Fulbright Mid-Year Conference

Fulbright Spain & Andorra! 10 points if you spot me. (Hint: I'm wearing black.)

I just got back from Fulbright Spain's mid-year conference in Zaragoza, and I must say, I haven't felt this motivated to mix it up and make some changes in a long time. The three-day conference brought together graduate researchers, English teaching assistants, and visiting scholars for a variety of panels, seminars, and workshops (and some quality sightseeing on the side). The tips and tricks swapping sessions were useful and the graduate research projects were fascinating, but I was most inspired by the visiting scholars, who talked about the paths-- career-wise and otherwise-- that they had taken to get where they are today. 

I found one presentation particularly motivating. Arnoldo Valle-Levinson, a visiting professor from the University of Florida, told us a bit about his research here in Spain on physical oceanography. His total love for his field of study was infectious. Almost made me want to study the same thing! Almost. But more importantly, his enthusiasm reminded me that I need to push myself to find and do things that I really love rather than just settle for whatever comes my way. That is an important message for someone with a B.A. in No Clear Career Path.

Before even talking about his work, though, he had some questions for his audience:

"Write. But please not like this."

 1. Are you reaching your potential?
 2. Are you making a difference?
 3. Are you writing often?
 4. Are you practicing Spanish?

He discussed each one in a lighthearted manner, usually with the aid of some funny cartoon such as the one to the right. Now those may sound like simple questions. But for a group of people who have, on the whole, fallen into a routine, plateaued in terms of learning Spanish, and feel like our time in Spain is running out almost before it's begun, they were questions of pivotal importance. Four months is a long time, he said. Don't just coast through your remaining weeks here, and definitely don't waste them focused solely on what you're going to do next. No, he said. DO SOMETHING WITH THEM.

Anyway, I left with new friends, new ideas, and a general feeling of being fired up and ready to come back to Madrid and make the most of my remaining time here. This morning, I made a specific set of goals which can mostly be lumped under the umbrellas of: trying new things, meeting new people, taking any and every opportunity to practice Spanish, and doing more to make a positive impact on the lives of others. ¡Adelante, pues! :)

Hope everyone has a super-deluxe Sunday!

Love,
E.

P.S. With Dr. V-L's words of wisdom in mind, I will tell EVERYONE as soon as I know what I'm doing next! Which probably won't be until June haha. Don't wanna waste four months worrying about it!
P.P.S. But if you hear of any great job opportunities in Chicago, I'm all ears. #shamelessplug