Bridges

We just finished our Fulbright orientation this past week.  Among other things, they focused on the mission statent, "To increase mutual understanding between people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange."  The U.S. - Vietnam exchange is only 15 years old.  During that time, less than 100 professors have participated in the Scholar Program.  Many of these have been Vietnamese-Americans trying to make a stronger connection to their homeland after being raised in the U.S.  I remember the Vietnamese "boat people" in the early 1980s and how many Americans, including myself, were not supportive of Reagan's decision to allow for immigration to occur.  That all changed after I met two of them at the orientation.  One was a graduate of Harvard Law School and her husband received a PhD in Economics at Cornell after receiving his B.S. and M.S. from MIT.  Their stories are ones of poverty and hope.  I was truly humbled by their presence. 

As if that weren't enough, the Fulbright leader spoke of bridges.  She said that for most Americans, Vietnam is a bridge to the past (negative because of the war).  But for Vietnamese, America represents a bridge to the future (positive because of education).  Perhaps now is the time for us to start building better bridges between the two countries.  If we fail to do so, then we'll lose again.