I worry this post will come across as egotistical--I really don't mean it to. I have a new ex-pat friend in Lima, and we were talking last night about how it's important to take time to congratulate yourself when you put yourself out there. It's a scary thing to do, but a lot of us do it all the time without acknowledging it. This came up in conversation when I was telling her about my recent stay in Ollantaytambo where I hung out with Chino and his friends and family. I definitely took time to congratulate myself on eating the cuy (guinea pig) that his mom prepared for us, and we ate while looking at the cuy in the house. Growing up in the U.S., I am used to being very disconnected from where my food comes from. Meat comes packaged up in ways that don't resemble the animal it came from. I remember my family was traumatized by a sign at a store in our town that said FRESH KILLED TURKEY. It was a learning experience for both Chino and I, since he has grown up knowing exactly where his food came from and so was surprised that it was difficult for me to eat the animal while looking at it.
Anyway, I'm specifically talking about this today because I have finally completed and submitted my Fulbright application. I had no idea it would be such a complex, intense process. I am now very excited about my proposed project, but obviously have to plan for other activities. I don't find out about the grant until the spring. Yikes. Fortunately I made a good connection with a cool biologist in the Sacred Valley where I applied to work, so there is always the chance I could work with him anyway.
One of the coolest things about the application process, was that it required me to talk to lots of people. I think I had 5 people help edit my essays, 4 people write letters of recommendation, 4 people write letters of affiliation, met with 4 people in the Sacred Valley, and my current boss is sending my application in for me. How can I possibly show my gratitude to all those people? That reminds me that one of my New Year's resolutions was to express gratitude. So, thank you. I couldn't have done the application without you. I apologize that this post is so cheesy.
In the meantime of waiting for the results about the Fulbright, I'm planning on throwing myself out there even more by applying to a couple grad. school programs.
That's the latest news from San Borja, Lima.
2 comments:
It would be great if the Fulbright folks acknowledged your work with an acceptance letter, but your self-acknowledgment is maybe even more valuable! With that, you can work wonders! Already you've learned a lot by the process of preparing your application. You're ready for the next step, whatever it is!
you're neat.
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