CONTENTS
What do You Need to Know About Us?
I am Inés Cuesta Ureña, a Spanish teacher from Barcelona, Spain. ConvoSpanish was my dream that came true back in June 2017. The idea behind this online business is to support people in improving their Spanish skills but not through conventional learning. I wanted a different approach for my students so that they could see the practical side of learning a language through conversation. Given that I am a native speaker, I know how theory can be an excellent tool for learning a language but without real practice, all you have is just passive knowledge.
Who is Behind ConvoSpanish?
INÉS CUESTA UREÑA – Founder and Spanish teacher
I am from Barcelona, but my home has also been the world for a long time now. While traveling is one of the greatest experiences in ones’s life, being far from your country makes you realize how fascinating your culture is.
I wanted to share my culture and language, talk about it, and bring it closer to others. This is how I envisioned ConvoSpanish, as a safe place to learn a language and grow, where no one will make fun of you if you’re good in theory but a bit rusty in practice.
I also like helping people and I think we can grow even more as we help others grow.
The beginnings
When I enrolled at the University of Barcelona and earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Biology, I never thought it would lead me to travel the world, let alone open my online business. I soon realized meeting people in other countries and getting to know their cultures was my thing.
During my Bachelor’s, I went to Bergen, Norway to do an internship with the Erasmus program and to gain some more professional experience. It became way more than that! At first, it was a shock because the first thing I saw after getting off the plane was nothing but white, as I arrived in January, which is not a sight we often see in Barcelona. On top of it, all the snow was so deep, I couldn’t even see my knees! My second shock was experiencing the extreme changes in daylight, from long nights in January to long days in the summer.
In Norway, I practiced my English a lot. I discovered that I had wasted many years of my life studying a new language using conventional methods such as, learning phrases and irregular verbs by heart! I can now honestly say I learned more by talking to my colleagues than I did in school for so many years.
Intending to follow the path that I had established for myself, I accepted a scholarship to study a Master’s Degree in Biochemistry in the USA. An opportunity that would change my life forever.
I Continued with the Established Path or What I Thought It Was
When I came to the States, it took some time to get used to the American way of life which was a fast, chaotic, and never-ending pace. At least, it’s what it felt like to me.
While studying my master’s, I also worked as a biologist in a research laboratory at the University. I was exhausted most of the time and often wondered if this was all that life had to offer.
Due to an issue with laboratory funding, my scholarship was put on hold and I had to return to Spain, tired and drained, as if someone had sucked the life out of me. In a few months, I received notice that my scholarship got extended, so I went back. Only this time, I armed myself with a different plan.
Thinking About the Alternative
Traveling from place to place, studying, and meeting people from different countries made me realize what I really liked was learning about cultures through people. The importance of knowing a language leads to an open mind and flexibility that you will need in your day-to-day life more than ever.
As I grew up in Barcelona, Catalan was my second language. So, English was my third, which I studied in school for about 6 years. However, after all those years, I was only able to speak very basic English. It wasn’t until after high school that I really learned how to speak it properly. And after living abroad for a while, I’ve become much more fluent, but it meant giving up on the conventional and immersing myself in practical learning.
Thanks to this, I discovered my purpose – to help students to learn Spanish as a second language. We practice and improve their Spanish skills together through all non-conventional methods. I have successfully been teaching Spanish online for 6 years and have been living in the States for over 10 years now.
And that’s how the idea of ConvoSpanish came about!
The Birth of ConvoSpanish
My motivation to make my life better and help others improve theirs, came from working in jobs that didn’t fulfill me and from being tired and frustrated all the time for not being able to communicate in the local language. By doing this, I can help others not go through the same as I did.
However, you don’t have to travel that far to find yourself in a similar situation. Fun fact: the USA has a high population of Spanish native speakers. Knowing Spanish is key for people like teachers or healthcare professionals.
By not knowing languages, you will miss out on the possibility of meeting people from different cultures, fitting into a new one, learning a ton of new things, or not being able to perform your job.
Our Goal and Mission
Don’t worry! We have a solution to any problem you may encounter when learning Spanish. The good thing is that we at ConvoSpanish will help you improve your conversation skills as we focus on Spanish from Spain. We center on the practical part of our online classes because we believe that the best way to learn a language is by using it from the beginning. In addition, our blog and YouTube channel will assist you in learning about Spanish culture and tradition!
We wish to give you a warm welcome to ConvoSpanish where you can learn Spanish in a completely new way!
Who are The People Who Work On the ConvoSpanish Team
TAMARA STOJANOVIĆ – Copywriter & Content Creator
A new star of our cozy little team, Tamara is the Copywriter and Content Creator at ConvoSpanish.
She comes from Serbia and when she was only 9, Tamara was very drawn to Mexican soap operas and the Spanish language. Before that, she never heard of Spanish, and to learn it, she would write down the words she heard on a piece of paper. But without knowing any Spanish, she would write them down in Serbian. To memorize these words, she created crossword puzzles and would go over them with her twin sister.
Later, a language high school was her first choice where she studied Spanish as a first language and her second was English. By the time she started studying Spanish philology at the University, she was already fluent and teaching basic levels of the language.
Ever since she was a little girl, writing poems and short stories were her thing. No wonder Tamara likes writing so much today! Her combined talents in languages and writing make our content even more attractive for all our visitors and students.
Traveling around the world and living in places like Costa Rica and Spain made her see life as more than just a nicely paid job and it brought her more flexibility too. Tamara is a fan of Latin-American countries, so visits to Mexican pyramids, the Panama Canal, and other cultural sights of Latin America were a must for her.
Today, she probably wouldn’t be working with us if she hadn’t decided to leave the corporate world and business attire and fulfill her much-desired dream – to work as a freelance content writer and travel.
ConvoSpanish Resources
- Online Spanish conversation classes with a native speaker from Spain who supports you in practicing your speaking and listening skills.
- A Spanish blog with articles about different topics, from Spanish vocabulary to Spanish culture. You will also find plenty of audio to help you practice your listening skills.
- Shop: Entertain yourself with a wide range of products related to Spanish and more. We are here to assist you with the language learning process at any time!