Fulbright 2013-2014

[Torrid]

Yeah, I was just thinking about that yesterday. I'm in tornado alley too! Hopefully we won't get too bad of weather. ..

 

So last night I was going through my German grammar book, reviewing prespositions, and I started feeling overwhelmed. And then I tried watching some German TV online. Even worse. I started getting that "Oh god, what was I thinking" feeling.

Then I remembered that my brother inlaw, who is from Iraq, uses "by" for just about every prepostion, and I will be ok if I don't always remember my prepositions. Lol.

 

Still though. I haven't had to use German in forever. X.x

 

Starting to consume German media will help you a TON though, especially if you already have a decent grasp of the grammar. My biggest weakness with the language is less reading or writing and more just being able to immediately comprehend spoken German and respond to it. Movies, music and TV will definitely help with that (well, maybe not the responding part as much...)! If you need any recommendations for movies or music let me know

[CrystalDee]

Oh my goodness.  Prepositions.  There are so many in Russian.  They all take different cases and that can change depending on context.  Oh, well, I like grammar.  Usually. XD

There are no prepositions in Estonian. Each noun is conjugated to accommodate for the preposition. There are 14 different ways to change a noun, plus your typical verb conjugations. Is this similar for any of you guys? I can sound out Russian, but I cannot even fathom reading it. Whew! At least I only have a handful of new letters to learn.

[rsbh]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum, and so happy to find others also (im)patiently awaiting decisions. I applied to Denmark and thought I would share the update I received after emailing Eileen O'Malley. (I got a little anxious since past years found out at the end of March)

 

"I’m afraid that we do not currently have a definitive timeline for informing applicants for Denmark. Applicants will be informed as soon as we receive Country Decisions, Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) approvals and confirmation on budgets from the U.S. Department of State.  We are unable to predict when we will receive all three of these requirements, and we truly appreciate everyone’s patience on this. I would be hopeful that we will know before the end of April if not much sooner but at the moment we do not have a definitive timeline. As soon as I am given approval I will let applicants know."

 

Hopefully this will help those who keep refreshing their email...

[myhandsarebananas]

Yeah, I was just thinking about that yesterday. I'm in tornado alley too! Hopefully we won't get too bad of weather. ..

 

So last night I was going through my German grammar book, reviewing prespositions, and I started feeling overwhelmed. And then I tried watching some German TV online. Even worse. I started getting that "Oh god, what was I thinking" feeling.

Then I remembered that my brother inlaw, who is from Iraq, uses "by" for just about every prepostion, and I will be ok if I don't always remember my prepositions. Lol.

 

Still though. I haven't had to use German in forever. X.x

 

Yea, there was that nice little remark in our e-mail from the PAD that was all...you must be proficient in German, but we will not help you, so do something.  And even though I'm currently taking a class in German, I have only been taking the language for a few years (started in college), and I know that if I don't speak over the summer it will be bad news bears...

 

It's at least good to know that other people are freaking out about that a little too. 

[CAJ54]

For anyone applying to Venezuela, I just took the leap and e-mailed IIE. 

[CrystalDee]

For anyone applying to Venezuela, I just took the leap and e-mailed IIE. 

There are a couple of people waiting on Venezuela. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmoTe-gJd4B9dFJ0aW1mYTVkYnhKcUEzR28yRTNwdlE#gid=1

[annabella4]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum, and so happy to find others also (im)patiently awaiting decisions. I applied to Denmark and thought I would share the update I received after emailing Eileen O'Malley. (I got a little anxious since past years found out at the end of March)

 

"I’m afraid that we do not currently have a definitive timeline for informing applicants for Denmark. Applicants will be informed as soon as we receive Country Decisions, Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) approvals and confirmation on budgets from the U.S. Department of State.  We are unable to predict when we will receive all three of these requirements, and we truly appreciate everyone’s patience on this. I would be hopeful that we will know before the end of April if not much sooner but at the moment we do not have a definitive timeline. As soon as I am given approval I will let applicants know."

 

Hopefully this will help those who keep refreshing their email...

 

Thanks rsbh! I figured that was probably the rough timeline (end of April) after hearing the Switzerland update. Guess I'll try checking the Google doc a little less frequently for now...

 

In other news, Twitter tells me Ireland found out today: https://twitter.com/bvsouders/status/321677143987863552

[cummingdr]

Hi, fellow Russia ETA candidate here... I've recently started prowling the internet to find out when we'll be informed about the results. Thank you for the update. I instinctively blamed Russian bureaucracy but obviously it is in the hands of Washington at this point. . .

 

RK

All I've found out on the internet is that no one really knows... and you know things are going to shit when Russian bureaucracy is faster than whatever's going on down in Washington... 

[dios Achilleus]

Yeah, I was just thinking about that yesterday. I'm in tornado alley too! Hopefully we won't get too bad of weather. ..

 

So last night I was going through my German grammar book, reviewing prespositions, and I started feeling overwhelmed. And then I tried watching some German TV online. Even worse. I started getting that "Oh god, what was I thinking" feeling.

Then I remembered that my brother inlaw, who is from Iraq, uses "by" for just about every prepostion, and I will be ok if I don't always remember my prepositions. Lol.

 

Still though. I haven't had to use German in forever. X.x

Do you mind saying which state of tornado alley you're in?

 

Also, I feel ya on the "oh god, what was I thinking." My German used to be passable, but it has declined so much I can barely read through a research article in German, much less a book.

 

There are no prepositions in Estonian. Each noun is conjugated to accommodate for the preposition. There are 14 different ways to change a noun, plus your typical verb conjugations. Is this similar for any of you guys? I can sound out Russian, but I cannot even fathom reading it. Whew! At least I only have a handful of new letters to learn.

God, I'd love to learn Finnish and Estonian. Grammar is really interesting to me. The nouns being able to function in each case without prepositions is beautiful, although it also fascinates me how prepositions begin to creep in and cases begin collapsing into each other.

 

"I’m afraid that we do not currently have a definitive timeline for informing applicants for Denmark. Applicants will be informed as soon as we receive Country Decisions, Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) approvals and confirmation on budgets from the U.S. Department of State.  We are unable to predict when we will receive all three of these requirements, and we truly appreciate everyone’s patience on this. I would be hopeful that we will know before the end of April if not much sooner but at the moment we do not have a definitive timeline. As soon as I am given approval I will let applicants know."

Thanks for this. I guess it really is the sequester that's holding everything up.

[CrystalDee]

God, I'd love to learn Finnish and Estonian. Grammar is really interesting to me. The nouns being able to function in each case without prepositions is beautiful, although it also fascinates me how prepositions begin to creep in and cases begin collapsing into each other.

 

Thanks for this. I guess it really is the sequester that's holding everything up.

Haha! You should give it a try! Here is a link from YouTube, this little girl is precious.

 

And, I think I have gone a whole day without blaming the sequester. LOL!!

[Books2readme]

Best of luck to all of us! I'd just like to stop shrugging my shoulders when people ask me what I'll do after graduation. It's time to have a real answer. 

 

Haha, agreed!

[there'sanappforthat]

Oh my goodness.  Prepositions.  There are so many in Russian.  They all take different cases and that can change depending on context.  Oh, well, I like grammar.  Usually. XD

Yep, that's pretty much how it is in German, as well. There are like.. three different sets of prepositions? Two sets have their one case, the third set's case is dependant upon whether or not the verb is transitive or not. Woo. At least I THINK that's a good way to describe them.

[danielm43]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum, and so happy to find others also (im)patiently awaiting decisions. I applied to Denmark and thought I would share the update I received after emailing Eileen O'Malley. (I got a little anxious since past years found out at the end of March)

 

"I’m afraid that we do not currently have a definitive timeline for informing applicants for Denmark. Applicants will be informed as soon as we receive Country Decisions, Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) approvals and confirmation on budgets from the U.S. Department of State.  We are unable to predict when we will receive all three of these requirements, and we truly appreciate everyone’s patience on this. I would be hopeful that we will know before the end of April if not much sooner but at the moment we do not have a definitive timeline. As soon as I am given approval I will let applicants know."

 

Hopefully this will help those who keep refreshing their email...

 

Thanks for this update...very good to know! Nice to see another fellow Denmark applicant here.

[there'sanappforthat]

Starting to consume German media will help you a TON though, especially if you already have a decent grasp of the grammar. My biggest weakness with the language is less reading or writing and more just being able to immediately comprehend spoken German and respond to it. Movies, music and TV will definitely help with that (well, maybe not the responding part as much...)! If you need any recommendations for movies or music let me know

This is what I am trying to do. Just get exposed to it. I am the same way; the listening comprehension is the hardest part, as well as response. I think that's fairly common though. The TV station Bayrische Rundfunk has quite a bit of their material available online to stream, which I have been watching. It's nice because it varies from children's programs, which are easier to understand, to soap operas, to talk shows. I've watched a few German movies on Netflix, so that works too. Also trying to listen to German Radio while I'm working (yaay! Iphone app!)

Seriously, in this day and age, there are so many opportunities to prepare. I can only imagine what it will be like 10 -20 years from now!

[there'sanappforthat]

There are no prepositions in Estonian. Each noun is conjugated to accommodate for the preposition. There are 14 different ways to change a noun, plus your typical verb conjugations. Is this similar for any of you guys? I can sound out Russian, but I cannot even fathom reading it. Whew! At least I only have a handful of new letters to learn.

It sounds a little like German. There are tons of different ways to write nouns and pronouns, depending on whether they are the subject, direct object, or indirect object of the sentance. I've never really counted out how many different variants there are, though!

[there'sanappforthat]

Yea, there was that nice little remark in our e-mail from the PAD that was all...you must be proficient in German, but we will not help you, so do something.  And even though I'm currently taking a class in German, I have only been taking the language for a few years (started in college), and I know that if I don't speak over the summer it will be bad news bears...

 

It's at least good to know that other people are freaking out about that a little too. 

Well, at least you are taking a class! I haven't taken any since I graduated college in '09! Gulp!

But I'm going back over stuff, so I think with enough focus, I will be ok.

[there'sanappforthat]

Do you mind saying which state of tornado alley you're in?

 

Also, I feel ya on the "oh god, what was I thinking." My German used to be passable, but it has declined so much I can barely read through a research article in German, much less a book.

 

God, I'd love to learn Finnish and Estonian. Grammar is really interesting to me. The nouns being able to function in each case without prepositions is beautiful, although it also fascinates me how prepositions begin to creep in and cases begin collapsing into each other.

 

Thanks for this. I guess it really is the sequester that's holding everything up.

I live in southern Indiana, you? Right now, if I were able to comprehend a research article, i would feel like a GENIUS. I will be happy to make it through Harry Potter, at this point. I haven't even thought about using my German since '09.

[morphysghost]

Are there any other applicants here for sub-Saharan Africa that I can commiserate with?  

[wanderingbutnotlost]

Are there any other applicants here for sub-Saharan Africa that I can commiserate with?  

 

Well, I have been holding off joining (i.e. lurking), because I was afraid that I would be even more tempted to check this board every time my computer is on, but as that is already happening, I figured I might as well give in. Yes, I am also waiting on Sub-Saharan Africa for an ETA in South Africa. I didn't want to just leave you out here alone, haha. 

[CAJ54]

I heard back from IIE and she said for Venezuela she hopes to hear back by the end of the month. The waiting continues. =[

[Porshyen]

Yep, that's pretty much how it is in German, as well. There are like.. three different sets of prepositions? Two sets have their one case, the third set's case is dependant upon whether or not the verb is transitive or not. Woo. At least I THINK that's a good way to describe them.

German has three cases, right? Or is it four? It has been years since I have taken German.

 

Russian has six cases: nominative, prepositional, accusative, genitive, dative, and instrumental.  Woohoo! Cases are not terribly difficult once you get the gist of them.  One of the hardest aspects of Russian are all the rules surrounding verbs of motion.  I am fourth year student and still have some trouble with those.  But I like it.  

Edited April 9, 2013 by Porshyen

[Porshyen]

This is what I am trying to do. Just get exposed to it. I am the same way; the listening comprehension is the hardest part, as well as response. I think that's fairly common though. The TV station Bayrische Rundfunk has quite a bit of their material available online to stream, which I have been watching. It's nice because it varies from children's programs, which are easier to understand, to soap operas, to talk shows. I've watched a few German movies on Netflix, so that works too. Also trying to listen to German Radio while I'm working (yaay! Iphone app!)

Seriously, in this day and age, there are so many opportunities to prepare. I can only imagine what it will be like 10 -20 years from now!

Listening comprehension is actually the easiest aspect of a language for me.  I am not very good with translation.  I can understand what someone says, but ask me to tell you in English what someone said in Russian, it would take me awhile.  I find speaking one of the hardest, but having gone to Russia has taught me to just speak and worry about it being grammatically perfect later.  I guess that is both a blessing and a curse.  

Edited April 9, 2013 by Porshyen

[annabella4]

 

Also just saw this (http://www.creatememe.com/memes/46584/checks-email-still-no-message-from-fulbright/?utm_campaign=auto_social&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=%401st_w0rld_pr0bz ) via Twitter. Maybe removing my "fulbright" column from TweetDeck would improve my productivity today, no?

[there'sanappforthat]

German has three cases, right? Or is it four? It has been years since I have taken German.

 

Russian has six cases: nominative, prepositional, accusative, genitive, dative, and instrumental.  Woohoo! Cases are not terribly difficult once you get the gist of them.  One of the hardest aspects of Russian are all the rules surrounding verbs of motion.  I am fourth year student and still have some trouble with those.  But I like it.  

It has four:  Nominative, accusative, genitive, and dative.

Shit.. six? I'll shut up now

[there'sanappforthat]

Listening comprehension is actually the easiest aspect of a language for me.  I am not very good with translation.  I can understand what someone says, but ask me to tell you in English what someone said in Russian, it would take me awhile.  I find speaking one of the hardest, but having gone to Russia has taught me to just speak and worry about it being grammatically perfect later.  I guess that is both a blessing and a curse.  

Yeah, you do have to just stop woryrying about it being gramatically correct and just hope people understand what you are saying!! Once you get over the fear, it all starts coming together so nicely!

 

Mistakes can be so hilarious, anyway! When I was an exchange student, my host family had a big birthday party for me, and I had imbibed quite a bit(they provided TONS of beer!!!) I was helping my host mom put dishes in the dishwasher and I drunkenly told her that there were no more seating places left in the dishwasher for the dishes. She had a good laugh about that.

 

When I first got to Germany, I was looking for facewash. I must have confused the hell out of the drug store workers, because apparently I was asking people for history water instead of face water, (as it is directly translated) because the words for face and history are pretty similar.

Those types of mistakes amuse me to no end!