Immigration Issues

Frank Couvares, Professor of History and American Studies at Amherst College was our lecturer today. He started by giving us the many different nationalities of his forefathers and went on to explain how America was shaped throughout history by different waves of immigrants; from the first settlers upto the wide variety of nationalities today. The Immigration stop of 1924, the decline of immigrants during the Great Depression, the opening of the borders under certain "conditions" in 1965, all help elucidate the situation of today. We were shown how political choices influence these migrations and what ends they serve.
In the second half of the morning, Professor Jose Angel Hernandez spoke to us about the same topic but more specifically about the shifting Latino/a identity. By tracing the history of the conquest of the West, giving numbers of immigrants (legal and estimated illegal) he brought the issue back to its real proportion. Shocking headlines of magazines and books written by highly praised writers deserve at least a critical reader.

During lunch the Liaison Committee met. This committee is composed of 5 participants and changes every week. They meet with the ITD staff to give and ask feedback on diffent practical aspects. Their main concern is to make life for everyone as enjoyable as possible.

In the afternoon, Bruce Laurie moderated a debate based on 4 newspaper articles that were selected by ourselves from the Sunday papers. Two articles concerned the health care programme, one was about the inauguration of a mosque in Boston and one about the bill on global warming.

These articles were interesting as they were, but, for me at least, they became "hot" thanks to the lessons I attended during the past week. It was a revelation to see how much more sense every article made, read against the background of political and historical information which I gathered from our lectures and our readings. Thanks to Bruce's guidance, linking the events together, I am slowly starting to "get the picture".

The icing on the cake today was without any doubt the movie "Crash" about culture clashes that take place in modern America. Moving, shocking, disturbing, are adjectives which could certainly apply. Something to sleep on and to discuss in Thursday's class.

I can't wait!

Another busy day

Today, Christopher Pyle, Professor of Politics, Mount Holyoke College talked to us about "Free speech and Civil Discourse in America today". Freedom of speech is a constitutional right in the USA. As an example of what this means and can lead to, professor Pyle told us the inspiring story of his two sons who fought for their right to free speech from their school days on when they were wearing T-shirts with messages the school did not approve of. The law suit lasted for three years; as a result, students in Massachusetts now have the broadest rights of students in the United States.

After the break, professor Pyle talked about a question that puzzles many people, all over the world, namely: How could a president of the United States institute a policy of torture and get away with it? He explained the system of the secret government, a weak Congress, 'hard power' vs 'soft power'.

The class were hanging at his lips. It was perhaps not the most optimistic image of the US that we received, but it tried at least to give us an honest view of what goes on behind the face we mostly see.

After lunch professors Barbara Madeloni and Nicole B. Graves put us into groups and asked us to brainstorm on language learning and culture. Most groups came up with 'communication' as the main answer and then we had to explain what 'communication' means. It was a lively debate followed by a similar on 'Culture' and how to define it.

At 3.30 pm, Alistair from Scotland, Julie from Australia and I were picked up by Sharon who teaches and lives in Springfield. We were invited to her house where we had some lovely lemonade and wine with appetizers. Then we went downtown to a typical bar to eat delicious ribs, corn bread, macaroni cheese and spring greens. Sharon drove us through the different neighbourhoods and to the statue garden of Dr Seuss with the characters from his children's books. Her cousin Jennifer joined us.

We had a lovely time together and shared our points of view on teaching, couch surfing, house swaps, cricket, Michael Jackson, foods, books, ghosts, etc... :-)

Canoe trip on the Connecticut - Barton Cove

Although practically everyone raised their hand when Julie asked who would be coming on the canoe trip, only 15 brave ones finally decided to risk it. And they were right!

The weather didn't look too promising at first but the sky soon cleared up and when we got into our canoes and on the water, the sun broke through the clouds.

Depending on our experience (for most of us non-existing) and our size, we were teamed up.

The Connecticut is a wide, calm river and the rain of the previous days hadn't brought the level up to such an extent that we couldn't navigate on it. We had to sign the usual waiver and the guy in charge of the boat rental scared us with his explanations of how to cope in case the canoe tipped, how we'd have to hurry to the riverside in case of thunder and lightning, and how we had to steer the boat away from motor boats, rocks, reeds, etc...

With wobbly knees (some more wobbly than others) we rowed off and it actually worked, for all of us.

We had a riverside picnic on a tiny beach and Stella even swam, but found the water a bit murky.

We all felt really proud, happy and tired after this very successful outdoor activity. Thanks to Julie and her husband John and the winner of the day, Edgardo, we enjoyed every minute.

Back at the dorm, we tried to do some reading and then we chose articles from the Sunday papers for Tuesday's discussion.

Next week, I'm part of the Liaison Committee to relay between the staff of ITD and the participants.

A daytrip to Boston

On Saturday Paola and I took the Peter Pan bus to Boston. We left Amherst at 7 am and arrived in Boston at 10 am.
We walked from South Station through China Town to the park where the Freedom Trail starts.
This trail is a brick path that takes you through Boston along its main landmarks.
The weather was good, we had Belgian waffles and a stack of pancakes for breakfast and walked the rest of the day along and across the neighbourhoods of Boston: little Italy, the Irish quarter and Bunker Hill. Boston is a mixture of Europe and the States. The old brick buildings are set in the middle of skyscrapers, the market place feels like Covent Garden, there are gardens and squares, and lots of restaurants. We had a coffee at Zume's at Bunker Hill and took the Tube back to the city center. We ended our day with a tasty Malaysian meal and took the bus that brought us to Amherst at 11 pm. As we got onto the bus, the driver warned us for some rough weather and a possible tornado ahead, but apart from some heavy rain, we didn't see any of it.
Tired, but very pleased with our one-day city trip, we went to bed.
The partners who stayed in Amherst were invited to Julie's house for a picnic and told us they'd had a great time, too.

One week gone

They say time flies, and they are right. I can tell you, this week has just flown at the speed of lightning.
Last night I had a delicious meal at Judie, who came to talk to us and explained what was on the menu: simply impossible to choose. So, we followed her indications and were not disappointed at all. I can recommend her Rambling Rose cocktail, just to name one thing.

Fridays at Amherst are a little special. No real lectures on the programme. This morning Bruce and Julie listened to our comments on the past week and took us through the activities of the next, which looks just as promising.
We then walked to the nearby High School Library where the librarian, Leslie, gave us useful information about the use of websites and databases.
After lunch we were expected back in our meeting room and discussed in smaller groups our final project. We listened to each other's ideas, commented them, asked questions, received advice. We realise we still have to work on it and shouldn't put that off.
The weather in New England is supposed to be hot, sunny and humid at this time of the year. Apparantly, this year's summer is unusually grey and rainy. Although the temperature is on the high side, the weather is very unstable, which makes it hard - especially for the ladies - to decide what to wear.
Tomorrow Paola and I will take the Peter Pan bus to Boston and spend the day there. We leave at 7 in the morning and will be back at 11 at night. We're looking forward to it.

US Foreign Policy and Historic Deerfield

Today started with an interesting introduction on US foreign policy by professor Chris Appy. It was extremely interesting and brought in a very accessible way. He captured our attention by the story of Vietnam Veteran Ngo Long and guided us through political decisions that helped shape the face of the world as we know it today. Whether these decisions were right or wrong were left open for debate. He received a well merited applause at the end of his talk.

At ten o'clock, our drivers took us to Historic Deerfield. In the fifties this place was built to represent a 18th century town in New England. Authentic houses were taken from around the country and re-built here.

The town is known to have been a Native American settlement. In this respect we were invited to a lecture by archaeologist Elizabeth Chilton and anthropologist and Native American Marge Bruchac.

After a brief summary of 10.000 years of history in about 45 minutes we had a picnic in the sun.

Then, both ladies accompanied us along an Indian trail and showed us how the settlement was founded, what legends the Indians used to describe the area (... a giant beaver came up the river, moved about the land, was killed by a human-like creature and lies now defeated ... its head, broken neck and body form the hills around the valley). We learned about indigenous medicinal plants, sacred burial places (and how they were only recognised and respected since the 90's). Finally, we listened to the way Marge is devoted to the reuniting of Indian family members whose forefathers used to live in this valley. It was a moving story we will not lightly forget.

Emily Dickinson

Wednesday was a very special day for me: we were introduced to Emily Dickinson.

Joanna Dobson who specialises in her work was our guide for the day.

Just for the record, I'd like to share one of her poems with you:

Wild Nights - Wild Nights!

Were I with thee

Wild Nights should be

Our luxury!

Futile - the Winds -

To a Heart in port -

Done with the Compass -

Done with the Chart!

Rowing in Eden -

Ah, the Sea!

Might I but moor - Tonight -

In Thee!

No, her poems aren't all easy and many are dark and deep. I like her though. I love the rhythm of her writing, I can feel the passion in her soul...

In the afternoon we visited her house, the garden and her grave. The weather was perfect. Joanna read some love letters as we sat in the grass.

Back at the dorm we had a lot of reading to do on US foreign policy but then we went to the brewery and had an excellent meal and a "Belgian Type" beer.

The real stuff!

This morning we had a short and intensive session on the US Constitutional System. After this we were brought to Smith College which is an all women's college and a very exclusive and expensive place to study. Here, professor of education Rosetta Cohen gave a lecture on Education in Contemporary America. It was very enlightening.
During lunch we met up with teachers from nearby Pittsfield and in the afternoon we attended a lecture followed by Q&A on "Modern US politics" by professor Bruce Laurie and Daniel Czitrom, Professor of History, Mount Holyoke college.
It was a very interesting lecture that gave me an insight in modern politics and a realistic view of the challenges Obama is facing!
We visited the campus of Smith College which is very green and beautiful. Then Bruce walked us to the centre of Northampton, where we bought some books.
Finally, we sat on a small terrace reading and commenting Emily Dickenson's poems (which we will study in tomorrow's class). It was a wonderful experience, working together on this. We then had some really good pizza and a glass of Italian wine.
This was a very nice day!

Oh, what a day!

Today we were expected at college at 8h30. Professor Laurie ran through the schedule of the programme giving precisions here and there.
We were then invited into smaller groups. Mine consisted of teacher-trainer Barbara Mandeloni, Viktor from Russia, Dai from Japan, Paola from Italy, Stella from Uruguay, Larissa from Kazachstan, and Nora from Paraguay.
After a brief introduction round, we spoke in pairs about our best and worst teaching experiences and then reported them back to the rest of the group.
It was interesting to note that all over the world teenagers are hard to deal with - but principals too; parents are more and more demanding - and principals too. There's a parallel between Paraguay and Belgium, in the sense that in both countries some population groups don't show any interest in learning the other group's language. But we all agreed that the best moments are about seeing our students succeed, feeling their appreciation in whatever way, building connections. If teaching is essentially about giving, then we all admitted that we get a lot back too; that it can be a very rewarding job, although very often a lonely one. Here, we feel supported, understood, listened to without prejudice. That is really wonderful.
In the afternoon, we were given instructions about our final assignment: a lesson plan about one of the topics covered in the programme.
Finally, we went to the library to get our cards and the necessary information about the loan system.
At the end of the day, we were pretty tired. I walked to the town center (in the rain) and bought some stationery.
Tonight I'm going out for a milkshake and that'll be it. Tomorrow will be another busy day and I still need to do a lot of reading before going to bed.

DOGWOOD

I really wanted to share this beauty with you: a flowering dogwood tree! They're everywhere in the neighbourhood, but this one is right in front of Drew House. So, every time we step outside, we are welcomed to this splendid sight.



Look it up on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogwood


( FYI: The dogwood flower is the state flower of North-Carolina)

Our group

Yesterday afternoon we went to the summit house on top of Holyoke Mountain. Unfortunately, the weather was hazy but the sight of the Pioneer Valley was still very impressive. The old house on top of the hill is a small museum showing objects from times gone by when people walking the mountains and working on the railroad would come here for a welcome break.

This is the Connecticut River winding through a green landscape. The scenery is very green, because it's been raining for many weeks now and more rain is announced for the days to come, although so far, we've been lucky and had no showers.

Edgardo, one of the ITD staff members, brought us to the shopping mall where some of us bought food and I bought a cheap cell phone because the one I brought from home doesn't work in the US.

In the evening, I read some of the assigned papers on the constitution of the USA. Later, I went out with Paola from Italy and had some tea-rolls at a local restaurant.

Everyone spent a better night and this morning our group was finally complete. Some people had to take up to 5 different flights to get here and many flights were cancelled because of severe storms in several parts of the country.

Today we were taken to the ITD office for a formal introduction of the staff, our main lecturer, professor Bruce Laurie, and the other group members. We are 28, as one grantee didn't make it and another returned home.

In this picture, you can find me with Bruce, Clare, Rachel, Julie and Noemi, Julie, Naeema, Mory, Snjezana, Seral, Kleo, Alphonse, Sandra, Afifa, Paola, Dai, Kaori, Larissa, José Luis, Abby, Silje and Silje, Nora, Viktor, Beatrice, Svitlana, Alistair, Stella, Olima and Nguyet.

As you can see we're a colourful bunch. We received a detailled schedule of the coming week's activities and a reminder of the reading materials. This afternoon we'll be taken to the mall to by adapters etc.

I've got to leave you now and read a bit more. I'll be back tomorrow!

Amherst - a brief intro-tour

After an interrupted night, I got up, had a hot shower and at 7h30 we were ready to go to breakfast. Just accross our street is the Valentine Dining Hall where we have breakfast and lunch. You can choose anything you like: a cooked breakfast, cereals, bread, muffins, cake, and I didn't count the calories ... After breakfast we had some ice-breaking activities with the members of our group. I have a good feeling about it.

Then we were taken on a tour of the college grounds and around the town of Amherst by Julie. The college is really wonderful: the buildings are well-kept and set in a sort of landscaped park. We were shown the building where our courses will take place, etc. It all breathes a special atmosphere: a bit like Disney for grown-ups.

We walked up and down the pretty roads lined with wooden houses and clean front gardens to the town centre. Julie showed us the restaurants (I think every other house is a restaurant), so we won't go hungry. Then we visited ITD House, which is another dormitory. While Drew house is renovated and has a more "formal" feel to it, ITD house is still in its original state. Creaking stairs, tiny bathrooms, rickety chairs on the porch. The ideal setting for some movie. The rooms are not as modern but they are spacious, cosy and comfortable.

After this short introduction we went to the local small supermarket to get some bathroom essentials, juice and water. At half pas twelve we had lunch at Valentine's and now we're free until 4 pm, which leaves me just enough time to take a nap and complete my little blog.

A PERFECT FLIGHT

We took the train in Rhode and arrived safely at the airport (so far, so good!).
The flight to New York was right on time, comfortable and fast (a little over 7hrs). I spoke to my neighbour who was from New York city but lived in Rotterdam and creates dance festivals. I watched two (!) movies: Benjamin Button & Revolutionary Road.
In New York JFK we needed some time to check through security and customs, but all went fine and I had to wait about an hour to catch the plane to Hartford.
On arrival, we were met by Rachel and introduced to some other participants from Andorra, Italy, France, Côte d'Ivoire, Cambodia and Russia. We were taken by mini-van to Amherst - about an hour away.
Amherst looks beautiful. It's very green and airy. Our dorm is called Charles Drew and it's a completely renovated red brick building with the typical entrance with white pillars at the front door. There was a food fair on the green last night where we had something to eat before going to bed.
My room is clean and comfortable but it feels a bit like a monastery ... We have a huge dining area, a piano in the hall, ...
The weather is warm and humid. I'm not sure I brought the right kind of clothes ...
I'll keep you posted!

Tomorrow's the big day ...

Tomorrow's the big day. My suitcase is nearly packed. I still have to sort out the documents to take with me and something to represent Belgium (chocolates, of course, and some brochures maybe).
I'm a bit nervous: about the trip, about meeting the other participants, about the course, ... but in a happy, excited way.
I'm a little sad: about leaving my family for 6 weeks, especially during the summer time, the time of year when we normally share lovely moments, have BBQs, enjoy the garden, ... but then the world's become a village, really. It only takes a keyboard to be in touch. We'll add yet another dimension to our relationship: a virtual one!

15/06/09

This is the first day of the last week before my departure for the States.
Lots of work still needs to be done: administrative tasks, sorting through heaps of paper, last minute shopping, washing and ironing, cleaning (a little at least), ... I feel I can't leave the house in a mess or my head will be messed up for the following weeks... but nature decided otherwise and I'm sort of half knocked out by some kind of tummy bug.