Author Archives: Thi Vuong Poerner

Arrival information and final announcements

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We’re getting so close! Are you packed and ready?

As promised, here is a detailed, printable travel guide to help you get to campus. It contains emergency contacts, shuttle information, and detailed directions. PLEASE PRINT IT OUT AND KEEP IT WITH YOU.

A note about the shuttles: The shuttle schedule is based off peak arrival times for our group. We regret not being able to provide this service to all FLTAs.

At this point, I’ve received almost everyone’s itineraries, so please take a look for updates.

I’m so happy to hear that you’ve been discussing Friday’s show. As you plan the evening’s program, please plan for a break at 8:00-8:15 PM for some specials remarks.

This is likely my last email to the group. If you have any questions or concerns after reading through everything, please feel free to reach out. Be sure to spend some quality time with family and friends this weekend, and fill up on your favorite foods! I wish everyone a safe and pleasant journey!

Survey reminder, itineraries, reception, and more

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Is everyone getting excited? In about a week we’ll be welcoming you to Penn’s campus. Please read on for some very important announcements.

The Survey

If you have not already done so, please fill out the survey ASAP. We are trying our best to hire an airport shuttle to accommodate as many of you as possible and need your travel information. If you do not have your itinerary, please email me to let me know when you might expect it.

FLTA Arrivals
All FLTAs’ itineraries are posted here. Please go ahead and make any necessary corrections. Feel free to contact one another (or discuss on Facebook or WhatsApp) so that you can navigate your way from Philadelphia to Penn together.
WhatsApp

Join the chat group here.

Orientation Schedule

If you haven’t noticed, the schedule has been posted since my last email. Some details are still being confirmed and will be updated accordingly.

Canvas

You may received an email about access to a Canvas site. It’s for an in-session activity, and you can save it for later.

Reception on Friday evening

In previous years, FLTAs have used the time during the reception as an opportunity to showcase their countries’ traditional clothing (bring some!), music (bring some!) and dance (show us!). Feel free to start a discussion on our Facebook group or What’sApp group chat. We leave this portion up to you to plan. If you do not have access to Facebook, let me know and I will relay your responses.

What do you think? Do you all want to put on a show? If so, it must be organized entirely by you. Below are suggested roles, but you are to decide who does what:

  • Performers – Anyone is welcome to sing, dance, or perform some other talent. Please keep it brief so that we have time for (mostly) anyone who wants to share. If possible, please keep acts to one performance per country (or region) so that we have time to represent as many of us as possible. Make sure you let the program directors know you want to perform, how long your performance is, and give your music (file or link to stream) to the music director(s).
  • Program Directors – 2 people to be in charge of making a list of who is performing and setting the order. Be as fair as possible. Give this information to the MCs and the music directors before the show. This should include names, countries, and what they’re doing. The entire show should be no more than 90 minutes long.
  • MCs – 2 (or more?) people can take turns introducing the performances on the night of the show. Include names and countries of origin in your introductions.
  • Music Director(s) – 1 person (or more?) will collect song files, Youtube links, etc. from performers, put them in the correct order, and play them during the show. Any other music files can be put in a separate playlist to enjoy during other parts of the reception or orientation. I can provide you with a flash drive if you need it.
  • Music must be played through a computer connected to the audio system. The computer will NOT be connected to a projector for visuals. Two microphones will also be available.

The next update will contain very detailed arrival information, so stay tuned!

Welcome

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This activity is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as part of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. For more information, visit fulbright.state.gov.

This activity is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE).

In celebrating our 10th Fulbright FLTA Summer Orientation, Penn Language Center (PLC) is delighted to host you in preparation for your yearlong studies and teaching experiences. We offer an intellectually stimulating program focusing on current trends in language education and technology. In addition, the program will familiarize you with the academic culture of a US campus and introduce you to transcultural issues.

We designed a most demanding three-day workshop and lecture series for you. Please take a look at the preliminary schedule and visit this website often, since we will update content regularly.  You will find the information under Arrival particularly helpful as you plan for your travel to Philadelphia.

To help us better prepare for the orientation, please be sure to complete this survey as soon your travel plans are confirmed. Also, join our Facebook group and start getting to know each other!

PLC looks forward to welcoming you on August 6, 2019 at Penn!