From Seattle to Valdemoro

Lauren, a la izquierda, junto a las profesoras Gema Camarena,
Begoña Rebollo, Paloma Tallón y Marta Bustos.

Por Lauren Fryhle, auxiliar de conversación en el IES Villa de Valdemoro durante este curso.

_______________

Hello! Most of you already know me by my first name, or “teacher,” but for those readers who don´t, I´ll go ahead and briefly introduce myself. My name is Lauren Fryhle and I am one of two North American ´Auxiliares de Conversación` who have had the great pleasure of working as English language and culture assistants at IES Villa de Valdemoro this academic year.

My adventure began back in September when I said my goodbyes to my hometown, family and friends, boarded an American Airlines 757 airplane and traveled the 5.300 miles (8.529 kilometers) from Seattle, WA, USA to the mega metropolis of Madrid. To be quite honest, I had absolutely no idea what awaited me from the moment I stepped off the plane. I was acquainted with the language, country and even city, but as for how I would be spending my days for the following 10 months was one big fat ambiguous question mark. Looking back now, I cannot be grateful enough for the warm welcome I received on my first day from Gema and Josu, and for the constant smiles and friendly kindness of the entire IES Villa de Valdemoro community throughout the year. Each of the teachers from the English department team has been more than just a colleague, but a mentor and friend to me. They work so hard and do an amazing job. I´m lucky to have had the opportunity to learn from them and be a part of all their efforts.


I can only hope that the countless days we spent in class together have paid off for the students to the same extent that they have for me. Maybe they have more self confidence now at the time of speaking English, maybe they´ve made some improvements in their pronunciation or have better comprehension of the American accent and culture; or... maybe not-- what they probably don´t know or realize, however, is how valuable their role has been in my own personal education and development. My eyes have been opened to the world of teaching, and not just to that, but to teaching in a different country with an entirely different educational system and the huge cultural realization that comes with such an experience. I´ve learned just as much from my students as they´ve (hopefully!) learned from me.
Thank you so much everyone for your positive attitudes, enthusiasm, determination, support, patience, sense of humor, willingness to step out of your comfort zones and maybe get a little embarassed.., and most of all, for making my year in Madrid an unforgettable one!

Besos y hasta el año que viene,
Lauren