About me
Hi, my name is Jimena and I help expats in Madrid learn speak Spanish.
This is me in a nutshell:
Let’s start with the boring stuff…
- I am Mexican, but I consider myself more a citizen of the world by now.
- I have been living for more than 20 years outside of Mexico: in Ireland, England and Germany. Now I live in Spain, where I hope to stay for good.
- I think in three languages (Spanish, German and English, not necessarily in that order) and I can switch languages while talking without noticing. It can sometimes be very annoying.
- I went to the German School in Mexico City my whole life, hence the German language.
- I studied International Relations in Mexico and England and then did a Masters in International Business with Finance in London. (Are you yawning yet? Well, I did yawn a lot in class because I got pregnant with my first child while doing the Masters, so I was exhausted the whole time).
- It was about six years ago that I changed professional paths and started teaching languages.
Why?...
...Because I love it.
So before I started teaching and because I like to be prepared, I did a few courses on foreign language teaching, which landed me the following certificates:
- I am an authorized teacher for AVE Global and DELE A1-A2 examiner for the Instituto Cervantes.
- I have a TESOL certificate from Arizona State University.
- last but not least, I did the course on Methodology and Didactic of German as a Foreign Language with the Goethe Institut.
Believe it or not, these courses have more in common than you may think, and I use many techniques learnt there in all my classes and courses, regardless of the language.
There are a few more courses I would love to do, but the day simply has not enough hours to fit everything in…
But there´s more to me than just work…
- I
doused to do Crossfit first thing in the morning, because it gives me energy and clears the mind. I hate burpees, in case you were wondering. I had to stop because my ankle started acting weird… Now I’m trying to start again, but it’s hard to get back into the routine. - I am married to an Irish man, have three kids and two dogs. The husband sometimes acts as the oldest child, though. You probably know what I’m talking about…
- I can be a grinch at times (green face and all).
- I love: Tom Hanks, reading, going to concerts, watching series, visiting new places, the colour purple, having dinner with my family and/or friends and eating elotes from Coyoacán (Mexican style corn on the cob)
- I hate: lack of integrity, rap, ironing, roller-coasters that go upside-down, Frida Kahlo and people that don’t let you change lanes on the road.
And that’s all around here.
If you want to know me a little bit better…
Join my community
of expats in Madrid -or Spain- who want to speak Spanish to feel at home
What will you get in exchange?
First, an audio with my best tips to practice Spanish every day if you live in Spain.
And also emails from me.
Sometimes I write very frequently – up to one every day – and sometimes not that often.
I write about learning Spanish, tips and/or resources to practice the language, useful words and expressions, differences between Latin American and Iberian Spanish, etc. All aimed at making your learning journey a little bit easier.
I also sell my courses in many of those emails. Not in all, but in many.
If this is a problem for you, don’t join. As simple as that.
