Thursday, July 26, 2018

US Department of State Pre-Departure Orientation for Europe and Eurasia -- 2018-19 Fulbrighters to Macedonia!



So excited for this group! They are the Macedonian dream team -- the 2018-19 Fulbrighters to Macedonia from the US:  Fulbright ETAs (English Teaching Assistants), Fulbright Student Researchers and a Fulbright Scholar.  They will be placed in universities throughout Macedonia. 

Prior to heading out on their Fulbright, the State Department's Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs organizes a Pre-Departure Orientation for Scholars and Students to Europe.

(I participated in such a PDO prior to heading out on my Fulbright to Moldova  my blog post about PDO prior to heading to Moldova and was later asked to assist with outbound Fulbrighters to Moldova blog post for PDO for Moldova group the following year)  And, of course, I participated in the PDO prior to heading to Macedonia.

During the orientation, there is a full agenda that includes sessions about US foreign policy and the role of Fulbright in that policy, sessions with regional experts, breakout sessions for each country as well as sessions about grant details and health insurance and safety and security.

Anything that you think you would need to know before heading overseas as a part of the US government's flagship exchange program is covered. 

Even during the meals -- which are sometimes tables are arranged by country, sometimes by grant type (ETA, student researcher, scholar), and sometimes open networking -- much is accomplished.

I found the country sessions to be so helpful as I was preparing for my Fulbright, that I was delighted and honored to be asked to return to the PDO to meet with the outbound Fulbrighters to Macedonia this year.

As an added treat, my daughter and I were asked if we wanted to present on a panel for those bringing Spouses and Dependents. She had an incredible time living and learning in Skopje, and she was happy to share her story.  (Bonus -- she made new friends with girls her age who are heading off to Baku.)


In our Macedonia breakout session

some of the "show and tell" materials that I brought -- so much to see and do in Macedonia -- the ancient Roman ruins, the Byzantine frescoes, the Ottoman fortresses, the natural beauty of the mountains and lakes -- too bad that more MK travel info not readily available in the US


the Welcome Dinnner
at the panel on Spouses and Dependents.  wonderful to be joined by FPSA colleague, political science professor from UWF Alfred Cuzan, who was a Fulbrighter in Estonia and brought his wife with him (and she, too, was on the panel)

my daughter answers questions about what it was like to adjust to a new school



with my "Junior US Scholar Alum"  :-))

with my "Junior US Scholar Alum"   :-))


Yay! Finally met Ellie Dawson in person! We had been working on a civics education project together with the NGO DemocracyLab - via skype/email/googledocs



Also -- you might enjoy this video of the Fulbright program, showed during one of the open sessions: Fulbright video

on the first night we took a stroll from the hotel around the White House, after stopping off at one my old fav hangouts, the Old Ebbitt Grill

on the second night enjoyed dining with Fulbright journalists at the National Press Club


We took the first flight out of Tampa and the last flight back from DC.  This meant we could do a few things in DC before and then after the orientation.  Right after we arrived we checked into the hotel -- and then we went to see the National Museum for Women and the Arts -- the only museum devoted to women's art in the world.

National Museum for Women and the Arts


Then we stopped by for a quick visit to the https://www.acypl.org/ American Council of Young Political Leaders. More about the Macedonian delegation that I hosted in Florida can be found on this blog - or hashtag #ACYPLMacedonia

with ACYPL CEO Libby Rosenbaum

Then we were able to make a quick stop to the National Portrait Gallery. I really wanted to see the new portraits of the Obamas!


This was amazing! So much more vibrant in person. My picture does not do it justice


This is one of my favorite artworks of all time -- the Preamble of the US Constitution -- made of license plates

National Portrait Gallery

a quick bite for lunch in Chinatown - and then it was back to register for the orientation
After the conference on Friday, we stopped by the Supreme Court - to visit former colleagues and to pick of a few slip opinions (including Trump v. Hawaii)

The first woman on the US Supreme Court -- Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.  When I was growing up, there were No women on the Bench - and there never had been any women on the Bench.  Now, as my daughter stands to gaze at Justice O'Connor's portrait there are 3 women on the Court.

this exhibit about the forgotten legacy of the woman artist who painted judicial portraits in the late 1800s

one of the two marble elliptical staircases at the US Supreme Court


stopped by to see my former student David who now works for my Member of Congress -- Rep Charlie Crist - here we are in the subway from Canon HOB to the Capitol

looking up at the Capitol Dome

of course we had to stop by and visit these strong women

former capitols -- including Philadelphia and Trenton

quick stop into Air & Space Museum -- my daughter was just at NASA Space Camp for a week

a gorgeous day - and a short walk from our hotel to the Mall

the National Museum of the American Indian is a favorite spot -- in addition to the exhibits -- we highly recommend the cafe -- the best food of all the Smithsonian! My fav -- the (spicy) Mexican hot chocolate

The Lenape leaders gave this wampum belt to William Penn in the 1680s as a sign of peace and friendship

Update on the investigation of "Fake News" generated by the teens in Veles before the US Presidential Election in 2016

Back in November-December 2016 I posted on this blog about the teens in Veles who were  posting misinformation/"clickbait" leading up to the 2016 US Presidential Election:

http://jainmacedonia.blogspot.com/2016/12/macedonia-fake-news-and-us-presidential.html


Here's an update on the investigative reporting by BuzzFeed:

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/american-conservatives-fake-news-macedonia-paris-wade-libert

American Conservatives Played A Secret Role In The Macedonian Fake News Boom Ahead Of 2016

An investigation reveals that the fake news sites that flourished in Macedonia in 2016 weren’t just the work of local teens — and that security agencies are probing possible connections to Russia.

 By Craig Silverman J. Lester Feder Saska Cvetkovska Aubrey Belford

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

USF World Annual Report 2017 -- features picture of my Macedonia Fulbright poster presentation


I was delighted to see a picture of me with the Honorable Betty Castor (former USF President and former Chair of the Fulbright Board), as she stopped by to see my poster about my Fulbright to Macedonia during a Mid-Florida Chapter of the Fulbright Association reception.





For the whole report about USF World activities, see

https://issuu.com/usfworld1/docs/2017_usf_world_annual_report__web__?e=33310724/60783020

Monday, July 16, 2018

Signing Ceremony -- SEEU-USFSP Memorandum of Understanding

It was with great pleasure that we welcomed Prof. Blerim Reka of SEEU to the USFSP Campus for the purpose of signing a Memorandum of Understanding between our two universities.

Dr. Reka was my host when I was teaching at SEEU in Skopje while on a Fulbright during Spring 2017, and we have been discussing our continued collaboration for more than a year.

Below are some pictures of our Signing Ceremony.  Very much looking forward to expanding our cooperation.  For more, see Matthew Cimitile's article here  http://jainmacedonia.blogspot.com/2018/06/article-matthew-cimitile-usf-st.html


For more about SEEU, see https://www.seeu.edu.mk/

For more about USFSP, see https://www.usfsp.edu/home/



Prof. Reka of SEEU presents Chancellor Martin Tadlock of USFSP with the seal of SEEU



Getting ready for the Signing Ceremony




Dr. Tadlock presented Dr. Reka with this plate by local artist Wendy Durand

I was just a little jealous of this gift for Dr. Reka -- a beautiful piece by St. Petersburg artist Wendy Durand. We do have a prized vase of hers in our collection -- but it is not in USF's Green and Gold  ;-)