Who am I?

Hi, I’m Catherine, a Colombian living in Vienna since 2019. I’m 36 years old and have a background in sociology.

Since moving to Austria, I have been learning German and English more or less simultaneously. Although I had already been familiar with English for many years, learning German has undoubtedly been a major challenge for me. Its grammatical structure and logic are very different from Spanish and, more generally, from the Romance languages.

Over the years, I have explored many different methods and approaches to learning German. Through my own experience, I have come to understand that we don’t all learn in the same way. At the same time, I have discovered that confidence plays a fundamental role in learning any language. Feeling comfortable making mistakes, experimenting and expressing yourself is, in my view, an essential part of the learning process.

Travel, learn and live

I have had the opportunity to travel and spend extended periods of time in places such as Ecuador, India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, as well as travelling extensively throughout Colombia and visiting different European countries.

These experiences have made me understand even more deeply the importance of learning languages. A new language can open doors not only in your professional or academic life, but also allow you to connect with other cultures, understand different perspectives and build meaningful connections with people from very different backgrounds.

My experience as a Spanish Language Coach

Both in Colombia and Austria, my professional background has been in the social sector. At the same time, since around 2020, I have been working as a Spanish Language Coach, although this has never been my main professional activity.

Because of my interest in language learning and teaching, six years ago I completed an online course in teaching Spanish as a foreign language (ELE) at Tía Tula, a Spanish language school in Spain accredited by the Instituto Cervantes.

Since then, I have had the opportunity and privilege of supporting people over the long term who already have some knowledge of Spanish. This is something I particularly enjoy because it has allowed me to meet many interesting and, in many cases, truly special people.