Watson Fellowship

My Watson adventure begun last Thursday, on July 10, when I first boarded the plane from Warsaw to Paris, and then from Paris to Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe). Ahead of me - twelve months of "decouverte du monde." But what is this all about?

"The mission of the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Program is to offer college graduates (...) a year of independent, purposeful exploration and travel outside of the United States in order to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership and to foster their humane and effective participation in the world community."
(http://www.watsonfellowship.org/site/what/what.html)

And a few words about my personal project:
In the World of Words: Exploring Creole Culture through an Oral Lens
French Creoles are primarily oral languages of limited official recognition, but whose examination brings new light to cross-cultural sociolinguistics. By engaging in social and cultural activities in Guadeloupe, Seychelles, French Guiana, and New Caledonia, I will learn about cultural and demographic diversity. Participating in daily activities and traditional festivals, and working with Creole cultural preservationists I will examine the importance of oral cultural transmission in the modern world.