Orientation Week in Washington, DC

I was very excited to start my Fulbright journey with an orientation week in the U.S. capital. All Fulbright Distinguished Teachers were invited to this event, 48 American teachers who will be traveling abroad, many Fulbright alumni who had just returned back home, and 17 of us international teachers who had come to the U.S.

During the orientation workshop in Washington, DC organized by IIE we had different seminars on various topics such as the art of crossing cultures, global competence, the expectations and development of the inquiry project that every Fulbright Teacher will complete while abroad. It was very interesting to hear about the experiences of the teachers who had already returned back home. We were also privileged to be welcomed by the U.S. Department of State. Besides the seminars, we also had a tour of the U.S. Capitol Building as well as a Culture Night, where teachers got to present something typical of their countries. We were able to enjoy various performances, African dance from Botswana, Maori stories from New Zealand, and many more. IIE had organized a wonderful orientation and start for our journey.

Meeting so many teachers from all over the world and from all over the U.S. at the same time was the best thing about the whole week and something I will never forget. Seldom does one get the chance to meet colleagues from everywhere between New York, California, Alaska and Louisiana, all sitting at the same table. It was an amazing opportunity to learn! The main thing I learned right away was that I cannot start generalizing U.S. schools since there is no such thing as a "typical" American school. There are great differences between the school systems in different states and areas, and there are also different types of schools. Also private schools are very common in the U.S. unlike in Finland. I look forward to starting the school visits and learning more about the everyday life at different schools in the coming months. 

I had visited Washington, DC once before but I was happy to arrive a few days earlier and get the chance to explore also the city a little more. The U.S. capital is a very beautiful city with lots of memorials, monuments, and amazing museums. A place definitely worth visiting.