As a child, I grew up in a bilingual society where Spanish and Catalan were spoken. Early in my elementary schooling, I was introduced to English as a foreign language as a mandatory subject. Even though my exposure to multilingualism at an early age allowed me to feel a deep connection to society and a love for languages, I decided to pursue technical studies after completing my secondary education. This was partly because my parents encouraged me to do so. However, when I was 18 I realized that my passion was learning languages and reading ancient texts. Thus, I decided to put my studies on hold and move to England, in order to improve my fluency in English while working in a hotel as a waiter. There, I discovered my passion for learning and teaching language. After this experience, I finished my high school Diploma in Humanities and I fell in love with classical languages: Latin and Greek. At university, I started my degree in Classical Studies, however, after some time I decided to study Hispanic Studies instead because I knew that was the best choice for my career path. I have to say that classical studies gave me a better perspective about Western society, while Hispanic Studies provided me with the tools to develop my career and become a better teacher.

In 2009, I started my overseas adventure, where I started teaching Spanish to foreign learners. Since then, I have taught Spanish in six countries: Ireland, China, USA, Spain, Vietnam, and Singapore. I have met students from different nationalities who learn Spanish for different reasons and in different contexts. I have also had the opportunity to meet numerous language teachers with whom I have exchanged best practices. When I was working in these foreign countries, I gained an awareness of intercultural communication challenges. Especially, when I went to China, I experienced an enormous cultural shock due to the disparity of Western and Eastern idiosyncrasies. After being immersed in a personal chaos of intercultural and language communication, I observed how Chinese culture was, and I began speaking Chinese; then I understood that language is an expression of culture and I decided to adapt to their customs. Therefore, I strongly agree with the saying: “When in Rome do as the Romans do”, which means to respect and adapt to one’s surroundings.