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4/14/2019
Someone asked me the other day: "When is your Fulbright through?"
Although I can't read minds (I know, pretty unbelievable, eh?) I'm sure she believed this was a simple question; so, I gave my standard reply: "My last day is July fifth."
So...is my six word reply to her five word question true? Well, let's see. According to my grant contract with the State Department, my Fulbright project will end on 5 July 2019. So...yes, the answer is not untrue. However, as we all know, true does not necessarily mean accurate. A "Fulbright" is not just a contract. A "Fulbright" is much, much more. A "Fulbright" is an aggregate of everything in your life that led up to making the decision to complete and submit the Fulbright proposal and everything that will yet occur in your life once you leave the country where you lived during your Fulbright contract dates. This means that my answer to the question was not true.
In addition, one cannot look egocentrically at a"Fulbright". Will my "Fulbright" end in 91 days when my second foot steps off the airport tarmac and onto the aluminum stairs that will lead me through the doorway to my seat on a plane that will take me from Việt Nam back to the states? Does the aggregate of my time here stop on 5 July 2019 or does it live on through the people who have come to know me? I believe Senator J. William Fulbright knew the answer to these questions 73 years ago when he created the "Fulbright" program.