Moving Day!

In all honesty, I’m already in Australia; I arrived a week ago. Moving day actually occurred back in mid-April, however, many people have asked me, “How’s the move going?,” so I thought it best to take a step back and record those details.  Also, during my last few weeks on campus in Texas, a few colleagues approached me to say they were thinking, “Moving abroad sounds like fun! I think I’ll do it too.  Tell me what I need to know.”  Well, you asked and I have answered.  May this (and the next few posts) be your guide.

The first thing to know about moving abroad is: Moving abroad SUCKS!  If your first major move is a move overseas I highly advise against this.  You need to start small and build up your tolerance to frustration, irritation, impatience and disappointment.  First you need to (1) move across town, then (2) move somewhere else in your state, if you can stomach that (3) move to another state, then (4) move cross country, and finally (5) do a “test” international move by doing a one-year sabbatical overseas, such as a Fulbright.  There is actually more information related to step #5, but I’ll get to that in a future post.

Once you’ve completed steps 1-5 and you’re confident you want to go all in and “permanently” move overseas, there are a few things you need to do.  First you need to get a job, a sponsorship, and a visa of some sort. Then you have to decide what you want to do with all your stuff.  This is where living a minimalist lifestyle is helpful.  The funny thing is, a few years ago there was a flood in my house, and all the furniture was destroyed along with plenty of other personal belongings.  I never replaced those things because I knew I was going to be in Africa for over a year.  And then I still didn’t replace them when I returned to the U.S., so in all reality, I don’t really have much to my name.  Nevertheless, I still culled a large portion of my belongings for this move.

Whether you are a minimalist or not you have to find a company to ship your things.  This is where the headache really begins. UQ required me to obtain three official quotes.  The problem was no one wanted to do a “small” international move, so it took over a month of emails to more than two dozen companies to finally find three which would actually give me quotes.  In general, companies want you to do a full container shipment for an overseas move, which costs approximately $30,000 (to Australia).  Half container shipments are also possible, but less preferred.  A full container (see below) can pretty much fit all the contents of a normal four bedroom-house. If you can’t fill a full (or half) container you can in ship smaller cartons called lift vans.

The contract you sign with the moving company is only the beginning.  After you do that you have to apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) through the IRS.  An EIN classifies you as a business entity, which of course you don’t need.  But it is the only way you are allowed you to export things overseas.

You also have to fill out an Unaccompanied Personal Effects Statement.  This is an inventory of everything being shipped.  You also have to sign all kinds of statements swearing you haven’t sent prohibited items.  Some items prohibited from being shipped to Australia include: drugs of any kind (Ok, that doesn’t seem so bad), weapons including martial arts equipment (What if I’m a pro MMA fighter?), articles manufactured from wildlife (What about my cheetah skin rug?  Apparently that is a no.), and “material which may be cause offence to a reasonable adult” (which includes a VERY long list of things ranging from child porn to bestiality.  Yes, those were all listed on the form.).

Other fun forms you have to fill out include your power of attorney, client contact form, transit protection application, and proof of insurance.  In case you weren’t keeping track that’s nine different documents before the movers have even set the appointment to come to your house to pick up your stuff.

I will give myself a little pat on the back because apparently I am a “master mover” as claimed by both my friends who stopped by on moving day for emotional support and the movers themselves.  Oh!  One more thing… when moving abroad, you can’t pack your belongings yourself.  I’m not 100% sure I understand the logic of that rule, but that is the policy.  Despite knowing this I did pack my things before moving day and then the movers promptly took everything out of my boxes and repacked them in their boxes.  But, because I was already organized my moving day took… drum roll please… two hours and 43 minutes.  That’s right folks!  Record time.  It may have been due to this:

Blue signs with red tape which meant “Do NOT move!”:

Pink signs grouped like items together (books on left, clothes on right) to be moved:

Here’s some of the professional packing in progress:

One full lift van on the right and one lift van being loaded on the left:

Almost done:

And… boarding up the second lift van:

At the end of moving day I breathed a sigh of relief thinking I had one major hurdle toward immigration checked off.  Little did I know it would not be that easy.  Of course, the mishap that was to follow will have to be saved for another post.

I do hope this little vignette has been helpful if you are considering an international move.  Of course, you might want to wait for Moving-Part 2 before booking your own adventure!

How to Write a Successful Fulbright Proposal

So you want to be a Fulbrighter? If you have the aptitude, skill set and academic background that’s one thing.  But the art of the application is an entirely different beast.  Over the past year, and especially within the last month, I’ve had tons of people contact me asking me for advice regarding how to write a successful Fulbright Grant Proposal.  Since I’ve received two Fulbrights and as a Fulbright Alumna I’m now a proposal evaluator I figured I might as well share my knowledge with the world, and put that information online in hopes of helping aspiring applicants.  Let’s get started.

You may have heard of Fulbright before, or have been totally unfamiliar with it until you ran across my blog.  In a nutshell, the Fulbright Commission is part of the U.S. State Department which provides funding to students and faculty members to conduct research and teach (for professors).  If you would like to learn more about Fulbright please visit this website: www.iie.org/fulbright.

If you would like to consider applying to Fulbright here are a few easy steps to help you along with the process:

1. Identify the country and a specific university to be your host institution.  If the country/university doesn’t have a need for someone in your field then find another option.  For instance, since I am a Tourism professor I searched for universities interested in having a Tourism person.  There were three options: Thailand, Ethiopia and Botswana.  I decided I wanted to go to Botswana, but I did list other alternatives in case Botswana didn’t work out.  Many other Fulbrighters I have known did NOT get their first choice location, so it was a good thing they listed other alternatives. (P.S.- Every time I pass through Ethiopia I am SO THANKFUL I chose Botswana!) 
2. Write your project proposal and tailor it to the needs of the country/university.  This is where you have to revert back to thinking like a high schooler who wants to get into their first choice college.  You have to set yourself apart from the competition and demonstrate why you are the best person to be a Fulbrighter for that institution/location.  For me this was easy.  Botswana has the most wildlife in all of Africa.  The country is trying to take advantage of this resource by promoting tourism, but thus far tourism numbers in Botswana pale in comparison to most other more established African tourism destinations (Kenya, South Africa, etc).  I created a project centered around how to increase tourism revenue while protecting the natural resources of the area. 
3. Once you have formulated your proposal get your hopeful host institution to support it.  I will explain the Fulbright evaluation process and timeline a little later, but for now it is important to note that it is a MAJOR advantage to have the institution behind you.  Fulbright generally requests a letter of support/letter of invitation from someone at the university which says something along the lines of, “We’ve read Dr. Phelan’s proposal and believe her expertise is in line with what our department is trying to accomplish.  We believe she will make a significant contribution if granted a Fulbright and SHE IS AWESOME! WE WANT HER!”  (This is my interpretation, not what was actually written; but you get the drift.)  For students it is IMPERATIVE to have a letter from a faculty member at the host institution write a letter committing to mentor you in your studies.  Fulbright does not like lost children wandering around without someone to mother them (academically). 
4. Start your application early.  Keep in mind the majority of Fulbright host institutions are in Third World countries.  It may take weeks to get a response from someone at the host institution to respond to your email and say they want to host you.  Then you have to get a letter of support.  This is not the U.S. and hey, if you want somewhere as efficient as the U.S. then don’t bother going abroad.  Many of these countries have electricity problems, or the campus has ZERO technology, so a professor may only check his email once a month (true story).  You need to give yourself 2-3 months to communicate with the host institution to get their commitment and the necessary documentation. 
5. Get recommendation letters.  I wouldn’t say that recommendation letters make or break you, but they do count.  Fulbright wants to know you can hack it, so this is where your referees can really help.  You need three letters and I suggest asking each person to focus on something a little different.  My department chair talked about me working with lots of international students and the research I had conducted in Africa previously.  My dissertation chair (who is also a mentor and friend) talked about me from a more personal standpoint and the fact that I am flexible, can adjust to uncertain and uncomfortable situations well, and am good at understanding people regardless of their background.  I don’t know what my Associate Dean said, but I knew she would say something positive because she’s always been a huge supporter of me.  She is also one of my most dedicated blog readers- Hi Dr. H! Can’t wait to see you again in a few weeks! :) 
6. Submit your application on time- or better yet- early.  In fact, make sure you start the online application itself at least a week or two early because there is so much information you need to provide and you may have to hunt for it.  If you have dependents you have to provide all their info as well (birthdates, passport numbers, SS#s) and you may not have that memorized.  In order to make sure you aren’t waking up your spouse in the middle of the night because the application is DUE IN TWO HOURS!!!, start early. 
7. Once you hit submit try to forget about it.  If you succeed in doing this tell me how.  My thoughts were consumed with “I wonder if I got the Fulbright?” every day for 9 months.

I realize this blog post is already incredibly long, but I also remember how desperate I was to find any candid information when I was preparing my Fulbright app, so I am going to go on a little longer and explain how the evaluation of a Fulbright proposal occurs.  You will submit your Fulbright application in July.  (This date may be different for students.) The Fulbright staffers ensure your application has everything necessary before they send it to the first round of reviews.

1. September: First your application is reviewed by former Fulbrighters.  These Fulbrighters aren’t necessarily 100% in your field.  For instance, I’ve reviewed applications for History, Political Science and a couple other areas.  This review is basically to make sure your application is realistic and feasible.  For instance, I received a student proposal and the student listed several different schools (which were all over the board- the equivalent of Yale and Prince George’s Community College) he wanted to consider going to, he never mentioned who he would work with, and there was no letter of invitation from any host institution.  This told me he hadn’t put in enough effort and was very unfocused.  I did not recommend advancing him to the next round. 
2. November: Your application is reviewed by people in your field.  Now, if your field is new to Fulbright these people may not even necessarily be from Fulbright.  For instance, my field of Tourism has only been hosted by Fulbright a short while, so some of my second round reviewers may not have completed a Fulbright before.  Your subject area experts are evaluating your project to determine whether your data collection methods make sense, if you can complete what you want to accomplish in the timeframe proposed and whether you actually contribute anything meaningful to academic literature.  My graduate students constantly hear me ask them, “So what?” when they want to conduct a new research project.  If you haven’t explained in your application why anyone would care about what you are studying it is unlikely you will get selected. 
3. January: Your host institution evaluates the applications and ranks their selections.  UB had 8 subject areas (Tourism, Medicine, Education, Natural Resources, etc) for Fulbrighters.  This means if you are Theater Arts and the host institution doesn’t list Theater Arts as a desired subject area you might as well look elsewhere.  Even though UB had 8 subject areas listed, they knew they would only get 2, maybe 3 Fulbrighters at most.  The host institution reads the applications sent to them, decides which they do not want, and then ranks the individuals they do want.  UB ranked 10 people this year.  They only got 2.  When I turned down my second Fulbright that meant person number 3 was given an award. 
4. March-May: Fulbright sends out notifications.  I found out on March 18^th of last year that I got the Fulbright.  This year I did not receive notification until May.  (For the record, I was ranked number 1 this year, so it wasn’t like they didn’t want me. There was some turnover in the Africa Regional Office and they were simply operating on a slower timeline this year.)

For anyone applying for the Fulbright I understand how difficult it is to be patient- been there, done that! But once you get awarded a Fulbright time starts to move at the speed of light.  I had roughly 100 days last year to pack up my office, my house, put things in storage, arrange for people to cover my classes, decide what to do with my graduate students, pack for Africa, get all my vaccinations, shots and other medications, make the rounds visiting family and friends, update my will, and mostly importantly promise my mother I would take her to Walt Disney World when I returned.  Thank goodness I didn’t stay a second year, I can’t even imagine what I would have promised her for another year away from home.

If you have stayed with me this long today, thank you!  If you are an aspiring Fulbrighter, good luck!  And if you make the cut and get to spend some time overseas, congratulations!  I hope you take full advantage of your good fortune and have the time of your life.  I certainly did.

Concessions

No, not the concessions you have at a baseball game.  Though a hot dog sounds really good right about now.  Concessions as in, “What is your list of demands that will convince you to accept another Fulbright and remain in Africa for another year?”

In case you missed yesterday’s post, I received another Fulbright award which is a huge honor.  However, if you have been following my blog for any amount of time you know that living in Africa is a bit more challenging than home, or any western country for that matter.  But Fulbright, and the U.S. Embassy here, really want me to stay, so much so that I was told, “Tell us what we can do to make this deal happen.”

Today I gave that proposal a little bit of thought.  I’ve spoken to a few friends and gotten lots of email messages from people trying to convince me why I should return to the U.S., why I should stay another year, or what concessions I should ask for.  Here is the ultimate list, compiled in conjunction with one of the (many) co-Presidents of my Fan Club:

Dear Ambassador:

Thank you for your support for my Fulbright award.  As requested, I have compiled a list of concessions I would require to remain in Botswana for the next 14 months.  Please find the list below: 

1. Embassy-sanctioned housing.  I am aware from my friends who work in your office that all embassy homes have their own power generators, water tanks and fuel which are maintained by U.S. government resources.  In an effort to provide a more comfortable standard of living and professional existence, the avoidance of power cuts, water rationing and Internet inconsistency would be ideal. 
2. Diplomatic mail privileges. During that past year I have had a particular challenge attempting to receive any mail from loved ones.  There was the time my package was impounded because I needed to obtain a beef permit from the Ministry of Agriculture for a box which contained a package of beef jerky.  Another time it took nearly two months for a postcard to arrive from Namibia.  I could have walked to Namibia and back in a shorter amount of time.  I still haven’t received my Christmas cards and I know my Dad sent me one that sings- he always does. 
3. PX shopping pass.  I would like to shop at the PX with all the other embassy workers.  There is no such thing as toilet paper shortages or lack of fresh fruit at the PX.  And you don’t have to buy dead people’s clothes either. You guys get your stuff shipped in from the U.S. every week!  I also know there is a Subway franchise.  I got that information from a very reliable source.  Given the lack of restaurants or real fast food in Botswana, this would be a big plus for staying here another year. 
4. A seat at the table.  I think the U.S. needs a Secretary of Tourism.  I’m your girl! I went to the UNWTO Conference.  No one represented the U.S.  I already made lots of connections and have buddies in all the tourism ministries all over Africa.  I could work on your visa facilitation programs, development initiatives and spearhead homeland security and safety training in the tourism sector. 
5. Naming rights.  I realize Phelantown may be too large a request.  But how about a lake or a river?  Queen Victoria is long gone; she won’t know if we rename her lake.  Actually, on second thought, you really don’t need to make me happy.  My mom’s the important one.  Let’s say we just name a shopping mall after her.  Now, that’s definitely doable

Looking forward to your response,

Kelly

Decisions, Decisions

It looks like I have a tough decision to make: Should I stay in Africa another year or come home?

Back in January I applied for a Fulbright renewal grant which would enable me to remain in Botswana for another year.  I was told it was highly unlikely I would receive a second grant because they are highly competitive and they “practically never” give them out to current Fulbrighters because they want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to get a Fulbright.  On Monday I found out I was one of only four people to receive a Fulbright renewal grant for the next twelve months.

On the one hand I am honored to have received another Fulbright because it is so uncommon for that to happen.  On the other hand, I was already looking forward to heading home in a few months and have been excited about returning to the land of electricity, water and food on the grocery store shelves.  Not to mention the fact that I’m not sure how happy my department back at Texas Tech would be if I told them I wasn’t coming back in August as planned.

At this point I am torn about what to do.  I started making lists of pros and cons to ease the decision making process, but that isn’t helping much.  On top of that the U.S. Embassy has been trying to sweeten the deal by asking me what concessions I want in order to convince me to stay.  There are lots of arguments for staying here and going home, but at this point I’m just not sure which one is best for me.  It looks like there is lots to think about over the next couple of weeks.