Hola a todos! My name is Maria del Mar, but everyone calls me just Mar, which might sound a little bit funny to you since it means “Mary from the sea” in English. I’m 23 years old and come from a little paradise called Mallorca, a small island on the Mediterranean Sea. I’m very much in love with my hometown Palma (see the background of my picture), since depending on what you feel like doing, you can choose between beach or mountain or both, which makes Mallorca a perfect place for summer holidays, so feel free to come to visit me any summer! :)

However, now it’s my turn and I’m really looking forward to going back to the States – country that has always fascinated me - and meeting you all as well as getting to know better your culture, likes, hobbies, customs, etc. Likewise, as a Spanish Foreign Language Assistant, I also hope to teach you many aspects about the Spanish language and culture far beyond what any textbook or cliché could tell you. You’ll see, we’ll all learn so much from each other! This is the enrichment of cultural exchanges – one of my main interests in life and reason why I have just graduated in English studies and linguistics.

Throughout my university years, my great love for languages, traveling, discovering and learning from intercultural exchanges took me to Austin (TX) and to London, where I did my third and fifth year of my degree, respectively, thanks to study abroad programs. I feel very lucky for both experiences as well as I do for this amazing chance at Holy Cross, and hopefully there will come more of such incredible opportunities in life.
In my free time, I love doing many things – my friends tend to comment on me always keeping myself busy but then they love that I’m always up for any good and fun plan. For instance, I like hanging out with my friends, meeting people and making new friends from all over the world, going to the movies, reading fictional and philosophical books, photography, listening to music, playing sports, making up new cookery recipes, spending time with my chubby and adorable cat Lluna and, especially, I love acting and dancing. Out of all the out-of-school activities I have tried so far (and believe me I’ve tried a considerable amount! hehe), these last two are definitely my favorite ones. Currently, I’ve been focusing on lambazouk, a dance from Brasil, which I find very sensual and lyrical - you should try it!

Well, I’m very excited about August being almost here! I can’t wait to meet you all and enjoy this FLA experience to the full! I also hope you enjoy our year together as much as I certainly will! Hasta muy pronto!!!