Zavala Zavala, Bella

Meet Zavala from Ecuador

What has been your most memorable cultural experience so far?

For me it had been mostly a nice cultural experience, in the place where I am teaching the people are very kind, and as they knew I came from Ecuador to teach Spanish, they approached me and welcomed me, some other people told me that if I needed anything to let them know so they could help me.  One day some parents met me at a football game and said, oh you are Miss Annabell, my daughter loves you, even the father of one of my male students said that he didn't know what I had done to his son, but he loves his Spanish teacher.  In general, the people are kind and always asking if everything is ok with me if I have adapted to the place, and if they could help in a way to let them know.

What has been your favorite part about living in the US?

My favorite part has been to keep enjoying traveling to the different places in the United States, and meeting nicer and kind people.

What has been the most challenging?

The most challenging thing for me was to get to know their culture and different ways of thinking related to my home country, and also to teach Spanish because since I have taught English as a second language, so is not the same, Spanish is indeed my mother tongue language but one thing is teaching it and another to just communicate with people, but I am doing great now with that, one thing I know is that if a person is a language teacher is much easier to teach if you speak that language.

Do you have tips for your fellow J-1 teachers?

It is important to follow all the instructions that the Sponsor gives you to have all the documents ready,  if you do that things will flow easily and fast.

What has been your student's favorite cultural exchange activity so far?

I have done an exposition on Ecuadorian food with one of my class and they loved it, they liked the food, especially the ceviche de Camarón which is like a shrimp cocktail, even one student asked me if I could do that dish for her birthday, I was so pleased to do it, she loves it!