Ms. Rebeca V. Angulo, a native of Spain, is the new Spanish language teacher at Magnolia High School.

Not long-ago, Superintendent Cassie Porter introduced a new teacher to our county. Ms. Rebeca V. Angulo has joined the staff at Magnolia High School as the new Spanish teacher. What is special about Ms. V as she is called by her students. She is part of an exchange program that gives teachers from Spain the opportunity to come here and teach her native language. It also gives her the chance to experience our country first hand.

I asked Ms. V, “Was it a cultural shock when she came to our community”. She said with exuberance, “Oh my yes! The world and how you do things are so much different. I want to learn it all. At the same time, I want to teach the children my language, and how my culture does so many things differently. I learn as much from my students, as they are hopefully learning from me.”

Back in Spain, Ms. V was teaching English in a city of 150,000 people in the Northern area of the country. The area experiences cold and snowy winters, and very hot summers. The community is supported by many heavy industries that provide good employment. The area is also a major tourist community. Ms. V explained that she had to drive in the large city, but back home an hour and a half away, she could walk most everywhere she went, including work.

This trip to America is not her first experience of our country. She has visited while on holiday to New York and Washington, DC. While explaining her experiences she seemed to be more fascinated by our lifestyle here in the Ohio Valley.

I asked how she came to find the exchange program, and how she went about applying. She explained a couple years ago, she met a teacher who had returned from teaching in America for five years. Ms. V had recently spoken with her family expressing an interest in moving back to the small town and quieter lifestyle. She was questioning if teaching was what she wanted to do with her life, even if she went back home. That’s when she learned about the exchange program and decided, why not give it a try. If it doesn’t work out, I still have a job back home.”

She made an application and was interviewed by several people. Finally, she went to Madrid for interviews with program administrators from America. One of the questions, “What state do you want to go to?” “Somewhere safe.” The rest of the story, she came to West Virginia.