¡Hola! Soy María
After six years abroad, living in four countries and managing life in four languages, I now help women in Spain improve their daily lives through Spanish, feel more confident and independent, and find their own voice.
I truly believe we end up teaching what life has taught us.
I was born and raised in a small city in the south of Madrid.
As a teenager, I started travelling and dreaming of living in different places around the world. I studied Translation and Interpreting at university, only to realize I didn’t want to sit in front of a computer working with documents eight hours a day. I didn’t want to translate words. I wanted to interact with humans!
So I finished university, packed my things, and moved to Germany.
Since then, life has taken me to a few places.
A few years studying and working as an au pair and a teacher in Germany, then back to Spain, then a Work and Holiday visa in Australia, back to Germany, three more years in Spain… and somehow, I’ve ended up living in a small mountain town in Bulgaria. Why Bulgaria? Well, that’s a story I only tell my students. 😉
After six years abroad, living in four countries and managing life in four languages, I know the rollercoaster you’re on when you move to a new country.
During these years abroad, I’ve had days full of joy and sparkling eyes… but I’ve also had very frustrating and lonely ones.
I’ve gone from 0 to living with a family and speaking only in German for nine months. And now I even teach classes in German.
I’ve lived in Australia and discovered that the English I had learned at school was very different from the real one (and not only because the Aussie accent is special… Love you, Australia!). But I’ve also ended up building a whole life in English: friends, work, partner.
And now I live in Bulgaria… where I understand less than 1% of the language, and some days, communication feels almost impossible.
And you know what? That’s okay.
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:
“A foreign accent is a sign of bravery”
Amy Chua
Somewhere along the way, I completed a Master’s degree to become a Spanish teacher and share my love of languages.
Over the past eight years, I’ve taught more than 800 students, online and in person, from nearly 40 countries. And I’ve discovered that the best part of teaching is the connection: getting to know people, their stories, and their challenges.
And my favorite part to teach?
The little things you won’t find in the usual “learn Spanish” books.
The ones you only learn by living in Spain.
During these years, I’ve mostly taught people living in Spain who are experiencing the adventures this country has to offer. The good ones and the frustrating ones:
– the “no one speaks English here” adventures,
– the “Spaniards speak so fast” adventures,
– the “feeling lonely” adventures,
– the “I went to buy one thing and came home with something else because I couldn’t explain what I wanted” adventures.
And then there are the good moments: when I see their daily effort, their progress, and those sparkling eyes when they come to me and say:
“María, I went to a social event and spoke Spanish the whole evening!”
“María, I went to the doctor and explained everything in Spanish!”
And honestly? I love it.
I love teaching expats because that joy, that pride, is something you only experience when you live in a country where the language isn’t your own.
