Kristina Palacios

I am a second generation American: a born and bred Jersey girl, from Monmouth County, New Jersey. But I come from a family of immigrants; all my grandparents came to the United States in the 1920s and 1930s: On my father’s side, my grandparents came as young adults from England and Denmark. On my mother's side, both her parents came as young adults from Germany.   So, in addition to many trips to visit relatives over the years, I had the wonderful opportunity In college to work as a nanny in Kuppingen, Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany.

Like you, I’m a language learner:  I speak fluent Spanish and conversational German.  I have taught Spanish and English as a Second Language for over 13 years, including teaching a summer course in China in 2019. Before teaching, I worked in youth ministry and still serve as a part-time hospital chaplain.  In addition to languages, I love horses, puzzles, gardening, and knitting, and recently became an aspirational birdwatcher. My husband is from Mexico, and so it was especially exciting that I could my work with CIEE in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico in 2021.  Next, it was Berlin!  I was a PL in Berlin, Germany, last summer (2022), and again this year (2023), returning to the roots of my own family's heritage.