Kristina Palacios
Kristina's Program
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.
Posts
The Long Goodbye...
Suddenly, the end of Session 1 was upon us. The Language and Culture students, staff and host families gathered at Brauhaus Südstern for a delightful evening filled with good food... keep reading
The Fun Never Stops!
As we entered Week 3 and realized the program was already more than half over, none of us thought it could be true. We are having so much fun on... keep reading
Getting to Know Berlin!
On Tuesday, we ventured into the heart of Berlin for an overview of some of Berlin's most famous landmarks, beginning with the Brandenburg Gate. Was that really a giant Panda... keep reading
A Whirlwind of Activities, Presentations, and Farewell!
Week 3 of the GE program was full of non-stop adventures. After Tempelhofer Feld on Monday, students were treated to a tour of Berlin's famous street art scene, and many... keep reading
Going deeper at the Berlin Wall Memorial
It came to all of us in the first few days of this second week: our trip is nearly half over! This realization was not a happy one. No one... keep reading
Hamburg: Passageway of Dreams
We had a whirlwind tour in Hamburg this past weekend, a grand city on the northern tip of Germany that has long been a passageway of dreams, of people coming... keep reading
Welcome to Berlin!
On Sunday, twenty amazing students gathered with program leaders at big city airports across the United States, with some students already in Europe, to begin our journey to Berlin, Germany... keep reading
¡Adiós!
As with all good things, our amazing month in Mérida in the gorgeous Yucatan peninsula of Mexico must also come to an end. As we headed to the farewell dinner... keep reading
Rubbing Shoulders With Fame
CIEE students had the unusual opportunity to gather and learn about Mexican culinary arts under the tutelage of professional chefs this past Wednesday. Our excursion was to the Instituto Gastronómico... keep reading
Cultural Connections
Have you ever had the unusual and unique pleasure of hearing teenagers complain about not having enough time to.....spend in a *contemporary art museum*? That is exactly what happened on... keep reading