Banking

The banking system in the U.S. is also different from that of my country. It took me only few minutes to have my account set for me. Before having a bank account, you should bring 2 official IDs. I was surprised the banker refused by My Professional ID from Universite de Lome. You need to show also a proof of address as well as the SSN. I was able to have access to my account everywhere because I opted for the online banking. I was paying my bills using my account, transferring money, seeing my statement of account etc. online. I don’t have to spend time in a queue at the bank to get my statement or transfer money as it is the case in my country.

Becoming an Ambassador of One’s Country: Impressions of a Fulbright Research Scholar from Togo

The main objective of the Fulbright Scholarship is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills. This objective is worth pursuing because it does not only give the opportunity to the Fulbrighter to learn for his own development but also to enrich the host institution. It is true that the Fulbright Scholarship has a life changing and a profound influence on my professional and personal endeavor, but in this article, I focus on another dimensions where the Fulbright Program offers you a platform to become an ambassador of your country as well as its culture. I am a Fulbright Research Scholar from Togo in the U.S.

In Togo, we learn about the World history and geography. Right from middle school, all the students are supposed to know the names of almost all the countries from the five continents and their capital cities. So, generally speaking, almost everybody with college level can give at least the continent from which all the countries in the world come from. I have therefore always thought that this is the case in other countries.

When I came to the U.S. as a Fulbright Research Scholar, I have noticed that many people know almost nothing about Togo. They don’t even know that a country in the world is called Togo. I was at the Social Security Office to have my SSN. Even though the officer was having my passport, he could not find out what the country was because he had never heard of it from his life. He even admitted it. I was at the Bank to open an account and the banker could not figure out the country from which I am from. I had to tell her with some geographical indications before she could understand. I was at the Department of Public Safety to have my ID and faced the same problem. The first officer that attended to me had all the troubles identifying the country I was coming from and the second officer too had the same problems. I have lived similar situations on many occasions.

With this situation of total ignorance about Togo, I have become willingly or unwillingly an ambassador of my country wherever I find myself in the U.S. I have been invited to give talks about my country and about my experience as a professor in Togo. I was invited as guest speaker during meetings and classes: Sigma Tau Delta, Honors College, Anthropology class, Dia De los Muertos 2014 (Department of Modern languages) etc. I talked to individual professors and students about Togo and culture. I also talked about the University of Lomé in Togo and the educational system in Togo.

Many people including government officials, bankers, faculty, staff, students, neighbors etc. had the opportunity to learn about the existence of a country named Togo in the world. They have also learnt about its culture and society. I have many professors and students who have expressed the desire of coming to Togo especially to have an exchange program.

The Fulbright program has therefore been an opportunity given to me to become an ambassador of Togo in my host university and in other States I have visited during my stay in the U.S. With the Fulbright Program, I have been able to bring Togo down to people in the U.S. who would not probably otherwise have the opportunity to know about Togo. Usually, being an ambassador has political implications, but with the Fulbright Program, you can easily become an ambassador of your country wherever you are. In this 21^st century and in the ever more globalized world, where everybody is exposed to other cultures, there is a need to know other countries and cultures. This will help accept, embrace and value diversity in order to accept the “Other” and henceforth limit prejudices and seek peace in the world.

Getting ready to travel as a Fulbright Research Scholar

When you get the result that you are selected, starts another stressful period. You need to prepare and prepare appropriately. Failing to prepare well is a way of preparing one’s failure. There are some of the things to do in this period and here I talk about how I got prepared for my journey. The preparation was at various levels both in Togo as well as in the U.S.

At the level of my employer, I had to do some paperwork. The Public Affair Director wrote a letter to the President of the University of Lomé as well as to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts Humanities of the University of Lomé to inform them about my selection for the Fulbright grant. I took the letters to them and followed up with the Human Resource Department of the University to make sure I was granted the permission to travel.

I needed to arrange things at the English department level. I needed to grade all the papers of the students who took their class test with and submit the result to the Chair of the English Department before travelling. Students took their final exams and I had to grade some papers before traveling. I had to negotiate with some colleagues about some of the works that needed to be done while I will be away.

I had to inform my parents, relatives, colleagues and the members of the associations and groups that I am a member of. I needed to prioritize with my family. Since my dependents were not traveling with me, I had to delegate my powers to my wife for the things I needed to do. I needed to prepare my family psychologically because though it was a great opportunity for me to travel, it was difficult to get separated from my family.

I requested advice from former colleagues who are in the U.S on how to get prepared effectively and efficiently. Some of them told me what I needed to bring along with me and some areas I needed to consider in my preparation as I was traveling. There was a need to have an apartment, utility, internet and telephone ready before I go to the U.S. The TSU San Marcos charged a staff from utility department in Texas State to look for a good apartment for me which he did.