West High Spanish teacher Victor Diaz Galindo was in his final year at the University of Iowa when he was accepted for a program that allowed him to experience his home country of Mexico in a completely different way. The Fulbright program allows students to travel to one of 140 countries to study, conduct research or teach English abroad. Based on ideas of cultural exchange and mutual understanding, it gave Galindo an international experience he will never forget.

Born in Mexico but raised in Iowa since he was two, Galindo rarely got to travel back to his hometown of Tepatitlán, Jalisco, Mexico. Apart from infrequent summer trips, Galindo never had the chance to fully explore Mexico and his connection to the country.

“I feel like I only got to know the town that I’m from. I really wanted to explore my Mexican identity as a whole,” Galindo said. 

After hearing about the Fulbright program and its mission, Galindo applied for a position in Mexico. Due to the long application process and strong competition, he had a slim chance of being approved.

“I was really lucky. I got placed at an elementary school, which was even more rare, because the most common placement is a university,” Galindo said. 

Upon moving there, Galindo faced challenges acclimating to the different culture. Things like time and ways of speaking were approached differently in Mexico, which took some effort getting used to.

“It was really interesting seeing the tightrope I had to walk, in terms of culture shocks that you kind of deal with,” Galindo said. 

Apart from the general culture, meeting students from different backgrounds taught him more about Mexican culture and style of living. Teaching in Mexico City also allowed him to experience the different problems and situations students face from around the world. 

“It definitely taught me a lot, because I had never really left Iowa before that. So going to one of the biggest cities in the world and seeing what students deal with over there was really eye-opening,” Galindo said. “I feel like it made me more compassionate as a teacher.”

Teaching English in Mexico also exposed Galindo to a difference in why students learn another language. Learning English in Mexico opens up job opportunities in tourism, science and many other fields, which makes the majority of Mexican students more motivated to learn English. 

“Over there, English is looked at as an opportunity to get ahead, it’s a key to access a lot of wealth and a lot of opportunities. The [pressure] to learn English is definitely stronger,” Galindo said.

Compared to Mexican students, Galindo finds that Iowan students are less intrinsically motivated to learn Spanish. Because English speakers already have access to those opportunities, Galindo has noticed many perceive learning another language as less important. 

“In Iowa, some students do feel the motivation to want to [learn] but there’s not as much pressure as there is in Mexico to learn the language. Here it’s more of an extra luxury to really learn the language,” Galindo said.

This shift in teaching styles and dealing with culture shocks during his time in Mexico has allowed Galindo to become more flexible in both his teaching and daily life. 

“I think as a person, it helped me adapt, and I learned a lot. I feel like I was able to grow because of these experiences, and really become a better teacher,” Galindo said.

After teaching in both places, Galindo has come to appreciate aspects of both cultures. One thing he loves about Iowa is the diversity its communities have to offer.

“I like the multiculturalness of Iowa and how it has [ethnicities] in pockets. And even though nobody perceives it from outside of Iowa, we really do have a lot of cool, different people in our community,” Galindo said. “That was different in Mexico City; they were more homogeneous.”

Along with his desire to learn more about his Mexican heritage, Galindo used Fulbright as a way to start his teaching career. Having known he wanted to be a teacher, Galindo used the program as a way to explore his future career options.

“[Fulbright] was the best way to experiment, and I really did like it a lot. I think it showed me the difference between elementary and high school teaching. I liked how high school has people with their own fully realized goals and dreams,” Galindo said.

This opportunity was more than just a job to Galindo, it allowed him to better understand his cultural identity and how he can apply that to his teaching. Knowing the things he does now, Galindo feels more confident in himself and his ability to teach his students. 

“It helped me understand myself as a Mexican and also as an [Iowan]. I feel like I was able to experience all of Mexico and see all its different layers, and just understand myself a little bit better,” Galindo said. 

Because of the positive experiences he gained in Mexico, Galindo moved back to begin teaching Spanish in Iowa. Through the program, Galindo discovered his passion for teaching high school students, which eventually led him to West High. 

“[Teaching] kind of wraps everything that I like about language and education in one little ball. Then I came to Iowa City because I really liked the school and what it had to offer here. And I feel like I am going to grow as a teacher here,” Galindo said.