By Jon Bernard Fougner, 2005-06 Fulbright Grantee to Norway

In February, the 2005-06 US grantees enjoyed a ski retreat in the mountains outside Lillehammer. The weekend was an opportunity to learn about the research and teaching experiences of Fulbrighters stationed around the country.

After dinner one night, I got to talking with Daniyal about his previous way of life as a farmer in Pakistan. Heather, a grantee studying bilingual education in Norway, joined us and we segued to Pakistani immigration to Norway. Next was Knut, a glacier researcher living in the northernmost town in the world, and the conversation switched to his area of expertise. In came Robert, an MBA studying sustainable business practices, who grilled Knut for talking points to convince corporations that humans are responsible for climate change. Rebecca, a virtuoso on the Norwegian hardanger fiddle, brought her instrument and serenaded us as we talked into the wee hours. At 3AM, the dozen of us crammed into a small but melodious hotel room decided we had to sleep before hitting the idyllic ski slopes later that morning.

Only some Fulbrighters are professional scholars, but all are professional thinkers. It is the often unexpected conversations and collaborations amongst them that make the Fulbright community such dynamic intellectual fertilizer, whether at home or abroad, in the lab or at a ski resort.