Jump to content

revtowns

Members
  • Posts

    12
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Profile Information

  • Location
    Seattle
  • Application Season
    2017 Fall
  • Program
    Fulbright Independent Research/CLEA

revtowns's Achievements

Decaf

Decaf (2/10)

6

Reputation

  1. I would hope that the US Fulbright reviewers would not care too much about the politics, even if they are critical of the US (hopefully that won't change in Trump's America), but some in-country reviewers might be sensitive about certain topics and you should be careful about that (for instance, in my statement for China, I changed the wording about the situation in Xinjiang from "colonial," to "complicated'). In general though, I would not change the focus of your project because of political concerns. Just maybe be a bit strategic about how you frame it. Haha also yeah, it does seem like your advisor might not know everything.
  2. Thank you for the well thought-out and considerate response Horb! In general Fulbright compensations seem a tad confusing, as they seem clearly designed to pay all living expenses in some countries, but not in others. I wonder if whatever foreign policy calculus they use to determine if a region is "critical" affects this? Also, part of what is cool about Fulbright is that it does attract so many different types of people at different stages of their lives/careers, but I am guessing that sometimes makes productive conversations about things like money a bit difficult. Haha in any event, pretty sure I will take the CLEA grant and try to tighten my belt this summer while teaching to have some savings for contingencies. Thank you again for taking the time to read and respond.
  3. the website states under different sections that tuition will be fully covered and that "Critical Language Enhancement Award recipients receive the same monthly maintenance stipends as for other Fulbright grants in the host country." That is all the info that was provided prior to a week ago and I took it to be true. Maybe I should have asked more questions, but still, it is frustrating and misleading...
  4. I tried to resist replying to these, but this conversation ended on such cruel and insulting terms that it has left me unable to sleep. Also, I might have to meet both of you some day so I hope to try to end things on a slightly more civil note (and I know I am responsible for some of the incivility) or at least explain myself fully. Anyways, here goes: As for UnawareInGeneral's comments, I believe my application materials all clearly reflected my politics, which are critical of forces such as colonialism and capitalism and their role in shaping the modern world, forces that the Fulbright are inarguably implicated in at least a bit. Still, kudos to Fulbright for believing in academic freedom and the possibilities of intercultural intellectual exchanges. They do not demand ideological purity like you seem to (throwing people in jail for fraud?!). I can go further explaining my views on Fulbright if you are actually interested (not to mention things like how taxpayer money is used. I mean, shit, I never wanted my tax dollars to pay for drone strikes in Pakistan or bombing Syria or a militarized police force, but here we are), though I might prefer to do so in private messages for obvious reasons. And I definitely do not want to invest any more labor into a conversation that is only going to end in ad hominem attacks and calls for imprisonment. Yes, there is a contradiction in accepting a Fulbright and being a bit critical of it (also, all I ever said was it had a nebulous ideology, meaning complicated). However, choosing to critically examine the world we live in often reveals that there is no alternative to taking part in what we are critical of, including when one is working on a PhD in the humanities and in constant need to secure chances for research funding (yes I have applied for other grants) in between teaching undergraduates for little compensation and attempting to make “progress.” I know this is the path I chose and I need to accept responsibility for that, but it is also a tiring path as I am sure many people are aware. That path gets more difficult when it turns out the limited amount of possible compensation is less than what one was led to believe, which was all I was posting about initially. I do not think bringing that up makes me entitled or ungrateful. Also, the difficult path does not end after the Fulbright in a lucrative job for me (and I’m sure that’s also the case for many others), it ends in desperately trying to write my dissertation and find a full-time job in the humanities that will allow me to finally pay off my debt. I am not asking for pity, just a little bit of understanding and not being first dismissed, then condescended to, then insulted. hobakie I hope you can see why I am upset. If you want to talk more in person I am sure we can find a way to do so soon enough. Though I was mad yesterday, I ultimately would prefer there to be no hard feelings and a chance for understanding, if that is at all possible. On the small scale, I think the only way for anything to get better in the world is for people to at least try to understand each other’s positions and to work collectively to make the institutions they are a part of slightly easier for all to navigate. To those ends, I understand your position living in China is cheap and $500 is enough for food and believe you are right. Please listen to mine that it is frustrating to feel mislead about one’s compensation and to be put in a position where the options are to decline a prestigious grant or to take the risk of only having enough money to eat cheaply with next to no safety net (yes, I do have debt repayments that will not stop when I go to China. That is also of course partly my fault, but again, it makes decisions complicated). I write this both in a heavy-handed spirit of dialogue (and if you take it for condescension, well, you’re probably not entirely wrong there) and with the pragmatic recognition that I might have to room with one of you in DC. Can we please chill out a bit and be nicer to each other, I’m tired.
  5. thankfully I will be there in the Autumn. Pretty sure laowai12's general point that things happen in life and money is the only way to deal with them under a system rapacious neoliberal capitalism that has colonized China as much as it has destroyed the public institutions of the United States stands, dumpling point notwithstanding. Glorifying poverty is never a good plan unless one desires the continuance of poverty.
  6. Hi Hodna, Thank you so much for this post. Was beginning to feel very politically alienated and pessimistic (haha I should have probably learned to disengage in comment wars at this point). I hope you have a wonderful experience as well!
  7. Ultimately, just trying to point out that there does seem to be some amount of missing money here if we are to take the Fulbright website at its word? Maybe the Fulbright has never been a particularly generous institution and has always been a bastion of privilege--which has probably helped it to serve its nebulous ideological purposes--can I at least hope it be honest with us?
  8. I asked and and was told what was taken out was for housing and "incidentals." No idea what the incidentals are though.
  9. That's all fine and good, but saying the monthly stipend for a CLEA will be the same as the normal monthly stipend when it's not is in fact misleading (again, unless the housing in Harbin costs $1400 for some reason). As for realism, many people living in Harbin and other parts of China also make far more than $500 per month and I am hoping to return to America from a Fulbright to slog out a meager existence in the precarious economy of academia. I was never hoping to make money off of Fulbright, I just do think the compensation for CLEA grants has been presented in a misleading way that and learning the reality has left me feeling dismayed as my debts look likely to continue to grow if any contingency (medical or otherwise) occurs while in Harbin (and of course nobody is forcing me to take the grant). I also disagree that 100 kuai per day, about $15, is that much money if you have to eat out every meal because your housing likely does not have a kitchen. China is not that cheap. I apologize for my tone, but I also do not think Fulbrighters should need to disregard the precarious nature of the material conditions of these grants purely because of their prestige, especially as we make our decisions. I also think Fulbright could be far more transparent about many things. I know that will probably never change, but can we at least acknowledge those issues as we navigate this seemingly never-ending process? I realize this all makes me sound like a defensive ass and I suppose I am being one. Maybe coming on this forum with my concerns was not a great idea. I just wanted to raise one of many strange problems that arises when dealing with all of this bureaucracy. Good luck to all as we continue to deal with it and good luck to everyone still waiting on notifications! Look forward to meeting people in June!
  10. Hi all, I am super excited to have gotten a CLEA grant for China (in Harbin). Thing is: I am a bit mystified about how they ended up deciding on a $500 monthly stipend. The Fulbright website states that CLEA stipends will be the same as regular Fulbright Stipends for the country in question. Needless to say $500 is much much much less that the regular monthly stipend for China. Apparently the program covers housing in Harbin, so it makes sense that would be subtracted from the stipend, but something tells me my housing is not going to look like something that costs over $1400 per month. Honestly a tad worried about making ends meet. I know it is very possible to eat on $500 a month in China as long as you don't really ever splurge, but what if I need to do anything other than just eat noodles (like I dunno, buy a coat, Harbin is cold)? Does anyone feel that it is worth trying to argue for a higher stipend? In general I feel super lucky to have been awarded a grant and know that there are many who would want to take my place. That being said, at the very least it's hard not to feel like Fulbright is being a tad dishonest about the level of compensation for CLEA grants on its website (I also haaaaate that they asked me to accept before revealing what the compensation will be). It all feels a bit misleading and even perhaps unethical. Not sure if there is really any action to take, but I did want to express my frustration and see if anyone else had similar concerns.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use