crthrasher
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Posts posted by crthrasher
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God, I hope so! I'm not quite sure what I will do if that plan does not pan out. I'm sure I will think of something. I mean, obviously, if I get it
From what I've heard from previous Germany ETA grantees, the side project is super flexible. I mean, heck, it's even flexible for the full grants so of course it's gonna be flexible for the ETAs as that is not our main focus anyways. I've heard that some people simply put that their side project was taking some classes at a local school/university and volunteering at a local shelter or something, and that was fine. I don't think it has to be super complicated -- they just want to make sure you're getting involved in the community in your free time and not spending your time holed up in your room, or focused on personal endeavors.
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Do a project that is not specific to a region, or a country? Becasue i would think it would be a good idea to do something that relates to your host country - just not so that you have to do it in a very specific place. In my case, I researched the Therapeutic riding association in Germany, and looked at their list of accredited facilities. They were all over the country, but some states had a lot more than others. I ended up putting my top three choices of state placement as the states with the highest number of therapeutic facilities. It was really the only way I could think to do it!
Yeah I think that sounds ideal! It's good to show you're really thinking about making the best use of your time in Germany, but the reason they say for it to not be location specific is just because you could be placed anywhere in the country.
So I'm sure you're good with that! -
coolcoolcool
You're cool!!
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Yeah, that is something along the lines of what my adviser told me. Also, do a project that is not region specific.
That being said, I want to set up some kind of English language camp where both kids and maybe even adults can express themselves creatively with a focus on poetry, children's tales, and photography.
That sounds fantastic!
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Interesting! Sounds like a good project. I actually heard the exact opposite from my advisor ._. Lol. I was told to articulate shat my project was to the best of my ability, because it is best to show the review commission that the project is feasible (financially). I don't even know anymore D:
Hehe, yikes! I hate it when I hear conflicting advice. It was such a pain when I was doing my application having different people (whose opinion I value equally) telling me COMPLETELY opposite things about what I should/should not write... haha. Oh well. Hopefully works out for both of us!
Anyways, I think my adviser told me it had to be 'realistic' too, but I guess her interpretation of that was that if I was *too* specific it would look like I wasn't flexible and had my heart set on this project more than the teaching.
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Thats cool - I don't know what type of music you are interested in.. choral, intrumental, both, whatever, but you should look into some of the boys choir schools! That would be an amazing thing to work with! Germany and Austria are well known for their boys' choirs! During my study abroad experience, the group i was with went to a fairly well known boys choir boarding school in the city I lived in - it was an incredibly cool experience. We got to sit in with several classes and answer students questions. The most amazing thing was that while we were sitting in with a fourth grade (maybe?) class, one of the boys raised his hand and asked if the Lehmen brothers were responsible for the collapse of our economy. This was in '08 so it was very relevant. Either that kid came from a family that discusses politics and world news a lot at the dinner table, or German students are just much more culturally aware than American students are. Actually, it was probably both. We also tried to explain what we knew about the housing bubble, and the subprime mortgage crisis. When we were explaning it the best we could ( a group of American students studying German - not economics- lol) the teacher cut in on us and said something to the extent of "No, no, I'm not asking about credit cards! I'm talking about the housing crisis" We were like...yeah...that's the problem, because to economically conservative Germany, subprime mortgages are on par with a risky credit card. Oh man. smh. It was quite the interesting experience. Even cooler, though, was sitting in on choral practice for a group of second? third? graders? I was just... blown away. These teeny tiny, rambuncious boys, who were able to sit and focus and produce that kind of controlled sound. It was amazing!
That's a great idea! I didn't specify what kind of music in my application -- it will really depend on what I find in terms of student interest at my school when(if) I get there. The way I wrote my application, I was hoping to get placed in the Diversity Program with less advantaged students (a non-advertised program of the Germany ETA program -- usually about 20/140 ETAs who get placed in it, and it means you get placed in a school with high percents of students with Migrationshintergrund, in more urban/less advantaged areas). So, it will really depend on my students interests because part of my motivation for doing this is I think music has a lot of power to keep kids engaged and going forward in their life (that's what it did for me as a teen!). I'm classically trained, but very familiar with more popular styles of music like rock, pop, and electronic, and I'd like to encourage students to explore their interests in whatever floats their boat, whether it's jazz or choral or heavy metal.
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hey thats basically my side project idea as well!!! Except in slovak repub.
Yay awesome!!
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Since there are a lot of German ETAs waiting around, I would be interested to hear what others have planned for their side projects as well!
I proposed starting or helping out with a student group that involves kids at the school in music, if my host school is amenable to that kind of thing, as well as getting involved in the local music scene (I play multiple instruments). I didn't go into too much depth/detail with my proposed side project because I was informed by my adviser and some former ETA grantees that they don't want to see projects that are too complicated (because then they think you'd be better off with the research grant and wonder why you didn't apply for that).
What did you propose?
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I just found out that I have received an ETA to go to Bulgaria!
Yay congratulations!!!
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I've been wondering this as well. Will IIE have the next few days off (Thurs-Mon) for the Easter holiday?
A 5-day weekend for Easter seems excessive. I would think they might have Friday and/or Monday off but probably not Thursday?
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Is Friday a holiday?
Yes come to think of it, I think Friday is a holiday for state employees. :'(
EDIT: Or maybe I'm wrong? But my boyfriend works at a public university and he has Friday off so I thought it was because of being a public employee.
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Ok, for real. Obviously we are soul mates. If we both get an ETA, we are totally meeting at the ETA conference thing, deal?
there'sanappforthat, am I not your soulmate too? :'( you're breaking my heart *cries Germany ETA tears*
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Yay! Congrats, IchBinIch!!!Got the Full Grant to Germany!!!!!! I'm freaking out. I'm sure people around me are convinced I'm on some sort of illicit drug......
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Last year if I recall correctly, Germany ETAs were notified only a couple days after the full grants. Can anyone confirm on that? So hopefully we won't have to wait to long... I'm guessing that we'll at least hear by Friday.My thoughts exactly. First oh god: full grants heard today, we'll probably hear today too. Second oh god: It could still be another 2 weeks since the last few years haven't notified full and ETA together. Third oh god: IT COULD BE TODAY. And so on..... -
I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one turning to wonderful cheap wine to soothe my nerves! after class every day, my thought process usually goes something like this: "I guess I should work on my thesis now. but I didn't hear back from Fulbright again. fuck it, I'm getting more wine." the irony that my thesis is about substance use problems is not lost on me...
Hahaha, aww. Us poor souls! They better hurry up!
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Sometimes I can't help but be reminded of a certain part of this song... the part relevant to us is at 5:14:
Hehe, I love Talking Heads.
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Wait, you get the fulbright stipund AND wages??
I would like to know this as well! That would be pretty awesome!
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Yeah, they're run out of the Harvard Center for International Development so they're definitely a trustworthy organization. Also, Princeton in Asia is a pretty good program. I believe they're application cycle for this year has passed though, so if anyone wants to teach English/ work in Asia they'll have to apply next year.
Interesting! That's great to know! I'll definitely consider it for the future.
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"There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it." -Oscar Wilde
- lunita and faithfullywaiting
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Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster.
I received notice today from Fulbright in the Slovak Republic that I have been awarded an ETA grant. The letter served as a "preliminary grant confimation" pending my acceptance and medical clearance. I also was given notice of my host institution and contact, which is in Bratislava.
Have any other finalists for an ETA in the Slovak Republic heard? I am so curious because there should be about 8 of us unless funding has completely changed.
Congrats to all who have heard and I am sending good thoughts the way of those who are still waiting!
Yay, congratulations!!!
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If you still want to teach English, I'd suggest applying to a WorldTeach gig. It's basically the same deal as the Fulbright ETA, but, depending on country, you either get paid a smaller stipend (about $300/month versus the larger Fulbright stipend) or you have to pay/fundraise between $1000-5000 upfront to teach abroad (while getting that monthly stipend). That money covers airfare, food, and board, so it ends up being a viable option. They're a great program and do a lot of great training, so I'd look into it.
I have an acquaintance who just did the Tanzanian semester program and it sounds like she had an incredible, life-changing experience. You have to be careful with a lot of these "Teach English Abroad" programs out there on the net, as many are not that good or are a total rip-off. WorldTeach is a nonprofit organization and the fees they charge you purely cover the program operation costs. They arrange everything for you so it's really a good deal especially for someone who has no experience living/traveling in that country.
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I currently have a pretty decent job (just not what I ultimately want to be doing) right now, which I will stick with. I want to go to grad school, but that will probably wait until my boyfriend is able to go back and finish school.
Same here... I have a job as a grant writer at a nonprofit organization, so if I don't get Fulbright I'll probably just continue doing what I've been doing with this. (I graduated last year and have been working here since then). It's not what I want to do forever, but I feel pretty lucky to have a job that relates even slightly to my skills, goals and interests, when a lot of my peers can't find ANY job.
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so, i want to join the google doc..... how do I do that?
Just go to this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmoTe-gJd4B9dFJ0aW1mYTVkYnhKcUEzR28yRTNwdlE&usp=sharing
You should be able to edit it there without logging in. Or, you can sign into your Google account first and then open the link and it should save it in your google docs. But that's not necessary - you can edit it anonymously.
Fulbright 2013-2014
in The Bank
Posted
So I've heard! Have you heard about the Teach and Learn in Georgia program through their government, where you can go volunteer to teach English and they will host you there? I was interested in the program at one point but read online that it's still in development stages so it's still a little flimsy in terms of being organized/providing reliable support/etc. Either way though, I'm sure you could do that if you didn't get the Fulbright, right?