Hello! My name is Almudena, but almost everyone calls me Almu. I am a Spaniard, from Galicia, and I’ve been living for ten years in Switzerland, near Zurich.
I have a degree in Philology from the University of Santiago de Compostela, a city known above all because that’s where the Camino de Santiago ends. I also completed my teacher training course there. When I finished my studies, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher of Spanish as a foreign language. I taught my first classes for a few months in London, in an adult education centre. Back in Santiago de Compostela, I worked in a Spanish language school for foreigners for twelve years. Since I have been living in Switzerland, I have worked for different language schools in combination with my freelance work.
I enjoy my work. Teaching the language that is spoken all over my country, and one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, is a real responsibility. I like to bring aspects of Spanish culture to the students, firstly, because I know it best. And secondly, thanks to the readings we do in class, we get closer together to the cultures of Latin America. For example, reading Frida Kahlo, Gabriel García Márquez biographies, or stories such as Viaje a la Araucanía, El oro de los sueños…
Each pupil has a different way of learning and in the end, they reach the same goal in one way or another. It is inevitable to compare the path of learning a language with the Camino de Santiago. But, unlike the latter, the former never ends.