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Open Roads

I realized, while fielding interview questions recently, that unless someone reads this blog from beginning to end, or have someone guiding them, they will have trouble locating all the travel pieces I have written over the years. So I’m creating this page as a guide to the places I’ve been and my thoughts on them. The cities are listed alphabetically. I will endeavour to update it as necessary.

 

Abẹ́òkuta

Abu Dhabi

Abuja

Boston

Cahokia (November 21, 2009)

Chicago

Edwardsville

Fulton, Missouri

Glen Carbon

Hannibal

Highlands

Ìbàdàn

Iowa

Ifẹ̀

Ìlọrin

Ìkọgọ̀sì

Jos

Kaduna

Kansas City

Korea

Lagos

Maryland

Minneapolis

Nairobi

Ostana

Random

Springfield

St. Louis (Missouri)

Turin  (Italy)

Verona (September 12, 2016)

Washington DC

Wales

Zaria

 

Open Roads was published on May 17th, 2018, under the category. There are currently Comments Off on Open Roads on this article so far.

Visiting Verona

The city of Verona is about two hours from the Milan Central Train Station, but until a chance conversation with Valentina, my host, about the nearest Italian city with promising attraction for restless legs, I had no idea just how close it was. I also didn’t know just how easy it would be to get there, by myself, by train, in a country where English was a minority language.screenshot-99

The train ride to Verona travels through a colourful part of town that visitor postcards of Italy would not usually depict. Not negative – for how much can you experience sitting on a train – just quiet and normal, uneventful, like any modern city. The huge array of graffiti one encounters on the walls at almost every train stop however sent a sign that the universal language of expressing boredom consist somewhat of paint.

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More than two-third way into the trip, we spot on the left a majestic lake whose banks are visible for about a minute or two from the train, but not at the station when the train stops. It is Lake Garda (Lago di Garda), the largest lake in the country. Pictures will do it no justice – there are none – but the encounter from a vantage viewing point in a moving train was somewhat delightful. One moment it was there, then it was gone. For most of the other parts of the trip, views of residential houses all of which had flower gardens on their penthouses became subject of fun conversations. No pictures of those either.

Verona is notable, for readers, through three of Shakespeare’s famous works: Two Gentlemen of Verona, Taming the Shrew, and Romeo and Juliet. I’ve only read two of those. A big motivation for the trip was its description as ostensibly a poor man’s version of Rome, but in reality a more enchanting one. Rome has the Colosseum but Verona has the Arena, which is much about the same structure with the same purpose, but a more complete one even though it was built at an earlier time than its Roman equivalent.

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Speaking of Shakespeare, just a few feet away from the Arena is Casa di Giulietta, Juliet’s Balcony, a modern architectural reenactment of Juliet’s love balcony. Visited every year by more tourists than visit any other Italian location, the Balcony features a gift shop, a real balcony, a wall for lovers’ selfies and proposals, and a bronze statue of “Juliet” whose breastplate is reputed to bring good luck to all who rub it. (I heard the same of Abraham Lincoln’s nose in Springfield).

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Visiting the Balcony was not as enjoyable as finding one’s way there, through finely paved streets between ancient structures.img_6137

The crowd one meets at the Balcony made the experience slightly unbearable.img_6131

 

But in the end, the most enchanting thing about Verona wasn’t the tourist attractions of which there were many (castles, restaurants, food, a town that balances modernity with history to profitable outcomes), but the sense of order that seemed surprisingly welcoming, surprisingly normal in a re-assuring way that is not often the case in many American (and perhaps Nigerian) big towns.

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That, plus the fact that one could walk from the train station to the Arena, by oneself, without being able to speak Italian, and without feeling any more visible as a foreigner than any other tourist on the streets.

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A dry and breezy weather didn’t hurt.

Visiting Verona was published on September 12th, 2016, with the tags , , , , under the adventures, Travelling category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.

Top Twenty Questions FLTAs Would Be Dying To Ask

Every time I start believing that I am sufficiently removed from my Fulbright experience to return to my anonymous student life, I get requests like this from readers like Darsh who want to know more about the FLTA experience in the United States. I’ve once written about what to expect in a one-year trip away from home, but here are a few more. As soon as you have passed the initial stages of being selected at your local country consulate, you are almost on your way to the United States.

1. How much is the monthly stipend? A: In 2009/2010, it was a little over $1000 per month. I hear that it also depends on where in the US you’re posted to. I was posted to Southern Illinois. f you are on the coast, you get a lot more (but then spend a lot more as well for food, and rent).

2. Is the stipend ever sufficient? A: Yes. With very prudent use, you would usually spend about half of the whole stipend monthly on food, housing and books. At the very worst case scenario, you would still be able to save about $300 every month.

3. Can relatives visit me from home? A: Technically, they can, but that is not what the program is about, so it is not encouraged. Believe me, the last thing you want is carrying the home baggage with you. But then, it’s up to you.

4. Can I date my students? A: No. Bad idea.

5. Can I date other students on campus? A: Yes.

6. If any of the people I date at #5 ever become my student in another semester, what should I do? A: I have no idea. But the fact that you know that such scenario is possible should make you re-think #5. You’ll find very many opportunities to meet other new people.

7. Will I need a mobile phone? A: Yes, but you don’t have to bring it along from your country.

8. Will I need a car? A: Not usually. You’d be able to get by without one on most campuses. Many FLTAs however often apply for, and obtain, a driver’s licence before they leave the US. It could be a worthwhile endeavour, so pursue it if you can.

9. How cold is a cold weather? A: Very cold. If you have never seen snow/experience winter before, chances are you will start needing to buy winter clothes and boots as soon as late October. Right now, it is 6 degrees Celsius.

10. Can I stay in the US after the program? A: No. There is a mandatory “return policy” which you’d sign on your way in. As soon as you’re done, you are required to head home first, before you do anything else. Many people return to the States for advanced degrees afterwards.

11. Tell me more about this “return policy”. A: Every grantee is obligated to spend two straight (consecutive) years in their home country after completing the Fulbright program. The aim of this clause is to make sure that the grantee returns home to contribute to the development of their country. If you do return to the US immediately after you return home after the FLTA, and spend a couple of years pursuing a degree, you will still need to eventually complete this mandatory 2 year home stay period before you’re ever allowed  to process any long-term immigration to the US later in life.

12. Do I have to live in campus housing during my Fulbright year? A: You don’t have to, but in my experience, campus housing gives you a chance to know a bit more about American campus experience. And if you’re lucky to have stayed in a highbrow student housing like we had in Edwardsville, you will have a fantastic experience. However, many FLTAs have found other housing arrangements downtown (or somewhere close to school) that are more affordable than the campus housing (sometimes through r00m sharing with other international students). This can work too, but you may lose out on much of the “executive” campus scholar experience.

13. Can I send money home? A: Why not? But in most cases (refer to #2 above), the money is barely anything. By the time you buy an iPod, a camera, and a few gifts to take home with you, you barely have anything left. And if you hope to return for advanced degrees, you might want to save as aggressively as you can.

14. What do I need to take along to be a successful teacher of my language? A: In my case, a few books, some movies, plenty traditional clothing, and an adventurous spirit. American students are curious and they’d appreciate your efforts. Dressing to class at least once a week in your native wears will send a message of cultural appreciation more visibly than one month of teaching. I also showed a couple of movies in class. Use YouTube. There are plenty there that you can use to illustrate any point that comes up during teaching.

15. Can I travel out of my state? A: You will travel, at least once during the program. The first travel takes place before your teaching starts: you will be taken to another state for the FLTA Orientation. And then, in December, you will have to attend the annual conference in Washington DC. This is a five-day event which will allow you to meet up with your fellow scholars, and visit parts of the nation’s capital. Aside from these mandated trips, you will also have the time during your year to visit any other place you want, as long as you do it during times where your presence is not physically needed in your place of primary assignment. If you’re in Illinois, you should try to visit Chicago or Springfield.

 

 

to be continued…

 

Top Twenty Questions FLTAs Would Be Dying To Ask was published on October 21st, 2011, with the tags , , , , under the Opinion, Travelling category. There are currently 1 comment on this article so far.

Mapping the Country

Living in the mid-west has its perks: you’re far enough from the oceans to live a relatively sane life, and close enough to equally pleasant points of interest to get a feel of outdoors once in a while. A few weeks ago, there was an exhibition of proposals on the renovation of the Gateway Arch and its surroundings. The city of St. Louis along with other donors decided to touch up the nation’s tallest monument and make it live up to its potential as a more viable tourist destination for the country and the world. The winners of the bid have been announced and will have up to 2015 to make the area around the Mississippi the mecca they promised.

I’ve been thinking about a few other places nearby: eagle watching at Alton at the confluence of the two great rivers, a long overdue visit to the Lemp Mansion (the continued mention of which keeps bringing hundreds of people to my blog since last year. What exactly is it with people and ghosts?), the Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis with its replica of Roman art and paintings, and the famous house of Mark Twain at Hannibal. I remember visiting the tomb of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield and thinking that the city was such a centre of history, and then wondering what I’m going to think when I visit Annapolis and all the spots on the coast where the first slave ships first docked. I’m such a nosy wanderer.

I’m looking for as many pointers as my readers can provide, whether far or near. How much more of this country can I see and learn from in the next couple of months. We are travellers, coming to a city near you.

Mapping the Country was published on October 12th, 2010, with the tags , under the adventures, Soliloquy, Travelling category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.

Following Lincoln II

Here are the pictures from the visit to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum last week in Springfield – the state capital of Illinois.

The Presidential Library/Museum itself features life-sized wax models of the president at different stages of his life, as well as that of the many historical characters whose lives affected or defined his. There was his wife, his son Todd, his assassin John Wilkes Booth, the generals with whom he won the civil war, and a number of very many historically significant signposts in the life of the nation’s 16th president.

Following Lincoln II was published on April 29th, 2010, with the tags , , , , under the adventures, Fun category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.