In the words of Ammar Mohammed, a Fulbright Foreign Student from Yemen:
A gorgeous sunrise in Portland awakens the Millennials to embark on our train journey. I was ready and excited to get on the train. I have been daydreaming about this day for the past two weeks.
This whole journey was beyond my expectations. I never dreamed about traveling so far by train. The breathtaking scenes to Seattle, on the first leg of our journey, were just mesmerizing. The Millennials aboard are also a unique aspect of the train. Everyone is so invested in their projects and I am grateful to be a part of such a rich and diverse leaning environment. During the social hours, I engage in discussions with the American participants and my Fulbright counterparts. We speak about being pioneers and leaders and how diversified the meanings of those terms are; culturally and personally.
Ammar met with Portland’s On-The-Move Community Integration organization, which helps integrate developmentally and intellectually disabled individuals into the local community.
Prior to embarking by train, I visited the On-The-Move Community Integration group in Portland. I was stunned by the great effort the volunteers and participants are doing to integrate into the society. This organization, which works with the developmentally and intellectually disabled, has taken integration one step further. Instead of inviting the community to the organization, they go out to meet with the community and participate in outdoor activities.