6000 dollars - where to?
 

I've started looking up stuff I need to do to get a grant for next summer from my college. Every year they give out 6k to a few students to do a project of their own design. I have no idea why I didn't apply for these over the last two years, but I will make up for that this year and hopefully get in!

One, the Phillips Fellowship, providesfunding (up to $6,000) for an exceptional international or otherwise cross-cultural experience. Fellowships may focus on research, service-learning, or career exploration, or some combination of the three. I'm thinking of working with a couple I met in Costa Rica who set up an organization/home to defend children's rights and provide education in Nepal, and they said they'd love to have me volunteer there. www.mysmallhelp.org if anyone is interested.

The other one is the Otis Fellowship which provides major funding (up to $6,000) for travel, supplies, equipment, etc., for a student who has designed an exceptional independent project that focuses on the relationship between individuals, societies, and the natural world. I *wanted* to try for the Camino Santiago and walk across Spain, but I just checked and someone did it last year, so I don't really know if they'd fund the same project again.

SO I'd love some tpunk suggestions, more for the Otis, (so communities where I'd be able to commune with nature, lol) but I'd just love to bounce ideas around. I'll be in Italy until May, so somewhere in the region would be great (hence my Spain idea). Anywhere works though, although I do have a thing for places like Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Israel and so forth.

WOW Free travel money! And it sounds like it is a great cause, I have always considered travel an education in itself.

As far as what to do, man....the possibilities are endless. I would suggest doing some research though to see what kind of projects have already been funded because like you said, they might not want to fund the same kind of project twice.

Literally anything that brings some good to the world would be a smart idea. Those scholarship people love that stuff. One thing that I would be particularly interested in is doing some work in orphanages in Africa or Asia...Although I know I would probably fall in love with all the babies and want to adopt them myself!

Good luck though, I know some tpunks could help you out with some more ideas.

bumpage.

I'd like some tpunk thoughts on my ideas...after i sat around yesterday wiki'ing things instead of studying. hehe.

rough ideas i have are:

a) an exploration into desert lives. specifically the sahara (morocco, I think), especially nomadic people. a focus in arts since that's what i'm interested in. music, dance, weavings, clothing, leather-work, metal-work etc.

b) flow with the ganges. it's an IMMENSE part of indian myth, religion, culture, and everyday life. I'd start close to the source and work my way down the river to the ocean, exploring how the river plays a part in the lives and thoughts of the people who live by it, how it shapes their existence.

Do you guys prefer either of these over the other, or have other crazy suggestions to throw at me? :) I'm probably going to work with an 8-week time frame.

Both of your suggestions sound great, Hwei, but I was immediately drawn to the suggestion of exploration into desert life.

Hang out with yaks in Mongolia (I am seriously considering adding Ulaanbaatar to my RTW itinerary). You can see China again while you are at it :)

--Joey

I have big plans for Mongolia (and other places) when I graduate. ;)

I did see a LOT of yaks in Sichuan. And I ate them too.

A couple of ideas...not too artsy though.

For the Phillips Fellowship:
1) You could travel the route of Julius Caesar's 9 year campaign in Gaul
2) You could visit some monastery's in Bhutan, or just interact with Bhutanese people. Since tourism in Bhutan is highly restricted this might be a cool way to see it...either you could use the grant money to afford the expensive rates for tours set by the government (its like $200 a day from what I was researching a while back), or maybe if you had a fellowship grant you could arrange special access without a tour company. From what I read it is possible to get in by being invited by a NGO or by a citizen with influence.
3) Paupa New Guinea has some really interesting tribal areas, my anthropology professor in college did his research with them. It could be really difficult though due to language issues to do something like this.

I don't have any ideas for the Otis grant right now, but your Morocco idea sounds great!

Ugh, I need to work on my grades so I can find these crazy grants for myself...

As far as I know, you don't necessarily need crazy good grades to get these grants. I think they want innovation, passion, and proof that you're the kind of person who will be able to carry out your insane ideas in the real world - out there on the road, not just excel at getting good classroom grades.

But well, can't hurt to have both passion and a good GPA! ;)

I'm pretty sure for the sciences, it matters. It really matters (at least to a certain degree). I kind of slacked off majorly last year (hence the "soul searching" year off ) so I majorly need to bring the marks up to speed...

I'm really into stuff like this. I wish you luck!! I'm applying to a grant for study in Asia soon. I would do something that allows you the most freedom to a variety of things, but I don't know much about either program.

6,000 dollars and where too??? Come to the Muncie, Indiana Old National Bank. Deposit it in my name.

The experience you'd be gaining is wonderful for future employment in various competitive markets such as fast food and retail, and culturally you'll experience a fantastically boring college town with little to no culture and identity.

:), sorry... Bored at work.