Due to my diverse cultural background, I have been exposed to many different languages and cultures from young age. My mother is Guatemalan and my father is German/Dutch. For this reason I am a native speaker of Dutch, German and Spanish. I was born in the Netherlands, lived in Germany and Guatemala. Since 1982 I live in the Netherlands where I had my secondary school education. At school I learned English and French. Whilst travelling to Brasil frequently I taught myself Portuguese and in a similar fashion, I have picked up conversational Italian and Bahasa Indonesia.
My experience is that language is the key to understanding people, their culture and their habits. Through language, the history, manners and traditions of local cultures are melted together.
In my extensive travels, I have also found to my surprise that even a minimal amount of local words and expressions can result in opening doors and wonderful connections may come alive. So, I hope to bring you that positive experience to you in the Netherlands.
