Pre-departure meeting seems as a key moment to get you answers to your questions and easy your doubts. Is that so?
So far you have been preparing all your papers needed for your research, trying to complete all open projects you have been working on, organise your family, explain your parents that it is just 9 months that you will be away and that today IT has enabled the world to be so small (meaning there's #Whatsapp, #Viber, #Skype, #Facebook, etc.)... That said, it means that you did not have a minute to think about what it's going to look like once you arrive to the States. You will figure it out once there. There's a firm belief, though, that pre-departure meeting organized by the #AmericanEmbassyinZagreb (thank you!) will give you all the answers to your questions. And the questions were: Am I allowed to drive with my current driving license? Can someone help me with the accommodation? Can I carry some extra baggage for my research material? Is the cost of air travel for my spouse covered? Am I allowed to travel out of the country for conferences?, etc. Yes, it seems that answers to some of the questions are regulated by your #FulbrightGrantDocument or that you can find them in the #FulbrightVisitingScholarDigitalGrantPacket, however, they are sometimes so standardized as to accommodate all possible situations, and yes, you are CRAVING to hear a human voice on that. So you eagerly await for the pre-departure meeting. And yet... Do you get the answers? Just partially. It is true that no standardized replies can be expected since the situation may differ in different states. What applies to Arizona, may not necessarily be applicable to Georgia and vice versa.
Pre-departure meeting should rather be seen as a warming up activity; there, you will get to know your #Fulbright peers, people standing behind the #FulbrightAward and the #AmericanEmbassyinZagreb. You will be told what documents you should always carry with you (we read it several times, but it's always good to hear it again), the procedures of purchasing your air travel ticket (did it before so the info was redundant), what to pack and not to pack for a 9-month scholarship (wasn't that logical?), what happens after the #scholarship (OK, didn't really know anything about it, but hey, I haven't even started yet; however, this was something new and helpful since it offers #newopportunities)... Most importantly, pre-departures gets you in the #mood. You are again being congratulated and feeling proud of yourself. You meet new people, listen to their stories, making new #friends, and building up the #FulbrightAlumni community. You may even meet another #FulbrightScholar going to the same place you are going (Hello, Vjeko! :)). And you feel safe. Answers to your numerous questions (I admit, I'm a #nerd) seem soooo irrelevant. #Thankyou #America!
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