From South to South

On Tuesday evening, Piedmont faculty members took part in welcoming Paola Galussia from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Galussia will join us for several weeks as an exchanged faculty member. Currently, Paola lives in “La Boca,” a picturesque “barrio” (neighborhood) easily walkable and with plenty of entertainment. This is Paola’s first time abroad.

The introduction began with a power point presentation where Paola, from Otto Krause Technical School, presented herself as a girl who has come from the southernmost part of Argentina to the southern neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, capital of the Republic of Argentina. Her “Journey from Ushuaia to Otto Krause” depicts her experiences,  the differences in both cities and how they affected her life.

At the age of 18 Paola moved to Buenos Aires to begin university studies, where a former professor first introduced her to Otto Krause. Little did she know that in a few years time she would be working there as an English teacher. The technical school, offers a six year program, which consists of the first two years as high school level work and the third through sixth years as college academic work. The school integrates its students through various forms of education.

One peculiar method was the fact that the students receive lessons not just from one teacher but two. While one teaches, the other sometimes grades or controls the students. To make things entertaining, they use storytelling to engage the students. Some other projects that are at work at Otto Krause include field trips for those who are above the age of 16. Most recently the students visited the National Theater, Immigration Museum, Book and Spanish language museums.

Among others tutoring, school magazine and interdisciplinary projects, sports and plays bring students together and form the school. Apart from this, Otto Krause has a strong bond with Piedmont Virginia Community College; both send students and professors to learn and expand their horizons. Paola will begin exploring Piedmont next week, visiting a number of classes. She says she is “beyond excited” to begin this new experience and is terribly pleased to be inThe United States, which is completely “different from the movies” and from everything else she expected it to be.