News and Events

   Fulbright Chapter Expands Texas Culture and Aggie Tradition Program in Second Year

 
   For a second year, the Brazos Valley Fulbright Chapter made sure that Fulbright Scholars visiting Texas  A&M got a good taste of Texas culture and a heaping helping of Aggie traditions.

   Robert Harmel, president of the chapter, said the events were made possible by an enrichment grant from the National Fulbright Association. “This is our second such grant,” Harmel said. “The funding allowed us to take our visiting Fulbrighters to see our seat of government in Austin, spend a day in San Antonio, visit the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and take in an Aggie baseball game, among other things.”

 

                                  

 

   With four senior Fulbright Scholars at Texas A&M this past year and 38 Fulbright students and their families along with a number of Fulbright alumni, the entire group enjoyed fitting into the programs whenever possible. While in San Antonio, a group of 40 visited the Institute of Texan Cultures, the Alamo, El Mercado and took a meandering walk along the famed River Walk enjoying breaks for German and Mexican food.

   In November, a group of 37 spent the day at Washington on the Brazos, the seat of Texas’ independence. At the state park, the group had a guided tour of “Independence Hall,” visited the Star of the Republic Museum, ate a picnic lunch, and listened to a talk by a Texas A&M historian about the multicultural heritage of Texas.

   February saw 43 Fulbrighters and their families traveling by Texas A&M University bus to Austin, where they lunched at a German restaurant, had a guided tour of the capitol building, and visited the Bob Bullock Museum of Texas History.

   The largest group went to the “Go Tejano Day” at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. In addition to attending the rodeo and visiting the livestock show, the group also observed the mariachi competition and attended an evening performance by Ramón Ayala. For many, including the hosts, this was the highlight event of the year.

   The Fulbright Chapter hosted the “International Cuisines of the Brazos Valley Dinner” in April for 66 people, including University administrators and community leaders. Dinner included dishes representing several of the ethnic groups that make up the Brazos Valley, including German, Italian, African-American, Mexican, and Czech. Mario Rojo del Busto, Texas A&M’s director of International Faculty and Scholar Services, was the speaker for the event.

 

Fulbright Scholars in Alamo castle, San Antonio.

 

   The year would not have been complete without an Aggie baseball game and tailgate supper. The chapter purchased a block of seats for the game, which allowed a group of 36 to enjoy perfect weather and an Aggie victory over Kansas State. A tailgate supper in the Reed Arena parking lot preceded the game with all the traditional college tailgate fare.

   New in the lineup this year was the Fulbright 4th of July Extravaganza. In spite of bad weather earlier in the day, 25 participants including a newly- arrived non-Fulbright family of three from Mexico, enjoyed what became an “indoor picnic,” pot-luck style. The dinner was followed by a film. Some visited the Bush Presidential Library and Museum, which had free admission for the day.

   The weather cleared in the evening and everyone was able to enjoy the fireworks on the lawn of the Bush Library. The event was timed to take advantage of a range of activities provided for the public by the Lions Club and the Bush Library that gave a real feel of America to our visitors, Harmel said.

   Recently, the Fulbright Chapter learned that they had again received an Enrichment Grant for the 2006-07 academic year. “This means that we will be able to share many interesting Texas sites and events with our visiting Fulbrighters again this year,” Harmel said. “The program for 2006-2007 includes trips to San Antonio, a local ranch, Galveston, Houston, and an Aggie baseball game, in addition to our annual International Cuisines Dinner and the July Fourth event.”               

 ("International Focus", International Program Office, Fall 06)

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