here.

5. Creatively, how have you been keeping yourself occupied?

A: I’ve been reading extensively because I’m afraid that there will be too many books to carry home when I’m done here. I may have bought too many. So it will make more sense to read them now, and give them away. I’m actually worried that my excess luggage will be filled with books. I don’t know if I can handle that. I have also been writing: a memoir, poems, and translations. You’ll be the first to know when they get published.

4. Are there any more places you will definitely visit before you leave?

A: Yes. That will be New York from where I hope to depart to Nigeria.

3. How are your students doing this semester?

A: Never been better. They murmured when I told them that this time the final exams will not be to write a short story like the other folks did last semester. In their own case, they will be presenting a short drama or a Yoruba song for an audience of their mates and former students. I like the idea, and they’re catching up on it too. I’ve finished grading the mid-term exam and I’m happy that they actually know more than I give them credit for. They’re the best students ever. We’ve saw Chimamanda’s TED video again last week. It was the first time of seeing it this semester.

2. I like your blog. I hope you won’t stop writing. I want to contribute in the form of a guest-post. What should I do?

A: All you have to do is to send me an inquiry, or just send in the guest-post and let me look at it. You can find the previous guest-posts here. What kind of guest-post do I prefer? I don’t have preferences. I just want to read other people’s interaction with the world, either in poetry, prose or rants.

1. What do you think of the Libya’s president Colonel Gaddafi’s suggestion that Nigeria be split like India along religious lines so as to bring permanent peace and stability?

A: Not only is the idea sick and repulsive, it is shallow and lacks the right substance needed for any permanent solution. First, organized religion is one of the biggest problems of the world right now, so to make it the basis of state is not only dumb, it is retrogressive. There is no doubt that the North is mainly Moslem and that the south is mainly Christian. However, the northern Nigeria is not totally Moslem, nor is the southern Nigeria totally Christian, and that is one of the causes of the Jos crisis. So this begs the question: where will the boundaries be drawn if such a division were to be made? At the Niger River? Where would Plateau, Kwara, Kogi, and Oyo States fall? And what purpose would it serve to have any part of the country run by a religion that has never been known to hold the elites and the politicians to the same standard expected of the poor uneducated citizenry. If the law is an ass, religious laws at levels of state are even dumber. What the country needs is to live up to its ideals of a true federalism where each component parts are autonomous to the extent of its fiscal responsibility and obligations. Organized religion is the enemy, as is ignorance, arrogance, and complacency.

Ask Me! An Update

Since I have held you in suspense long enough, let me tell you what it was all about.

I had looked at my blog stats earlier in the day to discover that we had already almost a thousand comments, so I had this little idea of giving back to my commenters. It was also a way of marking that interesting landmark of 1000 comments. Well, technically, the comments are not all from you readers. Some of them are from me as well, responding to you. Therefore technically, we’re still not up to a thousand reader comments. About nine hundred would be more like it. But, we have reached and passed a thousand comments on this blog that started in August in Lagos Nigeria so I thank everyone, from Aloofar who left the first comment, and “Meee” who left the 1000th. I would kiss you both, but one of you is a guy and the other is anonymous. Sorry folks. Maybe next time 😀

It was interesting though, that Ms “Mee” also had one of the most interesting questions I received on that post. All she asked was “Will you marry me?” What can I say? It’s a woman’s world, and I lead an interesting life. 🙂 For readers interested in the development of that question, I’ll let you know how that goes. Ask me again in five years 😉 So, to reward these wonderful readers and commenters, including those of you who were the 1001st, 1002nd, 1003rd etc and are interested, I am going to go out and print a series of postcards made from my photos taken all around Illinois, and branded ktravula.com. They’re going to be nice, and I will post them to you wherever you live around the world, as soon as you send me your postal address. Send it to kt@ktravula.com. “Mee” also gets a branded bag from my department or a ktravula.com t-shirt only if she lives in the United States. If not, she gets postcards. It’s funny though that she was leaving a comment for the very first time. Interesting.

Thank you everyone who sent me questions. If you have any more questions that you haven’t asked, you’re still allowed to send them, and you may get souvenir postcards too. I’m printing out quite a number.

On severas apres, then folks! I’m feeling cold, and this dinner of freezing lemonade and schogetten milk cream chocolate with vanilla sliced loaf cake is not helping at all. 😀

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