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Learn more
about me
Hi there! Thank you for visiting and wanting to get to know me better.
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I hold a Bachelor of Journalism from Universidad Andrés Bello, in Chile, and a Master of Tourism, with a major in Ecotourism, from James Cook University, in Australia. But that was not my first experience abroad.
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While I was born in Santiago, Chile, my family and I relocated a lot when I was a child, so I was exposed to other countries and cultures at a very young age. Now, I’m a bilingual freelance writer with a passion for exploring, learning, and bringing people closer together by highlighting our shared experiences and concerns.
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If you have some time to continue reading, you can find out more about me by clicking on the links at the top right.
Avid traveler and foodie
Avid traveler and foodie
Either with my family or on my own, I have lived, studied, and/or worked in the following countries: Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, Costa Rica, the United States (Michigan and Connecticut), and Australia. At the same time, I have a profound knowledge of Chile through my own travels.
One of the first things I do when I go to a new place is visit eateries, markets, and grocery stores and try as many local foods and drinks as I can. I believe that being open minded is key to making the most of any trip, especially if it’s your first time to a foreign country. Had I ever imagined that I would try piranha soup in Brazil and love it? Or that I would actually enjoy a kangaroo barbecue? No! But they are among the best culinary experiences in my life.
Aside from trying new flavors, I also love cooking. After tasting plenty of Thai dishes during my stay in Australia, I finally had the chance to learn how to cook them here in Chile. A chef who had recently returned from Thailand offered lessons at a local restaurant and I signed up. Since then, whenever there’s a family event, I’m in charge of the chicken curry and the pad thai.
Eager learner (or eternal student?)
Eager leaner (or eternal student?)
Speaking of learning, since my early teenage years I have completed over 30 courses (both in person and online) on all sorts of things, always eager to learn something new. That’s how I voluntarily studied from event catering to tarot, including other subjects like medicinal plants and telenovelas writing.
I have also practically delved in all performing arts, starting with musical instruments (guitar and cello), followed by gymnastics, singing, acting, and several dancing styles (jazz, modern, salsa dancing, and traditional folklore in Costa Rica). The list includes other courses more akin to my career, such as web design, screenwriting, travel writing, and editing, to name a few. In fact, my first exposure to journalism was through the Summer Program offered by the Yale Daily News, in New Haven, Connecticut, in the United States. The headline of my article was “Bilingual program está bien.”
‘Hasta la vista, baby’ (how I became bilingual)
How I became fully bilingual
When my parents told me that we would be moving to the United States for two years I was thrilled. I was ten years old and fascinated with this adventure. Plus, we were traveling on New Year’s Eve. It was a dream come true! But it wasn’t all sunshine and roses…
At first, I couldn't even understand the cartoons on TV, which made me feel quite discouraged and afraid I would never gain proficiency in English. However, I learned very quickly once I started attending my elementary school and participating in the English as a Second Language program.
My classmates were really fun and helpful. None of them spoke Spanish, so they did their best to convey information and meanings to me with simple words or hand gestures. I remember once they were trying to teach me how to say ‘snow’. They would point to the window to show me outside and say: “Snow, try.” And I would repeat: “Snow, try.”
After about six months I was already speaking pretty fluently. That’s when I realized that I was supposed to say only “snow” and not repeat the whole phrase like a parrot. LOL! I couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. But the memory also made me appreciate my classmates even more, and I have to give them credit for never making fun of any of my mistakes.
Because the snow was so heavy in that part of the country, there wasn’t much I could do in my spare time during the winter. So, I signed up with the library bus and regularly borrowed books to read. I was a huge fan of the Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators Series!
After that, we moved back to Chile and then to other countries, but I always made an effort to practice my English by reading or watching movies. We eventually returned to the United States, and I did my last two years of high school there.
That was an amazing experience! Along with becoming a member of the National Honor Society, I was able to develop my writing skills as a reporter for our high school’s newspaper, as well as through my work as editor of our class Yearbook and of the high school’s Literary Magazine. I guess you know you’ve become fully bilingual when you can create poetry in another language. All my effort had paid off!
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