Learning from our Children....

While the Fulbright Orientation in DC was certainly filled with helpful sessions and inspiring speakers, the highlight for me was the "farewell dinner" and celebration. After many months of planning, preparing, and emailing, the reasons for and meaning of this exchange came into sharp focus for me...
After the final dinner, the teachers, spouses and families from each exchange country were invited to share a bit of their culture with everyone. Some groups sang folk songs and played traditional instruments, while others did a typical dance from their respective countries. Some performances were a bit rough, but that's to be expected given the busy conference schedule, lack of rehearsal time, and severe jet lag everyone was experiencing. It was a fun and heartwarming evening... all of these great people from around the world, jumping up on stage to share a bit of themselves and their culture.
But the best part was the kids... Children from all over the world, accompanying their teacher parents, had just met each other 3 days before. They came from Chile, Latvia, Mexico, and England... South Africa, France, the US, and India... Even with significant language barriers, they were having such a fantastic time together... holding hands, laughing, playing, crawling under the tables, and spontaneously hopping up on stage to dance to a particularly lively tune (...thanks Senegal!). Then, during a break in the performances, they grabbed the inflatable earth-balls off of each dinner table, and began a lively on-stage game of global volleyball. It was a beautiful thing to witness.
The primary goal of the many Fulbright programs is to "promote mutual understanding between people of the USA and other nations." Just watching those wonderful children assured me that this goal is indeed being achieved...