Kristen Gammage
Guest Writer
Kristen Gammage — originally from a small, rural town in Ontario, Canada — always knew that her life would involve a lot of travel and, probably, living abroad. Her travel bug started at age 10 when she visited Tucson, Arizona with her grandparents. Ever since, she’s taken every opportunity to discover new places, and more importantly, try new food!
In highschool, Kristen had the opportunity to participate in a Rotary International Student Exchange, where, despite hating cold weather and snow, she decided to go to Russia. Little did she know she would be sent to live in the capital of Siberia, Novosibirsk. Nonetheless, she had a fantastic time, made a lot of friends and had many memorable experiences.
Kristen’s life in Russia was an opportunity of a lifetime, but her year abroad wasn’t without difficulty. Due to visa problems, she had to leave Russia early. However, not letting this get in the way of her travel experience, she took the opportunity to go to Guanajuato, Mexico to finish out her year abroad. There, she fell in love with the Spanish language and decided that she would go to live and work abroad after university.
In 2010, Kristen graduated from the University of Ottawa with a General Bachelor of Arts and a Minor in Russian. Not knowing what she wanted to do with her life, she decided to move to Madrid, Spain with a Teach English Abroad program. After four years as an English Conversation Assistant, Kristen joined a top Madrid private school as a full-time teacher. There, she has learned all about the Spanish education system, different classroom methodologies, and, generally, what it means to be a teacher. Since her time in Madrid, Kristen has been able to take advantage of cheap flights to visit many different cities and countries around the world. Kristen’s favourite thing to do when visiting a new city is to reserve a Free Walking Tour and, when possible, a free or cheap Food Tour.
In 2019, Kristen got to go on her dream vacation to Egypt for her honeymoon. It was everything she had expected and hopes to return one day to see the rest of Egypt. However, for now, she is busy checking off other incredible places on her list.
Last year during the global pandemic, Kristen’s husband was given the opportunity to work in Strasbourg, France, and bring his family along. Due to the COVID situation and Kristen’s pregnancy, she decided to stay in Madrid for her doctor’s appointments and the birth of her baby. Now, after 11 years in Madrid, Kristen and her family (dog, cat, and baby!) have made the move to Strasbourg and are embarking on a new adventure! Kristen isn’t really sure what this means for her professionally. However, for now ,she’s looking forward to spending time with her beautiful baby girl, enjoying long walks around the enchanting city of Strasbourg with her dog,familiarizing herself with all the different Alsatian wines and taking advantage of living in such an interesting area by visiting new places at every opportunity!