I can't believe it. It's less than a month now before I get on the plane to the US to start school.
Plane ticket ... check
I haven't even bought the plane ticket yet. I was told that I need to fly on a US carrier since Fulbright is paying for the ticket, and they haven't told me if Continental that stops over in Japan, co-share, qualifies as a US carrier. Still waiting.
US Visa ... check
I haven't applied for the visa yet. I went to the photo shop and they took some photos of me to stick on the application form. At least the US embassy people will be nice to me and expedite the process. My appointment is this Thursday. And, it will cost me nothing, since Fulbright is paying for it.
Clothes ... check
This is the fun part. Since Fulbright wants us to be 'cultural ambassadors', I have been picking out baju kurungs, kebayas, and other batik stuff to strut around in while I am there attending social events and such. Aside from that I have also picked out some more practical/functional clothes that I can wear to lectures, and other campus activities. Probably have about 15 kgs of clothes now!
Cuti-cuti Malaysia promo stuff ... check
Still on the 'cultural ambassador' theme, I have been told to stock up on brochures and audio visuals on Malaysia and way of life and whatever else I can think of that I can use to promote Malaysia. Apparently Fulbright scholars are expected to be sociable and make every effort to go out and tell people about our home country, e.g. in churches, at university. I packed some FRIM t-shirts and batik, but am stumped as to what else I could give my hosts. I think all this stuff comes under "tugas rasmi" and I will see if FRIM can help with the shipping...
P.S. Hey it would be great if you could click on any ad here and I'll get 1 cent per click, from the advertisers. Thanks!
