I am writing this article to express my deep feelings of thankfulness and gratitude to all those who have contributed in one way or another to my success in receiving the prestigious Fulbright Foreign Student Scholarship grant for graduate study ( Master?s ) in the U.S. To begin with* I would like to thank the Fulbright Scholarship Commission for having given me such a great opportunity to complete my higher studies in the U.S.* come into direct contact with the American people* and fulfill my life dream of working as a mediator between my own home culture and the western culture. I also highly appreciate the kind assistance and sincere guidance of the working staff at Amideast Office in Sana?a* Yemen** especially Mr Abdulaziz Dada* my own local Amideast advisor --- through the one-year process of nomination and selection. I cannot forget the useful pieces of advice and information given to me and my Fulbright mates in the pre-departure academic orientation held at Amideast in Sana?a in the presence of the U.S Embassy Educational Attaché in Yemen* Mr. Ryan and the Director of Amideast office in Aden* Mr. Edward. My love also goes to my parents who have always been showering their endless prayers of good luck on me since the beginning. Dear father and mother* I promise I am going to do my best to make you happy. Without the hidden power of your daily prayers I would never ever have attained progress and brilliance in my personal and academic life. Your comfort and satisfaction will always be my end wherever I go and however long the distance might be. I very much miss you and your warm hugs. I can but pray to Allah to keep you ever-healthy and prolong your lives. One more thing* dad and mom* I would like you to remember me to every one of my brothers and sisters and tell them that their eldest brother always feels lonely being apart from them* and that he never stops thinking of them. Nevertheless I would like you to assure them that I will always be there guiding and caring for them.In this place* I also find a chance to acknowledge my admiration to all of my friends back home for their help and encouragement along the way. Thank you Maged for coming to Sana?a to bid me farewell; thank you Murad Al-Kholaidi for your hospitality and companionship; thank you Murad Qassem* Salah Thaiban* Basheer Alamari and Talal Alhomaidy for giving me the honor of spending unforgettable moments with you prior to my departure; thank you Mohammed Alfayed for your sense of brotherhood and friendship; thank you all my dearest friends! Besides* I am greatly indebted to the working staff in Amideast* Washington* DC* headed by Josephine Griffin ( Jody ) and Francesca for their cooperation and support in the U.S. I confess I have never met people with such constant response to emails than Jody and Francesca. They really deserve all words of respect for their sense of hard work and diligence. I wish both of them good luck in their personal and professional lives.Wow! Did not I mention something about my closest friend and bother* Waleed MAHDI? You would not believe it! Waleed drove for about 9 hours for the sake of seeing and welcoming me in the U.S. How faithful a friend he is! I felt very happy when I received him in front of my apartment. During the three days which he spent with me we really had a lot of fun. We drove round the city and to Chicago together. I have no words to thank him for his happy visit. Yeah* I declare that I can not find the right words to repay him.To end* let me also thank Katherine* Caffeinere and Merry in Portland State University for their wonderful hospitality for almost sixty Fulbrighters from all over the world during our Gateway Pre-academic Orientation. We all spent a really nice time chatting and visiting places round the city. I hope I will be able to pay you a visit as soon as possible in the near future.Ammar AL-Hawi Teaching Assistant Taiz University Dept.of English Taiz City Republic of Yemen http://groups.yahoo.com/all41world...

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