The US-Sri Lankan Fulbright Commission is housed in a beautiful 1930’s era mansion in Colombo 3.
This was the first time that the English Teaching Assistants had the opportunity to meet the researchers and senior researchers, who’s topics range from architecture to the informal fishing economy.
Orientation began with an overview of our contract and expectation of us for our grant period. After an hour session on this we broke for tea and cookies before heading to the US Embassy for our security briefing. They encouraged us to enroll in the Smart Travel Enrollment Program once we received our local numbers; in the event of an emergency they will text all registered numbers.
The US Embassy in Colombo is housed in a large concrete cube, which seems to have been built in the ’70s. It’s situated between Galle Road (the main drag in Colombo) and the beach. The overview provided a lot of insight into the servies the Embassy offers to citizens.
The other sessions covered were: A panel of previos Fulbrighters, Sri Lankan English, Media in SL, An Address by the Ambassador, An Overview of the American Corners in SL, Government of SL, Development of SL, Medical Concerns in SL, and Biodiversity in SL.
