Marieke Remmen

From Paris to Manila: my language journey

​

After high school, I moved to Paris to work as an au pair. By day, I walked a four‑year‑old girl to school; meanwhile, I attended classes at the Alliance Française. It was there that I discovered how language can open doors

.

Later, I lived in Italy. My first lessons? Watching The Bold and the Beautiful dubbed in Italian. Then came language school in Verona, pizza after class, and evening strolls through Piazza Bra. La dolce vita!

​

Back in the Netherlands, the wider world kept calling. I worked in Zambia, Rwanda, and Ghana, where English and French allowed me to hear unforgettable stories. I realized that language is more than communication—it is connection.

​

In England, I researched how refugee women found their place in the Netherlands. Their secret? Perseverance, hope, resilience—and above all: ............ language.!

​

Inspired, I became a language volunteer. Teaching gave me so much joy that I enrolled in teacher training. Before long, I was teaching Dutch to nurses in Manila. Who would have imagined?

 

Language has carried me everywhere—from Paris to Verona, from Rwanda to the Philippines. It remains my key to new worlds. Nowadays, closer to home as a certified Dutch second language teacher..