Sandra Romero knew early on that she wanted to explore the world and live abroad - she was inspired by her mom, who shared stories about living abroad.

She decided to study translation and spent a formative year in England. From there, she took her first teaching job in Belgium, and it hit her: teaching Spanish could be her passport to keep living abroad.

That insight became an operating system: pick a country, teach, repeat. That’s how she lived in places like Russia and Costa Rica, and how she eventually ended up in Mexico and built a new home. Two crucial things happened there: she met her wife and became a stepmom, and—because of the pandemic—she pivoted from classrooms to her own online Spanish school for queer women.

Beyond this journey, we also talked about why language ≠ belonging, how a European in Latin America learns to decenter “Spain-as-default,” and the choice to teach Mexican Spanish on purpose.

I apologize for the audio quality on my end. The platform I use for recording had a lot of issues on this day.

Connect with Sandra:

Instagram @queerspanishschool

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Why the name “Transplants”?

I've always loved the meaning this word can have. To be a transplant is to carry one life while learning to live another.

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Connect with Transplants:

Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.pod
Substack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/
Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchi
Follow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplants

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