The Final Days of the Fulbright

Presenting the new EFL curriculum at UVG in Guatemala City

From left to right: Jay Raman, Maria Marta Ramos,
I, Roberto Moreno, Helga Knapp, and Bani Sandoval

New desks for the Center funded by Fulbright

Voices for the listening part on the new
institutional proficiency test

Recording dialogues: I, Richard Morgan, and Josanne.

On May 28th, 2009, I gave a PowerPoint presentation of the new curriculum I developed for the EFL program at the Universidad Del Valle de Guatemala (UVG). The presentation was held in the conference room of the central campus in Guatemala City. Those who came included the Rector Roberto Moreno Godoy; the director of the UVG campus in Sololá; the director of Proesur, UVG campus in Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa (in western Guatemala) and deans of the Centros de Idiomas on each campus. To everyone’s delight, Jay Raman, Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy, also attended. Just as I began the PowerPoint presentation, a huge rainstorm hit and I felt as if I was screaming in order to be heard over the raucous pounding of raindrops on the patio outside the conference room. Fortunately, the fury of the rainstorm subsided and I was able to assume a normal tone of voice. The presentation of the proposed curriculum lasted around 40 minutes and the discussion that followed was spirited. Both directors as well as the rector appeared to be satisfied with the new curriculum and open to its implementation at all three campuses. I emphasized that the curriculum was only a model and that they should feel free to tweak it after it has been put into practice. Jay Raman reiterated the Embassy’s desire to strengthen ties between Guatemalan and U.S. universities through faculty and student exchanges; he also encouraged directors of the English language programs at all campuses to request free instructional materials from the Embassy.

My Fulbright in Guatemala has been a truly significant, learning experience from both a professional and personal standpoint. I was once again challenged to re-examine my values and principles as a teacher and world citizen. I realize now-even more so-that teaching language is my calling. It is the way I can help people reach their goals and better their lives. I leave this country with a special appreciation and genuine love for its people and their very rich complex culture and history. These are the benefits I can pin down now; however, it will take years for me to fully understand and fathom the yields I have gained as a Fulbrighter in Guatemala.

I am greatly indebted to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for selecting me and thus enabling me to have this profound, life-changing experience. I am also deeply grateful for the support given to me throughout my Fulbright by the wonderful folks at CIES, Carol Robles and Joseph Graff, Program Officers for the Western Hemisphere. I want to acknowledge Paul Leslie, Vice President of Academic Affairs at Greensboro College, for making arrangements for my leave of absence. I am deeply indebted to Maria Marta Ramos, director of the UVG-Sololá campus, for giving me the charge of creating a curriculum which proved to be one of the most exciting creative projects of my career. My transition to daily life and work would not have gone as smoothly as it did, if it were not for the tremendous help from Helga Knapp Baranyai, dean of the school’s Centro de Idiomas (CEI). Last but not least, I thank my American colleagues who quickly and effectively responded to my appeals for information and guidance throughout the process: Anne McCabe (Saint Louis University-Madrid), David Parsons (UNC-Greensboro), Debra O’Neal (Eastern Carolina University), Judith Graves (Guilford Technical Community College), Barbara Kosta (University of Arizona), and especially Bonnie Parsons (Greensboro College).