Going through the Fulbright TGC Program and especially now preparing for my IFE to Colombia has taught me more about the value of making and keeping connections. From the beginning, we were encouraged to share about ourselves and continue to share reflections about the coursework. When I met my Colombia cohort at the symposium in Washington, DC, we spent a good bit of a day together getting to know each other and working on the guiding questions that will be our focus during our IFE.
Now, my cohort and I have been communicating through our Facebook page. It has been a great way to encourage each other as we work on our websites, share packing tips, and find out more about the different cities that we will be visiting while in Colombia.
Jenny, my partner teacher, and I will be visiting Bucaramanga. We have texted and emailed about presentation and lesson ideas and suggestions since we found out about our placement. Although it has been a challenge, Jenny and I have contacted our host teacher via email and WhatsApp.
Amber, who is also a member of my cohort, and I have met up after getting yellow fever shots. If you have ever gone through that process, then you know that it can be stressful! It was nice to meet up at Starbucks and decompress and show off our "battle scars". I was also able to take her my school and give her a tour.
Being able to keep these lines of communication open have helped me to stay on track and feel less anxious about visiting another country for the first time.
