Hello everyone, and welcome to my new blog. This will generally be the avenue through which I share stories, pictures, and other information with my friends and family back home.
Back in September, I applied for a Fulbright scholarship on a whim after my good friend Margie Nicholson convinced me to do so, who was also in the process of applying for a Fulbright to study neuroscience in Sweden at the University of Goettingen. I had approximately 3 weeks to get everything together, which consisted of 3 letters of recommendation, a German language proficiency evaluation, an official transcript, a completed 9-page application, and write a grant proposal and curriculum vitae (or "personal statement"). The process was daunting, and took over my life at that point. After the Fulbright committee accepted me, my application was sent off to Bonn, Germany to be evaluated by the German commission. I also had to translate my grant proposal and cv into German, a massive project for me that took approximately 48 hours to complete. Luckily, with the help of my editors, Julia Straßberger and Karoline Krauss, the documents came across strong and officially landed me the position.
Back in April, I was notified that I would be teaching English and conducting my math research at the Einstein Gymnasium in Neuenhagen bei Berlin, a "village" in the state of Brandenburg (which surrounds the city-state of Berlin). There are 3 or 4 different types of secondary schools in Germany, and a "Gymnasium" is generally the honors-track version geared for university-bound students. It should be an interesting experience.
I will be leaving Billings on August 2nd, a month early to visit friends and become reacquainted with a German-speaking environment before a 3-day orientation in Altenburg (near Cologne).
I hope to update this blog at least once a week with new information. Hope you enjoy!
Here are some links to my articles/publications:
http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=8547
http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/education/article_57fd70ea-6d3d-11df-9ee2-001cc4c002e0.html
