Warsaw

A note before I start, the locations mentioned will generally be found on the map to your right so you can see where I've been. I also hope to have some photos up soon.

A large group was gathered in the lobby of the hotel when I came downstairs. It was the other Fulbrighters on whom I will elaborate shortly. After making smalltalk for awhile, we crowded into two taxi vans and departed for the American Embassy. By crowded, I mean that I sat on my knees in between the seat and the side door.

Fulbright is by no means a program for recent college graduates. Besides students, there are also grants for professors and teachers. In our group of 28 people, only five of us had just graduated college. The rest were either in the process of getting post-docs or had tenure somewhere. Ages ranged from 21 to over 60. There were two couples with young children (being 15 mo., 4, and 6 years) and one woman with a 16-year old daughter. Some Fulbrighters brought their spouses, some didn't. Though we were from all over the country, an abnormal number were from Michigan or D.C. I am counting myself in the D.C. number.

Upon arrival at the US Embassy, I shook out my legs and proceeded through security. Inside, we were escorted to a room with coffee and breakfast materials. We were welcomed to Poland by the Deputy Director of Mission, whose briefing was the first of many. The DDM was followed by a Global Security Officer. It was his first time abroad and he was slightly nervous about it. The GSO was followed by a Consular officer, the head of Political Affairs, and a Cultural officer. Their briefings were all interesting and informative. We were also spoken to by someone on the medical staff, who warned about the infectious ticks rampant in Poland. Don't worry, while tick-borne diseases are more of a problem in eastern Europe than the States, they are still quite uncommon.

Throughout the proceedings, three very large pictures of our president, vice-president, and secretary of state presided over the room. Other people in the room confessed to being distracted by the pictures throughout the briefings as I was.

After a meeting with the Polish Fulbright staff, we were driven to the American ambassador's house (you won't find it on the map) by bus for a reception. It was very overwhelming being among the Embassy staff as well as members of the Polish Fulbright Commission. I'm not very experienced with smoozing so after the ambassador's remarks I talked primarily to other Fulbrighters. I did, however, have quite a long conversation with the chief and deputy chief of the Consul Division, the former being interested in Prague and the latter having taken the Foreign Service Exam abroad. The ambassador inserted himself into our conversation and suggested we all (the other Fulbrighters and I) see the Warsaw Uprising museum. The ambassador was a former college roommate of George W. Bush and served in previous Republican administrations.

After arriving back at the hotel and taking a nap, I ate dinner with three other Fulbrighters, including the two other teaching assistants. We ate across the river from the hotel in a nice neighborhood (we passed the Indonesian ambassador's residence) and I had a delicious penne pasta pesto. I also saw a fox along the bank of the river, which is duly noted on the map.

I am now in Gdańsk and teaching, but my next post will be up shortly and will cover the Fulbright orientation in Wrocław.