Ferrum College: A place full of magical experiences. A place where I have found a family.

By Angela Patricia Velasquez Hoyos, Fulbright Spanish Language Assistant 2017-2018

My name is Angela P. Velasquez Hoyos. I was born in Anserma Caldas, Colombia, but during the last 10 years, I have lived in Pereira, Risaralda which is located in the coffee region in Colombia.

I hold a Bachelor degree in English language Teaching from Technological University of Pereira and a Master Degree from Caldas University in Manizales Caldas Colombia. I have spent six years teaching English and research which is something that I really enjoy doing. I am a curious person who loves reading, hiking, listening to music, traveling, and talking to people.

When I first knew I was going to Ferrum College, I got very excited because I heard great comments about people from Virginia. To be honest, the comments were not enough to describe what I have experienced in this wonderful campus - love, kindness, and true friendship - this is my international family I will never forget. It has been five months since my arrival to Ferrum and I have not had any day in which I have not felt excitement to explore the campus.

In the fall semester 2017, I had great students in my Spanish 101 class. It was very rewarding to see the progress they made throughout the semester. In this spring semester, I am teaching Spanish 102, and conversation. I hope that my students enjoy the classes as much as I do.

Regarding my experience at Ferrum, I think it has been amazing. I am surprised because I am doing some sports that I never did in Colombia. I have played racquetball, I have joined the Zumba and the yoga classes in the YMCA, and I have gone hiking with Ferrum Outdoors. I definitely won’t be the same person when I travel back to Colombia. There are many things I have learned, thanks to this experience.

This semester, I am looking forward to showing you some cultural aspects of my country. You may see more of my photographs here.

My Fulbright Experience: José M. Gutiérrez, Fulbright Spanish Language Teaching Assistant

Hi! It’s been a month since I came back home and the summer heat is making me miss Ferrum. Almost a year ago I found out I was coming to this place of the United States and the only thing I thought was that I was coming to the middle of nowhere. Now that my stay is over I cannot help feeling nostalgic, and not only because of the weather.

Back in September, I missed my hometown so much, but as time went by, I learned to appreciate this college. And it would have not been possible without the very nice people I met and the various activities offered by the college; it was especially helpful to go to the YMCA to adjust better to my new life. In addition, this semester I got involved in more activities. I went skiing and hiking with Ferrum Outdoors, and I also tried zip lining and rock climbing. I never considered myself and outdoor person but I must admit these activities made me realize how much fun I was missing.

I also went to the theater, had fun in the game club and the spring fling, participated in bowl making, enjoyed the choir presentation and the dance recital, and attended some Inquiring Minds presentations. I even had the opportunity to give a presentation about the Mayan culture and language. This college may be small but it has so many activities to offer that sometimes you need to choose between them. I can honestly say that I am glad I was sent to Ferrum.

Now, I must return to my English classes. It was an enriching experience to switch and teach Spanish in Ferrum. I got to compare beginner Spanish students here with English beginner students in Mexico. It made me realize the struggles that English students have or don’t have in Mexico depending on the aspects of language like pronunciation and grammar. My stay as well as the courses I took will also help me to improve my classes. Now that I have a better understanding of American culture and history, I feel more confident to promote it in my English classes back home. After all, language and culture are inextricable linked.

I can only be grateful for this experience and for all the wonderful people I met who made this stay even more enjoyable.

See more of my photographs here.

My Fulbright Experience

José Gutiérrez at Philpott Lake near Ferrum.

By José Gutiérrez

Hi. I am José Gutiérrez. I am from Chetumal, Mexico. I am the fourth Fulbright Spanish Teaching Assistant (TA) in Ferrum. As part of the Fulbright program, around 400 teachers from all over the world come to the United States every year to teach their language as TAs. I hold a bachelor’s degree in English language and a master’s in Education, and I taught English in my hometown for two years before I came to the United States.

This exchange program was not only a great opportunity to refine my teaching skills but also to broaden my knowledge of American culture and customs. Precisely, the first-hand experiences I had last semester helped me to learn more about the culture. Thanks to television, movies and music, I had an idea of how big cities look like but I didn’t know much about the countryside. Last semester I attended some folk festivals in cities and towns like Salem, Martinsville and Greensboro, and I enjoyed the music, food, exhibitions, and crafts of the region, especially bluegrass music. I loved it! It was a semester full of first-time experiences: college football, Halloween, Thanksgiving, the fall, and lately the snow. And the cold, well, I am still working on that.

I also celebrated Día de Muertos and enjoyed the altars that students made as part of a contest. It was nice to see altars outside of my country. I have also encountered many Spanish speakers in Virginia and some neighbor states. It has not been really difficult to get authentic food from my region in Mexico, and I get to see how people have mixed their Latin American culture to the American one. Overall, this experience has made me appreciate more my culture.

Students at the Tertulia.

Last semester, I taught two sections of Spanish 101 and ran speaking workshops called “Tertulias”. Moreover, I took courses on American studies. This semester I will have more assistance duties and continue working on the “Tertulias”. I hope to have a great semester and to enjoy both the Spanish assistantship and the courses I will take.

View more of my photographs here.

Fulbright Spanish Language Assistant Esther Pescador de Galdo Shares More of Her Interview with Kaitlin Roeper

¡Hola! The Spring semester is finishing and soon I will be going back home. I am really sad about leaving but I am also looking forward to going back home so I can be with my family and friends. Kaitlin Roeper has written an article in The Iron Blade (you may read Kaitlin's article here) about my experience here in Ferrum College and she asked me a few more questions that I would like to share with you.

Q.: How has your experience at Ferrum been different from what you expected?

I did not have any expectations really, because I know every experience is different. It is true that I thought there would be more events concerning intercultural events or the promotion of different countries and cultures on campus but I tried to bring my own experience into my classroom in order to promote my culture and my country as well as to teach the Spanish language.

Q: What was your favorite part about being here?

My favorite part is to be living in such a remote place. I love having gotten used to not seeing taxis, buses, shops and people everywhere. I think I was lucky to be able to experience something so different from what I was used to. I am so glad I was not placed in a big city. There were times when I felt a bit lonely but I am really happy I could experience once in a life time living in a remote place like Ferrum. I have learned to appreciate and value things that I used to take for granted like taking the bus or being able to choose if I wanted to go to the cinema or the theatre and being only 20 minutes away from either. Also I love the accent of the people from around here, which I found very hard to understand at the beginning. And I love going to Floyd and listening to music there. I even tried to learn how to dance with Jessa King but I was not very successful… I am really going to miss Floyd!

Q: What can you take away from this experience?

I have experienced America, since I was used to Ireland and England and the English and culture there, so I have a broader knowledge of the English-speaking world now. So basically I have learned a lot and experienced new things, and become a better teacher and person through my experience here. Also, I am going to miss my students. I love when they see me around campus and they address me in Spanish and say to me: ¡Hola! I have met really nice students and I hope they will miss me a little bit too.

Q: Did you accomplish what you were hoping to get from this experience?

Apart from my teaching experience, and my traveling, I wanted to experience a country in which Spanish is the second language. I just wanted to have new experiences and I wanted to live in this country for a while to see what America is like from my own experience. My previous experiences in English-speaking countries as a Spaniard were always positive. Everyone wanted to talk to me in Spanish, ask me about Spain, tell me they have been on holidays there, etc. Here, however, a lot of people assumed I was Mexican, or either Mexican or Spanish, but there are 21 countries in which Spanish is spoken as an official language! Why could I only be from Mexico or Spain? Also, I have been walking in the street while I was talking in Spanish with friends and I was asked if I did not know how to speak English and I had to speak Spanish instead, and also I was told that in America “we” speak English. On the other hand, I have students who are really interested in learning a new language and in learning about different cultures and countries, so I hope I have showed them a bit from other countries and cultures, and I hope they are curious about what there is outside America and they travel! Also, I hope that students who are bilingual and speak both English and Spanish are proud of their origin and their languages and keep speaking Spanish and speak Spanish to their children one day. My biggest accomplishment would be if my students felt curiosity and wanted to travel and wanted to continue learning Spanish and to broaden their knowledge about different cultures and languages.

Q: What will you take back to Spain to teach others about us?

Well, first that America is not what we see in the movies like Sex in the City or shows like Friends. There might be some parts of America which are like that but there is another side of it, the one I got to experience. The one in which my neighbours are a squirrel and a woodpecker. The one in which there are no buses but pick-up trucks. From my experience, American people are really friendly and welcoming. I love walking in the cafeteria and everyone has always a smile on their faces, and when I walk around campus I always stop to chat for a while with everyone (so then I am always late!). I am taking to Spain great memories that I will share with my friends and family, and also experiences and pictures that I would use in the classroom when I am teaching English there, so as I have been promoting my culture here, I will promote this part of America I got to live to my students there. Hopefully I will come back to Ferrum one day!

See more of my photographs here.