Introduction

Hello! If you found this blog, it is very likely that you are friends with me or you are interested in doing the Fulbright ETA program in Spain. Or you are a stalker I don’t know about yet! Either way, I hope you find what you’re looking for (except for you, stalker). In this blog I’ll be sharing a little bit of everything, from my daily experiences in the classroom to insights/observations about life in the Canary Islands.

Accepting the Fulbright

I found out that I was accepted into the Fulbright program at what felt like a very uncertain time in my life– I had recently left the Teach for America program, but was beginning to really hit my stride in a new position as an ABA therapist (working one-on-one with children on the autism spectrum). Between the arduous application process and the long, long, looooong wait to hear back from the Fulbright commission, so much had changed in my personal and professional life– my priorities and goals felt different, and I wasn’t sure if Fulbright would still be right for me. When I heard that I had been accepted into the program, I felt overwhelmed that I would have to make the decision whether or not to go to Spain after already making the difficult decision to leave TFA. However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about adulthood it’s that you often have to make more than one difficult decision a year. I’m hoping this slows down in retirement but I’m not optimistic

When I saw that my placement was in the Canary Islands, the decision somehow became clearer. Maybe it’s because growing up, my mom used to call me Clairy Canary (hence the name of the blog). Maybe because the Canary Islands have strong historic and cultural ties to Latin America, the region of the world that I focused my studies on in college. Maybe because any challenging experience feels more manageable on an island with year-round warm and sunny weather. Whatever the reason, I went with my instincts and accepted the opportunity to assistant-teach English in the Canary Islands for 9 months.

Oh yeah the Canary Islands, I’ve heard of those…

This is a common response when I answer the question “Where in Spain are you going?” If you don’t know where the Canary Islands are don’t fret– I didn’t really know either until I found out I would be moving there! The Canary Islands are an island chain off the Atlantic coast of Morocco, however they are an autonomous region of Spain. I will be living on Lanzarote, the easternmost island. Since about a dozen people have asked me to “bring a canary back” for them, it’s worth mentioning that the name “Las Canarias” comes from the Latin word for dog due to the large population of wild dogs there in ancient times (source: Wikipedia). And before you ask, no I will not be bringing any dogs back 🙂

What exactly will you be doing there??

I know what you’re thinking– a State Department-funded part-time assistant teaching job on a tropical island? Sounds more like a paid vacation to me. While I’m hoping for many beach days, I will also be kept pretty busy! This is only the second year that Fulbright has placed grant recipients in the Canary Islands, and I will be the first one placed at my particular school. This means there will be a lot of on-the-job learning and simply figuring out the role I should have in the classroom that works best for my school. As an English teaching assistant, my job is to work closely with teachers to provide high-quality English instruction in a bilingual school setting. I will be planning lessons, demonstrating cultural materials, and providing my students exposure to a native English speaker. I am excited to be back in the classroom. Despite TFA not being the right fit for me, I learned quite a bit during my time as a teacher and even more in my job working with children on the autism spectrum. I feel more confident and prepared than I was when I first graduated from college, and I’m eager to gain exposure in an entirely new school system.

In addition to my duties in the classroom, I am expected to engage in a community project. Since I haven’t been in the community yet, my community project is definitely a blank slate at the moment!