IN FLORIDA WITH FULBRIGHT

 

Go to Florida!

By Dr Attila Sándor Csontos

 

Translated by Marta Medgyessy Fordos

 

Copyright © 2013 by Dr Attila Sandor Csontos

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is not a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are not the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely intentional.

 

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

 

 

To my Family:

My wife Tünde

And our sons Máté and Bálint

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The book that you are now holding in your hands is about to reveal to you the most exciting part of my life in regards to challenges and experiences I have had during the 1-1/2 years of the most memorable part of my life. Due to my Fulbright scholarship award, I had the privilege of living in Florida between August 1, 1999 and January 5, 2001. Following these years, I lived in Ohio for another half year, which was also full of new and exciting experiences, but this book concentrates more on my years in Florida.

This book reveals how I had the opportunity to go to Florida, what experiences I lived through, and what my thoughts and feelings are about those two years after I returned home to Hungary. I realized that after I returned home, that my way of thinking and my view of life in general has been so dramatically influenced after those years.

Questions such as 'have I gained success in reaching my goals?', how did these experiences influence my life upon my return to Hungary? and was I able to move back into my groove upon my return to Hungary, as well as lead my life on a normal day-to-day basis as if I never left Hungary. I draw parallels between life in the U.S. and Hungary in regards to its people. I compare the differences between the American and Hungarian experiences that I had during my years of higher education, the thought processes, and philosophy of life in general.

With this book, I hope to achieve success in helping those who desire to get a scholarship award by showing the many available resources, how to begin, what to expect, and what to avoid while you are still thinking and evaluating your decision to make that move. The book is not totally all about looking through rose-colored glasses regarding living in the U.S., but it is difficult to find too many negatives or disillusioning factors about Florida specifically. My purpose is to specify details as accurately and in as much detail as possible throughout this book.

Why did I wait so long to write this book? Since I returned home, I have had constant nostalgic memories about the days I spent in the U.S. I realized as time goes by, that the details of my experiences of those days are starting to become more faint, so I decided to write notes while I still have them clearly registered in my mind. However, it dawned on me that it is not as easy as it sounds: I have the daunting work of siphoning and looking through all my collections of documents and pictures.

As I was going through my documents, my many experiences started to be reignited in my mind more and more clearly. The more I got involved with all my documents, the more excited and re-energized I became with my work, because it revitalized all my memories of that past, which were mostly positive experiences that I had during those days. Before I knew it, my notes became completed sentences; hence, this book has been compiled, written and printed.

My greatest hope is that the reader of this book will read through these pages with much fervor and that I will succeed in bringing you to a new threshold of a different and most wondrous world. Through this book, you will have the opportunity to become familiar with Gainesville, Florida, as well as the University of Florida.

By: Dr. Attila Sandor Csontos

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CHAPTER I

Events Before My Trip Abroad

 

How Is It Possible To Obtain A Fulbright Scholarship?

 

Photo credited to John Gloucester - bottled spider on Flickr

 

What would be necessary for the fulfillment of this goal? For the answer to this question, a future outlook is necessary. It took three years from the point that this idea and decision were first initiated before I actually sat on the plane to Florida.

Of course, many things have transpired until then; let us look at these events by sequence.

After I graduated from college, I got married and resided in Szombathely. After many unsuccessful trials and errors, I did finally succeed in finding employment, but with great difficulty and with lots of tribulations in my work environment. Whenever I possibly could find the time, I would dream of one day working overseas and with the expansion of the internet, my research led me to more and more opportunities.

It was a long time passing before I finally succeeded in finding work at Phillips, where I finally felt comfortable. Of course, Murphy never sleeps, since by the time I finally became comfortable with my niche and worked my way up to an awesome position with the company, and which also became what I envisioned to be my final destiny in a super position and work environment in Hungary, is when I received a phone call from my past consultant, Dr. Miklos Nadasy. He tried to convince me to return to college.

During our first phone conversation, he already advised me that there is a possibility for a PhD program to be attained via an American scholarship. Although I really did enjoy working at Philips, this suggestion perked my ears up. It was a very difficult decision since I would have to make a choice between an unsure and weak proposition and that of being married and comfortably situated finally in my dream job after so many years.

After a couple of months, I did find myself going to Keszthely as a PhD day student. Of course, I did not anticipate at that time the difficulties that would ensue, since as I discovered later, that I had to sacrifice my marriage and my dream-come-true job.

My wife did not receive this idea with too much excitement, but she did support me in my goals with the expectation that getting a doctorate degree would open up more possibilities for an easier route to obtain better opportunities and advance in my field. Consequently, I had to reside in Keszthely on a temporary basis by leaving Mondays at dawn and returning home on Friday afternoons. In the beginning, my wife even accompanied me to the bus stop, which later diminished in frequency and which finally came to the point that there was no one waiting for me at the bus stop upon arriving home…

As it soon became apparent, my situation in Keszthely was not ideal either. My courses and thesis for my diploma consisted of studying insect behavior. The research was very exciting, but it was difficult to write a dissertation on a PhD level about this. My curriculum had to be modified, which meant I lost a whole year of my PhD courses. I had to move onto another subject and a different consultant and I had to start from the beginning in a completely new field.

To explain more clearly, this means that consequently my whole year in Keszthely was lost in time and effort, not to mention all the occasional examinations, since I had to choose an entirely new subject for research, new dissertation writing, planning, and a new research all over again. I had to bury myself deep into the course studies and leave time for experiments on top of all the seminars and examinations. However, it soon became apparent that neither the laboratory facilities nor the environment was available or optimal enough to let me do my research effectively. My new subject became the following: Ecology of Entomology (the study of the relationships between living organisms and their interactions with their natural or developed environment).

The development and preparation of the study was only one aspect of this whole issue. I had to be prepared to take an advanced high-level examination in languages. I took the "C" Origo test (the dreaded Rigo Street examination) and then the TOEFL exam, which was by the way, a stipulation of the application for a Fulbright Scholarship. Any student arriving to an American university probably passed the TOEFL exam.

My marriage was of course only able to continue for two years this way. I was trapped into choosing between discontinuing my studies towards my PhD, which already took two years of hard work and energy out of my time or to return with lost pride to Szombathely where again I will have to start the drudgery of that dreadful job search.

As I have mentioned before, my bad experiences in my various jobs are terrifying to imagine enough not to mention that I always finished whatever I started. The only option remaining for me at this time was to obtain the foreign scholarship. There was no other alternative. This was possibly the reason that I got enough determination in me to move forward with all the torturous applications and petitions that needed to be submitted. (The Fulbright Scholarship was one of many, many applications that I competed for.)

In fact, I put everything on one page and feel lucky that I did succeed in receiving the Fulbright Scholarship even though this would consequently change my life up until now.

You probably can ascertain from all that you read so far that this book was not written to paint a rose-colored glass of a mythic notion that foreign employment, scholarship attainment and attaining success in foreign lands is an easy process.

On the contrary, throughout these pages in this book, my objective is to express the reality of all the hardship, sacrifice, determination, resolution, and steadfastness it took to be able to go to a foreign land, as well as the hard work through diligence that it took to become successful in the end. Of course, I did have some time for relaxation and enjoyment. The happiest, most unforgettable days of my life's journey still remains to be introduced to you.

 

Is It Worth A PhD?

For those who are questioning whether a PhD is worth the effort, let me give you some advice. Whoever takes daily courses will get a scholarship. This was a requirement at least during the days I took the courses. As far as I know, this is still the same, but it can change at anytime. The government finances three years towards the required daily courses that it takes to attain the PhD degree.

Under normal circumstances, this much time is not enough to get the degree. I am referring to the research and experimentation, which has to reflect the subject, which is also part of the degree requirements. The first and foremost pitfall is the so-called curriculum plan that needs to be submitted. Why is this important?

To put this into a perspective of a future graduate, a three-year research plan, which includes a comprehensive financial analysis, is required for submission and implementation. However, in most cases these individuals have no experience in producing such a plan. It is not only very important for a project to be implemented correctly, but scientists within Hungary will need to be recruited, who actually work in the same field; and this would be beneficial in helping the graduate meet the 3-year time limit in which to appoint an examination council.

In my case, it took two years after I have already prepared and handed in the dissertation for my doctorate to pass my examination with honors and defend my dissertation. If one is not able to stay in his or her field, then what is the reason for all this?

For an example, a scholar becomes a district representative during this time, which requires pharmacy visitations while preparing for a doctorate in sociology, then what could this same scholar begin to work with after successfully attaining the doctorate degree?

Will the scholar continue to visit pharmacies?...

What would happen if the scholar does not have sufficient time and has run out of the limited three years? If the government financing has ended, then the scholar will be forced to finance his own projects and even research.

If the individual is lucky enough to have formed a good relationship with his or her counselor, course coordinator, and other prominent circles of college administrators; and has freedom to continue in college where the courses towards the degree are available, then the college will give the needed financial support.

If there is no possibility for continuing the courses, then there is no opportunity to finish the work, in other words, it is highly likely that all the years of research, experimentation, and examinations were a waste of time, effort and money. Of course, there is no mention of this when someone is applying for a PhD degree.

Let us assume that the individual did successfully attain his or her degree with honors, which is great! However, if there is no work and after many attempts to get hired, only the following response is heard: 'sorry, but there is nothing available at this time - we will let you know as soon as there is an opening', then the poetic question again would be: until then, (whenever that will be) how can we support ourselves and our families financially?

If someone does acquire a PhD, then it is a very particular specialty, which is a great accomplishment. There is only a very limited amount of competition for specialties in the labor market. There are bookkeepers available at every street corner, as is the case with shoe repair shops, hairdressers, attorneys or legal aides. However, who has a need for nematologists? Nobody!

We should seriously consider whether a "Dr." in front of our names with a specialty is worth the time invested, the tests, etc., only to end up waiting in the unemployment line with those who barely finished their high school degrees and are looking for manual labor.

 

What Is The Reason For A Toefl Exam?

This examination (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is standard for determining the proficiency of the English language for any scholar applying to American colleges. It is recognized throughout the world due to a standard format and universal grading system. There are options of testing in written form or through the internet and it is divided into four parts: reading, writing, articulation and conversational. The test score is valid up to two years.

There are three different versions available and recognized today. The test was originally initiated in written form (PBT - paper-based tests), which was then followed by the computer-based tests (CBT) and finally as of 2005, the so-called internet-based test (IBT) became available.

At the time I took the TOEFL test, I had to travel and make reservations to stay overnight in Budapest, since the exam started too early for me to make the trip from home, and I did not want to arrive tired like a zombie or arrive late for the exam. In those days, the exams were available for only a limited amount of times and days, so it became a situation of "now or never" for me. Thus, I was able to arrive rested and in time. Multitudes of people were ushered into a huge lecture hall where they used a small tape player and started the exam.

After we arrived, instructions were given about what will transpire. It took three minutes to explain that they will "turn on the tape player…turn off the tape player in a couple of hours…if necessary, switch the cassette tapes…all further instructions will be heard on the cassette…complete silence is requested and best wishes for success…" The whole process was done exactly that way and I was happy with the professionalism for that reason.

The detailed instructions were amusing, to say the least. The first 45 minutes of the cassette gave the following simple instructions, such as "please place the assignment sheet in front of you" …, please prepare your #2 pencils"…, "please place your pencil on the top right-hand side of your assignment sheet"…, "please pull out your erasers"…, etc.

In spite of all this, there were those who were asked to leave the hall, because they made noises with their nylon bags (after the test has already started and at which time, the cassette could not be rewound). Maybe they only needed an eraser, but it ended up being an unnecessary move and a total waste of money and time for the examinee.

The American universities have stipulations about the test scores required for their various subjects and only those who have passed that certain TOEFL score required by the college may apply. In other words, they had a prerequisite before even accepting applications from the scholar!

This is also true for certain companies who advertise their open positions for employment. They base their decisions according to the exact test score results, not by grades achieved in college, even if it was 'excellent' or 'good'.

Thus, it is not whom you know or whose father, mother, godparent, etc. called sooner, or 'befriended' the decision-maker; you are chosen according to your level of achievement via college courses. Is this not the proper and most fair course of action for applicants?

Not to mention, that grades of 'good' vs. 'good' are many times the difference between night and day within the same university, at least here in Hungary, let alone between two colleges, which is all the more reason that it would not make sense to use those grades either. Thus, it is obvious that a different type of 'equitable valuation' would be necessary to alleviate the discrimination between those who achieved grades of "A" vs. those of "B", who might not even have a fair chance.

 

What Is A Fulbright Scholarship?

The Fulbright Scholarship is one of the largest student exchange programs available: at present, 155 countries are members. Within the framework of this program, in regards to the USA, about 6000 high school, college and PhD students, as well as teachers and professors have admissions in cultural and various educational programs within one year.

Senator J. William Fulbright had first introduced this plan in front of the American senate in 1946. Over the past 20 years, there were more than 1200 Hungarians and Americans who took advantage of this scholarship program and approximately 1,000 American scholarship-awarded students were allowed to study, research and teach in our own country. This program is proud to boast of 43 Fulbright scholars, who have won the Nobel Prize throughout the world. Hungary became a part of the program in 1978, which was the year that the crown jewels were returned to the country.

The Fulbright Hungarian-American Exchange Program's commission was originally formed in 1992; and the director has been Dr. Huba Bruckner from the beginning to the present. Since Fulbright was founded in 1946, there have been approximately a total of 300,000 professors, researchers and students who benefited from the program with the aid of the scholarship; and were able to travel between member and partner countries throughout the world.

When I first started my PhD program, I concentrated mostly on the literary aspect of my project. As time went on, the thought of international studies has crossed my mind. In those days, there were not as many opportunities via the internet as there are today. There were many times I was forced to go to the library, so that I could find some printed literature regarding my subject matter. My first objective was to look for opportunities in England due to the distance and to my familiarity of the language. Of course, it would not be a bad option to choose a country that has a different language, so that while there, another language could be mastered as well.

It would be worth keeping in mind in regards to the scholarship that the determination of acceptance for the scholarship is dependent on the markedly high level of language proficiency that would be required for the perspective country. The applicant's research plan is often dependent on the high-level of expectations required with serious work. The goal, in other words, is not to increase the proficiency of the language. Whoever does win the scholarship program, needs to be proficient enough to be able to master the daily living needs, since it would hinder the work in most instances which is required for looking for rent, work, getting information, shopping, etc. all of which would be necessary to survive.

I did see one day that there was an announcement for an invitation to go to a Fulbright seminar. This was held in a large hall at the college a couple of weeks later where Dr. Huba Bruckner was the speaker. Dr. Bruckner, the Fulbright Commission was in charge, so they did not just 'send' someone from a local district to give a speech and get it over with, but this was a seriously organized and well-thought-out program in his honor.

If I am not mistaken, he himself is the keynote speaker at these orientation seminars to this day. Dr. Bruckner spoke of the history of Fulbright and his dedication to the program where he instilled an awareness of the many different possibilities that are available through the program. It did not occur to me at the time that among all those present, I should be the one chosen…

I happened to look through all my notes from the past recently! It is unbelievable that after so many years and times I have moved that I would still have these notes in my possession. As you can see in my scanned page below, there are an average of at least ten applications for the scholarship, (this could have possibly changed since 1999).

The process for determining if you are chosen for the scholarship takes three-steps: formal, subject matter (determined by both the Hungarian and American board members), as well as a personal interview after you have successfully passed the first two steps.

After all of the above, the final process for the decision-making consists of board members, who are both Hungarian and American representatives, university counselors and professors. The final decision will be determined by a 12-member board in the USA. The following is the copy of my notes on the first page:

 

 

The attainable types of scholarships are:

- Students for one year, who intend on average to continue to a PhD course in the future
- Researchers for 3 - 9 months, whose goal is to research at an American university campus or in a laboratory setting
- Lecturers at colleges, universities, or even high schools, who would teach one or two semesters
- Special scholarships: for travel expenses, not the total amount of scholarship, etc.

The amount of scholarship towards monthly expenses varies in that it is determined mostly by the type of scholarship won by the student; in other words, depending on which state in the USA accepts the scholar and how much it would require to maintain daily living expenses in that particular state.

The Fulbright is very humanitarian in that once you have won the scholarship and the individual would like to take the family along, they would make every effort to make this possible. This of course is a symbolic gesture from the Fulbright organization and if I remember well, this meant that between 1999 and 2000, my wife and I received $100 extra in monthly expense payments.

The monthly provisions were usually exceeded, especially the first month, which is usually when expenses and fees are the highest with the unexpected extra living expenses due to travel, start-up necessities and the first month's rental deposit. In the case of rentals, a security deposit is required; as well as the processing of I.D's., library card fees, other official documentation fees, all of which exceed the monthly provisions as well. Financial support was available for buying the required books for the courses and according to each student's status; the tuition for the year at the university is paid for, as well, which could amount to approximately $15,000 annually.

 

Requirements, Application Data Sheet

The Fulbright scholarship requirements are infinitely detailed and numerous criteria are demanded of the applicant:

- Hungarian citizenship
- Proof of diploma
- TOEFL exam
- Project proposal, in other words a curriculum plan (there will be more discussion about this later: your plan goals, why you think you are the most qualified applicant, what is the advantage of this for both American and Hungarian applicants, after returning home, how will this experience and knowledge be used most optimally, etc.)
- Recommendations, in other words referrals (you need at least one foreign connection for referral, which would be a big advantage - if an applicant has an American connection involved with the same field of interest at the time of application: the higher the level and influence is of the connection, the more advantageous).

In regards to the expectations of the contact, the application should not be in general, but in only concrete terms as far as the curriculum plan is concerned. This is to specify and make clear the goals of the applicant, so that the referring contact will support and be able to determine that the plan is the best qualified to serve his purposes in his field. The contact, not the applicant, will be the one to send the proposal to Fulbright.

There are very strict formalities in the petition. The application form called "Data Sheet for Admission to U.S. Universities" is very detailed and comprehensive, spread out to about 10 pages, so that it can be almost impossible to believe that an individual can know so much detail about himself as requested in the questionnaire. The following were the sections, all in English, which I copied here to give you an idea:

- Biographical information
- Enrollment Information
- Study Plans
- Closest Living Relative
- Academic Data
- Examination Results
- Declaration
- Foreign Fulbright Grant Application Form
- Personal information Study Plans
- Detailed Study Objectives
- Teaching Experience
- Research Experience
- Future Plans
- Education
- List of scholarships held at present or in the past
- Academic Honors or Prizes - if any
- List of books, articles published by the applicant (in the proposed field of interest)
- Knowledge of languages
- Occupational Experience
- List of professional societies, fraternities or other organizations
- List of countries the applicant lived or stayed (with reasons)
- Emergency Contact
- List of relatives or friends in the USA- Physical Impairment the applicant might have
- Curriculum Vitae
- School Achievements
- Educational Background
- Personal Financial Information Form
- Fund available for the applicant for the first year of study in the US
- Family Funds, The applicant Own Funds, Other funds
- Funds available after the first year of study in the US
- Travel Funds
- Dependents
- Confidential Information Form
- Military Service
- Standardized Tests (TOEFL, TSE, TWE, GRE, GMAT, SAT and other)
- Authorization for release of information
- Report of proficiency in English

I had to translate the record of courses, which was challenging enough, since there were many courses in my five years that do not match the English version of courses. It was tedious and long, but I did finish it. It was not surprising to find that the actual competition took many months due to the amounts of research and paperwork that is required for each individual competitor. In addition, to complicate things even more, three copies of all that paperwork had to be submitted as well.

From every standpoint, it is the summary of one's life up until that point. I would like to also emphasize that I received more than 10 immunizations on top of all this. When I had to go to the Center for Disease Control in Budapest, the doctor even asked me where I was going - Nigeria, Chad, Congo, or Mozambique? I replied by answering 'no' - to the USA. She asked, 'USA?' Why do you need this many immunizations just to go to the USA? Besides the shots, I was required to have a physical examination, so I had to travel to Budapest for that too.

The physician was appointed specifically by the Fulbright commission, who was required to pass the general medicine aptitude examination. A physical exam performed by your personal physician, even if it was translated and notarized, was not accepted by the Fulbright commission. The immunizations were not given all at one time either: I had to travel to Budapest according to the specified schedule where I was immunized eventually with all.

It is very difficult to comprehend how a doctorate petitioner is able to sacrifice so much time and money into subway fares 10 to 13 times to Budapest just so he can fulfill the criteria demanded for this application. I requested that the last two shots be given by my personal physician in Keszthely, who also confirmed that it is okay by a couple of phone calls before even giving me the shots and made sure that the shots were to be given in the correct areas…

The petition application was very detailed (see the above list), and additionally, whoever might have dealt with administrative American issues, would surely recall that there was very little space available to squeeze in answers on the questionnaire. Since it was impossible to handwrite all the answers to fit the format in an acceptable manner and after much trial and error, I made the decision to type the answers out in 10-font size, which did fit and was even legible. I printed out the sheet with the typed answers, cut and pasted them onto the questionnaire and then copied the whole sheet, so I ended up mailing the copied form, not the actual form. This method did make the whole application look very neat and professional. This tip alone should help all Fulbright applicants feel that this book is worth the time it takes to read and to be informed.

There was one mistake I made throughout many weeks regarding the preparation of the petition, such as my signature was missing on every page, which was required. I also received a phone call that I need to go to Budapest immediately (again) since there are formality problems in the application. I am probably not the only one who forgot to sign where needed….

When I arrived to Budapest to sign all the copies of the petition in their specified sections, Maria Schunk asked me: 'How was I able to prepare this material in such a neat and professional manner?' I was surprised but happy to hear her compliment. It gave me hope that if I excelled in my application process in regards to the formal criteria, then I should just as well excel in my curriculum plan petition.

The Fulbright Commission has information available to the applicants, notebooks of information such as "Visiting Fulbright Scholar Program - Guidelines for Applicants". These types of publications give a better idea of what types of organizations Fulbright is affiliated with as well as their assignments. To name a few examples, they are the following: CIES (Council for International Exchange of Scholars), IIE (Institute of International Education, USIA (United States Information Agency), and USIS (United States Information Service).

I tried to collect as much information as possible in English via the internet that pertains to my field of interest. It is interesting to note that this world has changed and progressed so fast since my days of applying. Between 1993 and 1994 when I received a scholarship for Nottingham University in England, the most acceptable form of application was by regular mail. The internet was nowhere near as expansive as it is today, not to mention Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and so many others.

We did not even have Skype, so we communicated to our homeland mostly via email or by telephone. The world has changed amazingly fast, especially over the past couple of years, now that we can have conversations worldwide without any difficulty.

The only consideration would be the time zones, which would probably be difficult to solve. If you would like to speak to someone in Sydney, Australia, then either I would have to be available very early (in Hungarian time zone) or they would have to stay up late.

 

Personal Interview

Another good couple of weeks passed by until I finally received a letter. The letter advised me that I am to appear in front of the Fulbright Commission for a personal interview on November 4th. I think as long as I live, I will never forget November 4, 1998. I traveled to Budapest early that morning and arrived at the Eastern train station in the early hours before noon. I walked from there to the Ajtosi Durer Street (where the Fulbright offices were located at the time).

Before the interview started, I glanced over my notes one more time. While I was waiting in the floor below by the window, I was trying to think to myself why I am actually doing this. Why am I so driven and obsessed through all these days about reaching a goal, leaving all other issues as secondary in importance?

This is a very difficult question to answer even 14 years later. So many times, this has actually influenced my spiritual and living conditions. It is conceivable that generally speaking, it is worthwhile learning about other cultures, people, and parts of the world. However, in my opinion, it is something else: I did not want to be unemployed again, and it is beneath my dignity to be employed in any available position just to make a living. I also figured that I would not be able to receive my PhD without the scholarship due to the current economy, let alone the living conditions that are so difficult to sustain.

So what useful tips can I offer for a successful interview? Well, it is important to become aware of the Fulbright ideology and know it well: why was it established, what is their goal, and for me personally, what am I able to contribute to this goal, this ideology?

In many ways, it is the same or in many ways similar to life in general if compared to a job interview: many hundreds, even thousands, of applicants do interviews. Who should be the one to be chosen for the opportunity? The employer has in mind, the qualified applicant would be in tune with the same mindset of the employer; and who sees and knows the best avenues for fulfilling the goals of the prospective employer.

The reason the Fulbright exchange program was established was to share the different ideologies and educational sources among citizens of other countries. It is very important to note that the Fulbright Commission does expect the student to return and to benefit their own particular countries with their newly attained knowledge. This is why it is so important to convince the Fulbright Commission of the necessity of your field of study. The interviewers consisted of three members - two of them were from the Fulbright Commission and one was an American Embassy official.

The study of nematode pathology is about discovering those threadworms that would be beneficial in exterminating the most harmful parasites in an agricultural environment. This subject is meaningful in terms of shedding light on the importance of using natural forms of biological defenses vs. artificial forms of insecticide to protect our agriculture and environment. Though this is an excellent concept, the present day insecticides are proven less expensive than the natural form at this point.

In Hungary, this method is still only in the initial stages, while at the same time, the USA has had a long-standing tradition regarding this. The threadworms can be mutated through special cryobiological methods; in other words, their symptoms of life can be slowed down to the point that they would remain in a vegetative state for many years. The USA allows farmers to use these creatures, obtain them in forms of ashes, and then dilute the ashes to an acceptable proportion to be able to spray the crops.

Of course, this would suggest a more detailed instruction about the circumstances in which to spray. This is true with the presently used chemicals where it is most beneficial to spray after rain or late afternoons to prevent the damaging effects of the ultraviolet rays from the sun, since if the spray dries too fast, it would not be effective. This is a very interesting topic, which unfortunately was not even known by our own colleagues in this profession here in Hungary.

During the interview, the above-mentioned thought-provoking information was discussed. In other words, if these findings were to be initiated in Hungary, it would be a fantastic potential in protecting the agriculture and environment. I also emphasized that I would not be able to manage attaining this research without financial aid. I suspect that the commission members have already prepared themselves with all the pertinent information that would be useful in determining the qualification and acceptance of the candidate.

After my short presentation, the commission then initiated a question and answer period regarding the usefulness and adaptability of my research in terms that it would eventually benefit Hungary. The discussion lasted about a half hour. The interview was informal and pleasant, but there are interviews where even if it seemed to be under such friendly circumstances, it did not always mean that the candidate was successful in being chosen.

I was ready to go back home only to discover that the trains were not leaving the Eastern Station. There was a severe windstorm in Transdanubia where trees were torn from their roots and huge branches were flung onto the railways at the northern end of Lake Balaton. I then went to the Deak Ter (Student Square) where I received the same bad news, so that left me few options: there was no bus headed for Balatonfured…

After many hours of waiting, I finally succeeded in getting on the bus to Keszthely. I was able to read the NAFSA's International Student Handbook on the way there. NAFSA is short term for the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers. Usually whoever aspires to work in the English language environment, they will find short terms are used frequently. The English and Americans like to shorten terms so much that they even have a publication called "Dictionary of Abbreviations".

The book's 200 pages discusses answers to questions such as why it is worth studying in the USA, where is it worthwhile, which programs are most beneficial for application, what are the procedures for applying, how to accommodate more easily, what kind of student life to expect while studying in the USA and other similar information. It is very useful literature. I strongly recommend that you either get this book from the library or via the internet in similar subjects before you endeavor long-term travel to foreign countries.

By reading this book, newer questions popped into my mind, which introduced more ideas. These questions should be listed in one place where you can refer to them while you research the answers. The more you are prepared with answers to questions before you leave for your trip, the less unexpected or even irresolvable issues will arise after you have arrived.

The tremendous damages were already visible before I even arrived to Lake Balaton, but the most serious damages by the storm were apparent on the northern end of the pavilion lines. There was complete destruction, devastated parcels of land, destroyed pavilions; and huge trees were sprawled out all over the streets and railways. It was late by the time I got to Keszthely. Was it worth this long day's adventure? That will be apparent as we go on…

 

The Very Important Arrival Of The Certified Letter

The following is the date to remember: Thursday, January 14, 1999. In reality, this would be true if the most meaningful day of my life were not my marriage or birth of my child in comparison.

The mail carrier arrived on this day at 11:30 AM with a certified letter. It was soon apparent that the Fulbright Commission sent me the letter in which they informed me that the Hungarian Fulbright Commission has officially accepted me as their candidate, only the final decision needs to be made by the American authorities.

Up until this point, this was the happiest day of my life. At first, I was jumping up and down from complete ecstasy. By this time after two years, I had no important goal remaining other than to receive this letter: done! This could possibly be compared to a sportsman's dream-come-true, which is what they must be feeling at the end of their competition when they win - after many years of training, sacrifice and all their energy has been spent towards attaining that special goal - when they finally get to stand on that platform.

Many events followed rapidly: I was practically assured that I was to be flying by August. In fact, as it did turn out two weeks later, I was even given a choice among three universities:

University of Florida, Gainesville
North Carolina State University, Raleigh
Ohio State University, OARDC, Ohio

I did know that Terence Hill and Bud Spencer made movies in that location, as well as of course Miami Vice, just to name the most famous ones. The sunbathed beaches, palm trees, luxury yachts, as well as the joggers and roller skaters along the beach were the scenery depicted in an average Hungarian mind. It was the palm trees, sunsets, beaches, women, and the 'Tibi' chocolates feeling that an audience was mesmerized by while watching these movies.

After I made my choice and informed the Fulbright Commission about my choice, I received the confirmation of acceptance into the "Insect and Nematology" Department. Thereafter, I was excited and anxious about Florida, the University (meaning the University of Florida), the department, the living arrangements, apartment search and arrangements that needed to made for my residency there.

 

Preparations For My Foreign Travel

I successfully passed my PhD exam before leaving, so I believe I was fortunate in being able to concentrate 'only' on my research and on making my travel arrangements. For that matter, the whole scholarship was of key importance to be able to concentrate on finishing my research curriculum and was the reason I had to go overseas. Also, the theory part of my dissertation was almost finished, so I only had to write my research papers, assessment and other connected subjects that were missing (of course, the research results had to be published, but we will discuss that later).

In regards to my overseas travel, I thought it would be wise to find a Hungarian-speaking resident in Gainesville. After lots of internet searching, I finally found a very interesting website called "Hun vannak a Magyarok" (Where are the Hungarians?). I contacted a couple of people, who confirmed that they do live in Florida. Those that particularly interested me were the ones with a Gainesville address.

If I remember well, I only received one reply, which was from a man named Ali. What is interesting is that Ali spoke at a high level of his native Hungarian language and it came to light that his parents were originally from Szeged and still live there. Ali was of great help to me. He gave me lots of helpful information, helped me find an apartment close to the university, and bought a used mattress, so that I will have a place to sleep upon arrival.

The deadline for leaving was getting closer. In the meantime, an official notification has arrived informing me that everything has been arranged and that they will be meeting me outside of the laboratory at the end of August.

There was an orientation seminar in Budapest that was sponsored by Fulbright where some new information I never heard of before had been introduced. It was even more beneficial to me since I was able to meet other Fulbright scholarship winners of my year in 1999-2000. A very useful and important story stuck in my mind: Dr. Bruckner gave advice about how to behave if a police officer stops you. For some people, this might seem humorous, but those who have been to the U.S. know what lifesaving information this could very well be. Unfortunately, I did have a situation where this was, what turned out to be later, "information" that became handy in my case.

A word of caution - it is most important to remember that if a police officer stops you that you should never get out of the car! First, open the driver's side window to hear what the instructions are. The police officer will approach your driver's side of the car from behind with his left hand most likely grasping his gun holder. The bad experiences of driver aggression against the police have made this necessary.

After having been living in Gainesville for a while, I happened to chat with some students who have been there for a while; I told them what I heard at the orientation. The students then proceeded to tell me a story about a Japanese student, who had unfortunately been shot and killed a couple of years ago by a police officer.

The student jumped out of his car and tried to put his hands flat down on top of his car (since that is the rule in Japan), but he did not have enough time for that before he got shot a couple of times, which killed him. My dear reader, if you do not learn anything else from this book that might be of help to you, then this piece of information, if nothing else, would be enough to make me feel I have done my part.

 

Culture Shock

Before you take your trip to any foreign country, it is vital to be informed about the native peculiarities, such as religion or other traditions. If the Japanese student that I wrote about in the previous chapter, would have known what is expected upon being stopped by police, then he would have probably lived through that initial contact with them. The saying goes that everyone will have to live through the "culture shock". There are those who have great difficulties accommodating, but then there are others without any difficulties about this whatsoever.

The nuances, the different ways of thinking, habits, lifestyle, fashions, temperaments, etc. all require accommodating while living long-term in a foreign country. With time, you will become more accepting and tolerant toward your new surroundings. Just take it as if you are an invited guest.

If we go as guests, we will be especially more aware of our behavior, even to the point of becoming low-key - we accept most things about our hosts - even if our host is a nuisance or causes us to be angry about minor things.

We do not open the refrigerator to look at the inventory or take anything out of it without the permission of the host or at least without his request. In addition, the same goes for looking around the house without being shown around first. We must accept the fact that we do not have the right to make up the rules nor do we initiate changing things, since it could be a longstanding modus operandi of years or even generations ago in that environment.

Nevertheless, I could explain in a more coarse way: either you accept things the way they are or it would be better to return to your homeland. You are not forced to remain abroad just as you were not forced to remain in your homeland, so you would need to be tolerant even to the teeth-clenching point with conditions that might be difficult to endure either way.

Too many people make the mistake of not considering these things. There might be situations that make it difficult for some, who are not used to new environments and might not even like it, which will cause them to blame that country's inhabitants just because they feel uncomfortable. This is a vicious circle, which only ends up getting worse and worse. I have had the opportunity to meet some of my Hungarian colleagues abroad, who fell into this same trap.

We should not forget a very important point that every long-term employee or scholar living in a foreign country should become aware of: once you have been abroad for a while, but do not stay permanently, it is certainly difficult to return to your homeland from an emotional standpoint. There are many who forget to think about the fact that the time to return to your homeland is getting close and you might think that you are looking forward to that day: 'I'm finally returning home' or 'success, I met my goals and we can return home again'. However, there can be other issues, such as 'I hope my finances will last that long'.

If for any reason, we do not like living in the foreign country, then we are most likely going to paint a rosy picture that is far from reality about our homeland. On the other hand, it might be possible that if you feel depressed about living in your own country, fleeing to a different country might be the only solution.

Since we are still on the topic of culture shock, let me briefly jump forward: we arrived back home to Hungary full of good experiences and memories, about which we could hardly wait to tell everyone. It has only been a couple of hours since we left the rhythm, culture and attitudes of life that were still deeply ingrained in us. We have not seen our loved ones, parents or friends in a long time.

Then the dreadful reality check set in regarding the problems with settling back in and humiliating experience at the Budapest airport as well as other things, which I will not divulge at this time. To tell you the truth - nobody was curious to hear about our experiences and stories!

We took over 5000 photographs and each picture had stories that we could talk about for hours, but no matter who we showed these pictures to, even the ones in our album, they only paged through them fast so they can finish looking through them finally.

Looking back, I now more easily see how outside influence does condition thought patterns of life in general. I have been back home for a couple of years and see how I would have probably reacted the same way if someone returned all excited to tell their stories too. People tend to become moldy in a certain condition, which evolves into a daily routine where they do not even have time to look away from the treadmill on which they have been running.

The indifference has become so entrenched that not even the picture of a sword-wing dolphin with an acrobat ready to somersault from its nose can excite them. It must have become so distant and inaccessible to them that a resistance has been built up against these experiences. Their desires have diminished, they think short-term and the everyday monotony has made them dull.

To give more examples of this, since I have returned to my homeland, I have become increasingly irritated and disturbed. Nonetheless, with time, my circumstances have helped me evolve towards becoming more positive in my reactions towards various issues lately.

If someone travels to the U.S., one might have noticed that the lights at the intersection are not located where we have them here. To be more specific, the red lights at an intersection in the U.S. can be found on the opposite side, not the same side where we stop for a red light. Why is this better? It is more visible! We are not forced to move faster or slide further forward to be able to view the light from a certain angle, as is the case here in Europe where the driver is unable to see the light properly.

He is forced to bend forward to watch for the lights to change and be annoyed with the sun in his eyes at the same time. This would not be a problem there - how easy could it get? It is not a major discovery; and it is simple to figure out that the darned red light should be located where it would be easily noticeable and visible to drivers.

 

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 21.05.2013
ISBN: 978-3-7309-2870-7

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