I joke with my clients that they can get three-in-one at my place; English lessons, a photo session, or even get their car repaired. It’s my favorite place to work. Relaxing, self-made and perfectly imperfect.

There was a time when ordering 20 grams of ham at my local SPAR made me break out in a nervous sweat. Red-cheeked, robust ladies at the meat counter intimidated me with their Austrian dialect. Poking a piece of Fleisch with meat prongs, they demanded answers from me

Oma was suspicious of me because it was inconceivable to her that I could just stroll right into Austria without knowing one single word of German. It was like a personal affront to her. She asked me over and over, “ Why don’t you know German? Didn’t you learn a little bit of German in America?”

When I arrived in Salzburg in 1994, I didn’t understand one word of German. I didn’t know even three days before I left Los Angeles if I would be traveling to Spain, Italy or Germany for a professional volleyball contract.

The idea branched from my Creative Writing course with Helen B. Cannon and her inspirational teaching. I believe that the common denominator I was looking for this summer is connection. Those who lit up while speaking about their most memorable and effective educational experiences did so because they had searched and found some spark of interest in their topic and added their own signature to it.