Getting a Fulbright

In the summer of 2010 we decided to pursue a family adventure. Claudine had been to New Zealand in 2002 and we had dreamed of returning as a family. We got online and looked into the Fulbright program and found that it was a possibility. Many hours later, Claudine submitted an application at the end of August 2010 and we waited. Over the next 9 months we heard back from the Fulbright people: she passed the first two cuts and then got a very confusing sorry, no, but don't make any other plans because maybe. Congress hadn't decided on funding for the Fulbright program, so they weren't sure yet. Finally in the late spring of 2011, Claudine got a phone call telling her that she got the award. We were headed to NZ!