My Lifetime Experience in Amherst - Fulbright.no

Friday, June 20 2008, Anita Kristin Amundsen and I went on a long flight from Norway, via Amsterdam to Hartford, Connecticut. We were so lucky to have been given the opportunity of participating in the 11th Teachers Summer Institute, hosted by Institute for Training and Development (ITD) in Amherst, Massachusetts. For the next 6 weeks, we were to experience enough to last a lifetime.

Arrival in Amherst

When we arrived in Amherst, we were accommodated in a dormitory together with 27 other participants from 26 different countries. All in all, we were 20 women and 9 men. Cameroon, Democratic Congo, Pakistan, Egypt, New Zealand and El Salvador were only some of the nations that were represented.

The first three weeks were spent in Amherst, going on daily lectures at Feyerweater Hall in the beautiful campus surroundings of Amherst College. The lectures were based on the main topic ”American democracy.” The themes we touched upon were many, and so were the guest lecturers! 

Field Trips

During our stay in Amherst, we also went on a number of fieldtrips. We visited the textile museum in Lowell, we went to Deerfield, and we had a lovely weekend in Boston. Moreover, we went to see the replica of the Mayflower in Plymouth, and we visited Plimoth Plantation. A highlight was also our visit to Emily Dickinson’s Homestead in Amherst. The participants also enjoyed visiting The Norman Rockwell Museum, and we also visited Massachusetts’ second largest newspaper, The Springfield Republican. Some of us were also happy to visit Chester Hill Winery in The Berkshires – a small family owned winery that makes blueberry wine as a specialty. One of many highlights was of course the 4th of July-celebrations. It was interesting to see how the Americans celebrate their Independence Day. 

On the Road

After 3 weeks in Amherst, we travelled to Salt Lake City, where we spent 3 days. While we were there, we visited The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, had a wonderful barbecue dinner at a ranch on Antelope Island, and we also had a lovely cowboy cook-out dinner with music and dancing. We went on to Yellowstone National Park, where we experienced high mountains (even for a Norwegian!), steep waterfalls, hot springs and gigantic canyons.

We encountered large amounts of bison, and some of us even got to meet bears. Some of the participants went on lovely hiking trips and had wonderful views of the nature in Yellowstone. Our trip out west ended with a visit to the Cheyenne Reservation in Montana, where we visited Chief Dull Knife College. We also visited Medicine Rock – a wholly place for the Indians, and had the chance of experiencing an Indian pow-wow.

Washinton, DC and New York City

Week 5 was spent in Washington and New York. This was a real high-light for those of us who like big cities and lots of life. In Washington, we visited some of the Smithsonian Museums, a lot of memorials, and we also had a guided tour of the Capitol. In New York, we had a wonderful guided tour of Harlem, and we also visited Ground Zero, Brooklyn Bridge, China Town, Little Italy, plus The Empire State Building. Visiting Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty was also something that made a huge impression on us. Some of us had also the pleasure of going to a Broadway show, and we had a most interesting guided tour around the United Nations before we went back “home” to Amherst.

Final Week

The final week was spent working on our individual teaching projects. The participants were given the task of planning a lesson based on a topic related to The United States. The topics varied a lot, and it was a very interesting session when the participants presented their plans to each other on the second last day.

Leaving Amherst on August 2 was very difficult. All of the participants had made friends for a lifetime this summer, and it was hard to part ways.

Unique Location

I would like to say that being able to live in The United States for a summer, getting to know both the American society and also the lives and thoughts of people sharing the same occupation as me has been of great value. The fact that it took place in Amherst is not coincidental. The staff at ITD has been wonderfulin every possible way, and I will never forget their kindness and open-mindedness. The New England surroundings, and the green acres of Amherst College are both perfectly made for such a program, and it would not have been the same being somewhere else!

At this moment, I would also like to thank The Fulbright Foundation for giving me the chance of experiencing this summer. I have made friends for life, and I will keep this summer in my heart for ever. 

Renate Evjenth