Thomas W. Lammons is a 26-year-old English language assistant from Greenville, South Carolina. He graduated from Clemson University in 2008 with degrees in philosophy and Spanish. Prior to coming to Órgiva, Spain, he worked as an environmental consultant. His hobbies include biking, hiking, soccer, and waterskiing. He is excited to help with I.E.S. Alpujarra's bilingual project and experience the local culture.

1. Thomas W. Lammons
Auxiliar de Conversación
2011-2012
I.E.S. Alpujarra
Órgiva, España

2. Who am I?

3. How old am I?
I am 26 years old.

4. Where am I from?
My Family
What was my occupation
prior to my arrival?
What are my hobbies?

5. I’m from South Carolina (SC), in
the USA.
South Carolina is located in South Carolina was one of the
the southeast of the USA. original 13 British Colonies.
• South Carolina was the 8th state
to ratify the US Constitution, on
May 23, 1788.
• Parts of Carolina (mostly the
coastal areas) were colonized
earlier by Spain, but battles
between the Spanish and the
Native Americans caused the
Spanish people to retreat to
Florida, Cuba, Mexico, and
Central and South America.

6. The Geography of SC
“Upstate”
“Midstate”
“Lowcountry”

7. Geography of SC cont.
The Upstate consists of the foothills of the
Appalachian Mountains.
Columbia, the capital of SC, is located in the
center of the state (i.e., Midstate).
The oldest and most renowned city in SC is
Charleston, which is located along the
southeastern coast of the state
(i.e., Lowcountry).

8. Geography of SC cont.

9. I’m from Greenville, SC, located in
the Upstate of SC.

10. The Upstate

11. Greenville, SC

12. Facts about Greenville, SC
Greenville is the second largest city (by urban
population) in the state of SC (an urban population of
~302,000 people, and a municipal population of ~58,000).
Greenville has a humid subtropical climate, with
generally mild, short winters, hot, humid
summers, warm springs, and cool autumns. Monthly
averages range from 4.9 °C in January to 26.0 °C in July.
Lows can reach -3.8°C, and highs sometimes breach
37.8 °C.
Historically, Greenville was part of the Cherokee
Nation's land. After a campaign in 1776, the Cherokee
agreed to the Treaty of DeWitt's Corner, ceding territory
that includes present-day Greenville County to South
Carolina.

13. Jobs in Greenville
• Hospitals (2 main health systems, which
include approximately 9 campuses)
• Engineering Firms
• Large Corporations (e.g., Michelin, BMW)
• Botanical Nurseries
• Lawn Maintenance Companies
• Construction Companies
• Service Industry (e.g., restaurants, grocery
stores, bike shops, bars etc.)

14. What do People for FUN in and
around Greenville?
Sports
• Road & mountain bike
• Waterski & go to the lake
• Hike, camp, & backpack
Social
• Go downtown for
food, drinks, and good times
• Go to music venues (i.e., concerts)
• Go to college football games

15. Universities in South Carolina
Clemson University
(Upstate)
University of South
Carolina (Midstate)
College of Charleston
(Lowcountry)

16. I went to Clemson University

17. Clemson University
Aerial View of Clemson Death Valley during Night Game
Typical Clemson Fans

18. At Clemson University
I studied philosophy &
Spanish
I graduated in May, 2008
I studied abroad in
Tarragona, Catalonia (Spain)

19. My favorite part of my university
experience was studying abroad
My roommates in Tarragona Hiking around Figueres

21. My Family

22. My Family cont.
My mother, Debbie, is a
My father, Tom, is a geologist.
preschool teacher.
My brother, Andrew, is a land surveyor.

23. My family cont.
Pops & Andrew pickin’
On a mountaintop in Montana bluegrass

24. My brother and I are best friends.

25. Where does my family live?
My parents live in Greenville, My brother lives in
SC. Billings, Montana (MT).

26. By car, how long does it take to get from
Greenville, SC to Billings, MT?
30 Hours!

27. Where does my extended family
live?
My mom’s side of the family lives in West Virginia and
Florida.

28. Extended Family cont.
My Dad’s side of the family lives in Mississippi and Alabama.

29. My friends live throughout the
U.S., from Florida to New York to
California.

31. Friends cont.

32. What was my occupation prior to
my arrival in Órgiva?

33. From May 2008 until August
2011, I worked as an environmental
consultant for an engineering firm.

34. What does an environmental
consultant do?
• Assess real estate (i.e., property) for potential
subsurface (i.e., soil & groundwater)
contamination
• If a piece of real estate is suspect (i.e., likely has
subsurface contamination), analytical testing of
the subsurface is performed (i.e., soil and
groundwater samples are collected for analysis).
• All of this is performed in an effort to reduce and
remediate (i.e., clean) subsurface contamination.

35. My Hobbies
Road & Mountain Biking
Mountain Climbing & Backpacking
Soccer (Football)
Waterskiing
Reading & Studying

38. Why did I come to Órgiva,
Andalusia (Spain)?

39. I came to Órgiva to…
• Facilitate the learning process of English as a
second language
• Help I.E.S. Alpujarra with its Bilingual Project
• To learn about and experience another
culture, while sharing my culture
• Have adventures in the Sierra Nevada
mountain range!

40. I’m excited for the opportunity to
participate in I.E.S. Alpujarra’s
Bilingual Project.