My native language is US English. I was raised in a bi-cultural family, a Spanish father and a native New York mother. My paternal grandfather lived with us but his English was quite limited, therefore I always heard Spanish spoken on a daily basis. At the age of 7 my family moved to South American where my formal education in Spanish began. As I child I just soaked it all in. I spent 7 years overseas and upon my return to the United States I continued to study Spanish in high school and in college. In college I earned my BA in Spanish and a teacher’s certificate for the State of New Jersey. I have also recently received a certificate in translation from Adelphi University. Living in New Jersey, which has a large population of Hispanic people, the ability to read, write and speak Spanish has come in quite handy.I am an extremely focused individual and have been known to attack any project, no matter how trivial or important, as a dog worries a bone, not letting go until finished