I arrived in Spain back in September full of excitement, ready to start a grand adventure for the coming nine months. But I was also very anxious and had many unanswered questions. Where was I going to live in Santiago? How was I going to adjust to the cultural and linguistic differences between Spain and the United States? How was I going to meet new friends? Was I going to be a good teacher? These and other questions filled me with a nervous energy as I began this new phase of my life.
Thankfully, I had some help in the process. I am here in Spain thanks to the Fulbright Program, which is an international educational exchange and research program created by the U.S. government. As such, I had many people at the Fulbright Commission in Spain in the background helping me greatly: introducing me to other Fulbrighters in my area, giving me tips on classroom management and teaching English as a second language, and advising me on how best to adjust to some of the cultural differences between the U.S. and Spain. Some of these differences include meal times (Spanish people typically eat a big lunch at about 2:30 or 3:00pm and eat little for dinner), the language difference, and typical classroom noise level.
