Fulbright-ening the Way!

I've learned that after speaking with Indians about India, my next

favorite conversation is speaking to Americans about their time in India.  There's an instant sense of camaraderie and understanding that comes from living and learning in such a dynamic and diverse place. The Fulbright Conference 2022 was the perfect place for those conversations.   

Initially I had no intention of presenting at the conference.  However with a little encouragement and a slight sense of obligation, I sent a proposal and was selected to be on the education panel.  The format was a fifteen minute presentation

followed by a Q&A session.  There were also concurrent panels on theology and public health.  The other education research focused in higher education spaces. The presenter before me is a doctoral anthropology student at NYU and has been working on her project for over four years! She is courageously researching youth political movements at the university level.

At the time of the conference there were 102 Fulbrighters in India and most of us attended the conference.  The diversity of India was highlighted by the variety of presentations and research.  I attended sessions about Tibetan clinics in Dharmsala, the relationships between NGOs and corporations, interfaith dialogues, snake-catching with the Chengalpatti Irula, the Jatikaran (aka rat temple), artificial intelligence, election trends and issues surrounding climate change and sustainability - to name a few.  Each session left me with more questions than answers, especially around the intersections of education, gender and religion.  

Unexpectedly I found the most valuable times of the conference to be the chai breaks, lunch and dinner and not just because I love a buffet, but they provided time to meet and mingle.  I met the Fulbright Teaching English Assistants who are teaching in schools across India.  I also met a researcher based in Kerala focusing on NGOs and corporate responsibility.  We talked about why Kerala seems like a social utopia.  I also ate lunch with a journalist learning about women's roles within the Christian church.  These conversations reaffirmed some of the struggles I felt at the beginning of my research and helped focus my next month on program.