Kanyatsi Mahirane felt like a celebrity.

A limousine was awaiting his arrival at the airport in Kinshasa, the capital of his native Democratic Republic of Congo, when he flew in from his small village. A man from the U.S. Embassy was there to greet him.

Mahirane was on his way to the United States as a Fulbright scholar, but the importance of that designation hadn’t sunk in.

“The guy opened the door of the big car for me, and I started feeling really big,” Mahirane said. “That’s when I started realizing this is serious. After this, I’m looking at big things ahead.”

Mahirane wants to restore peace to his war-torn homeland, a big goal for the 39-year-old.

Such aspirations are typical among the 28 Fulbright scholars from 24 countries gathered for an orientation program this summer at Kansas University. This is the fourth year KU has been host to the six-week program, which aims to acclimate scholars to American life, teach them about the U.S. education system and help them develop their English skills before they disperse to graduate programs across the country.

“It’s like the United Nations here,” said Rodrigo Blazquez, from Chile. “I have a friend in more than 20 countries now.”

Big goals

For the students, a Fulbright grant means a free ride to receive a master’s or doctoral degree at an American university.

From left, Armando Noriega, a mentor from Peru, Chris Jensen, an English teacher, Melissa Merlo, a Fulbright scholar from Honduras, and Marcela Quintana, a mentor from Chile, cook meals at the Plymouth Congregational Church, 825 Vt. They cooked food Saturday for a pot luck dinner. Twenty-eight Fulbright scholars from 24 countries are at Kansas University this summer for a program to acclimate themselves with studying in the United States.

About 2,200 students and scholars come to the United States to study each year through the Fulbright program. An additional 1,125 grants are awarded annually to allow American students to study in foreign countries.

The program was started in 1946 under legislation introduced by former Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. Its goal is to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.”

“We are sharing our experiences with the American people,” said Mauro Maza, from Colombia. “It’s an honor for us.”

They’re also hoping to take some American culture back to their home countries.

For Mahirane, from Republic of Congo, that means learning about conflict resolution at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

“My country is torn apart. There’s a lot of violence,” he said. “I hope I can contribute to a new culture of peace. It’s my dream.”

For Kaisone Phenesopha, 27, the Fulbright grant means attending Yale University to study environmental damages caused by sifting cultivation — or slash-and-burn — agriculture in Laos.

For Sok Kunthea, 23, the grant means studying the American education system while at Willamette University in Salem, Ore., to find new ways to motivate students.

Blazquez, 31, will study viticulture and oenology — the studies of grape cultivation and wine-making — to apply to one of Chile’s main export industries. He’ll study at the University of California-Davis.

“They’ll be making a difference even two or three years down the road,” said Geri Lamer, program coordinator. “(Fulbright officials) find really exceptional people who will go back to their countries and make a big difference.”

Culture shock

But before the students embark on their journey to American educations, they’re learning to adjust to life in the United States.

Not all Fulbright students choose to participate in a Fulbright English for Graduate Studies Orientation Program. KU’s is one of 10 programs nationwide.

In addition to daily classes and homework, students have been to a Kansas City Royals baseball game, a University Theatre production and several movies. They are paired with host families, who they spend time with, though they’re actually staying at Naismith Hall. The program runs June 29 through Aug. 9.

Mastering English is a priority before leaving for their universities. Not only is each scholar immersed in a non-native language, each has to learn to understand English accents of people from around the world.

“The problem with American English is it’s too fast,” Mahirane said. “All the words go together. ‘Whassup?’ What is this, ‘Whassup?'”

But other barriers also stand in the way of an American education. One is technology.

“For the students from Africa, we’ve been facing problems concerning computer science,” said Moussa Sangare, 43, from Ivory Coast. “This technology is not present in our countries. We’re really, really backward compared to our brother Fulbrighters. Here our studies are all based on computers.”

Food has been another adjustment. Anna Dolzer, 24, said American food seemed less wholesome than food in her homeland of Germany.

“We’re all sick to our stomach,” she said. “I don’t want to get used to the food here. It’s not good food. It’s not rich enough.”

Phenesopha, from Laos, said he couldn’t think of anything in the United States that was the same as in his country. He said newspapers there ran stories about his selection and he met with the U.S. ambassador to Laos before coming to the United States.

“For me, coming here is very interesting and challenging,” he said. “I’m from one of the poorest and smallest countries in the world. Here it’s one of the biggest and richest countries. The only thing I see is somewhat the same to my country is the temperature.”