The Conference

The South & Central Asia Fulbright conference was fantastic in so many ways.  
1. The venue, despite dubious anti-mosquito fumigating practices, was the most elegant and glamorous hotel I've been ever been in. Ever. (and the most glamorous I'm ever likely to be in).  A king size bed, though excessive, is quite nice.  And that pool... ohh...  

2. The people attending this conference, though academic and dorky, were incredibly passionate and articulate.  They came from so many different fields, yet nearly every presentation was interesting and compelling.  The discussions and connections we all had far outweighed anything I've ever experienced.

3.  The things I'll take away will be hard to define.  There's of course the friendships, collaborations, ideas, and concepts.  But there's something more profound - perhaps the knowledge that such a group exists!  (and that they're AMERICAN no less)  I don't know if it was our shared experiences in adapting to our new locations, or if it was our shared passions in shaping a better future, but I feel like this is a network from which you can never entangle yourself.  It will continue offering support and encouragement, critique and dialog, long after this day is done.  And I'm ok with that.  Better than ok.