dandocerto

Don't get me wrong people, I'm EXTREMELY happy and lucky to get this. There are just some issues, since everything got pushed back, and since they have the original time requirement that I don´t need now since I´ve already been here, and since I´ll be better off financially finishing a bit early (one month early) and going back to the US to work.

I was going to eat my year of funding to write, ask for summer money, which is a new thing at my school, and hope for the best for work when I got back. I was also going to be doing some online tutoring from here, but now that's out since it's stipulated we can't work while on fellowship. I'm currently living off of money I saved from when I was here last summer with a FLAS and some other support and didn't need it all...

Yeah, that was one of the thins I asked about this morning--what exactly would my start date be since it´s already passed. She didn't know if they could post it retroactively or not, she was going to find out. But even if they do, I'll need 2 or 3 months less time to work the budget, and I've already paid for my plane ticket. I got less than 40% of the original. The original, because of Fulbright's monthly rates, was waaay too much, yes. But I need about 45 or 47% of the og to work it. It's not going to do me much good if I can't go to research events because I can't afford it, for example.

Well, I already talked to them this morning, just explaining my situation. I'm already in the field, and I know how much my living costs are. The budget they gave me is just not realistic for the amount of time. The original Fulbright budget was way too much, true, but this one, while generous, leaves me absolutely scraping by (and I am very very frugal!). I'm basing this of two months already living here and three months here last year. And since I already started on the project, if they obliged me to stay until the original end date, I would be on 13 months of research, more than I requested. And if they start the timeline now, it would be even longer. It's not a matter of adjusting expectations for me, it's a matter of feasibility. Anyway, I talked to Pam Jennings just to ask about these things, especially since my original start date already passed. She asked me to send some details, so I did, comparing the OG budget to what my actual expenses are and the amount they gave me. I'll see what they say.

Ah, is this the same as the "project director"? ie, the person at our schools who oversees the fulbright app process, etc.? In any case I don't think it will do me much good as I really need to talk to them today (I'm already in the field) and my home Fulbright person is only in the office on Tues and Wed. in the summer. But I think it's a good idea!

Sorry---what's an FPA?

This is exactly one of the things I need to do. Partially because I'll be done with research, partially because of the visa, and partially because I won't be able to afford the same amount of time on what they gave me... I'm wondering about how to go about bringing this up so I don't get any cash cut...

Hi all, Congratulations to everyone who received the grant. And luck to anyone who didn't...here's hoping you have other funding to carry your projects through! I'm wondering how people are handling the late notification, and perhaps changes to original research time-line, in terms of the actual research time and how that might affect funding, since they say they cut funds if you don't stay as long as you had said. My original start date would have been July 1st, and I actually started research before then, and my visa will expire before the original end date. I'm wondering if anyone has already talked to them about adjusting the time line and how that's playing into the actual funding amount.