To begin: This site (An Excellent Journey) is not an official Fulbright Program site. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of its author and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State or any of its partner organizations.
But, of course, that is not really the beginning. For that, we must go back to the summer of 2012 when a call came out on CHI-ANNOUNCEMENTS for applications to Fulbright to go to the Technological University of Panama to teach and do research in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). I leapt at the chance to apply - in part because a Fulbright had always a dream, in part because I have always loved the challenge of traveling and living abroad, and in part because this was, quite literally, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a non-academic in HCI to have a Fulbright experience.
Fast forward to March. After 5 of the 6 moves our family has had since we sold our house in Minneapolis in May, 2012, I was exhausted but glad to be in the Bay Area, albeit in temporary housing. David had started his new job at Google, and I thought back with nostalgia to the time we had spent together as partners in Dray & Associates. It was a challenging readjustment, what with being in a new place, being alone all day and working as "support services" as well as "professional."
But just when the rain and isolation were really getting to me, I heard from the Fulbright Commission that I had been selected to go to Panama as a Fulbright Scholar. Needless to say, there was much happiness and celebration as a result!
This blog will, on a random schedule, describe my journey of preparation for this opportunity of a lifetime, and of the actual journey. I look forward to sharing these journeys with you, and welcome your reactions and suggestions. So join me! It'll be a wild and wonderful ride!
