AUXILIARES DE CONVERSACIÓN CALL ON AMBASSADOR PHILIPPE J. LHUILLIER,

JOIN MONDAY FLAG-RAISING AT EMBASSY

A group of 13 auxiliares de conversación, or English language and cultural assistants who are hired by Spain´s Ministry of Education from English native speaking countries to take part in Spain´s language proficiency programs, visited the Embassy and joined the flag raising ceremony on Monday, 25 September 2023.

The auxiliares are assigned to schools indifferent parts of Spain, including Madrid, Castilla y La Mancha, Sevilla, and León, some of whom have already been working for a year, while some have just arrived this September. Those who had already been working as an auxiliar in the past year shared their experiences on how they promoted Filipino culture in their schools through games, poetry, and folk dances.

They also shared their experiences and realities of living abroad and informed the Embassy that through Discord, an instant messaging and VoIP social platform, the auxiliares are able to share important information from the beginning of the process of gathering their documents for submission to the Spanish Ministry of Education, how to get their empadronamiento (how to register in a municipality), connecting with other auxiliares who assigned in the same area, and even share tips on how to address mental health and wellness, being far from home and family.

Ambassador Philippe J. Lhuillier welcomed them to the Embassy and enjoined them to be ambassadors themselves and promote Philippine culture where they teach, and added that they could depend on the Embassy for any assistance, including identifying resource persons, Filipiniana materials, etc.

The Ambassador encouraged them to join events of the Embassy and the Filipino Community, including its plans to have a Summer Camp for Children, teaching Filipino through Casa Asia, and the Barrio Fiesta. The auxiliares were enthusiastic in their support of Embassy activities.

The group joined the Embassy during Monday morning´s flag-raising ceremony, which was followed by a fellowship that allowed the auxiliares and the Embassy personnel to network and get to know one another. END