Maria Perez

Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again: we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life." — Jack Kerouac

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The daughter of Spanish immigrants, Maria Perez was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. As a child she enjoyed all things related to music and film. This love had her spending most of her time rummaging through used books and CDs (Yes, CDs!!) shops. Maria still prides herself on her vintage Rolling Stone magazine collection. Her biggest passions have always been writing and storytelling–both as the narrator and as the listener. She was fascinated by the knowledge a simple story could provide, and the power that a tale had to transport her to another time or place.

Maria’s love of storytelling propelled her to pursue future studies at the University of Toronto where she completed an undergraduate degree in both History and Cinema Studies. Maria furthered her studies in History and graduated with a Master’s of Arts from York University. The plan was to pursue a Phd in the same subject, but she found herself consumed with the need to see the world, not only to discuss it in a classroom.

A year after graduating, she packed her bags (fear and excitement in tow) and set off to teach English in rural Japan. This was where Maria solidified her curiosity to learn about different cultures and her desire to see the world. A gig that was meant to last a year turned into three. In those three years, a new language was (kind of) learned. She practiced martial arts (jujitsu, kickboxing and karate), explored Japanese cities, travelled to Southeast Asian countries, and forged new friendships.

After Japan, Spain came calling. She had spent most of her summers as a child in Galicia, but Maria wished to delve more into her cultural roots. Her home base for the last 10 years has been Madrid. She has taught English as both a language assistant and a full-on Homeroom teacher at a private school. When not teaching — or travelling every chance she gets — Maria eats her way through Madrid, visits museums and art galleries, practices Ashtanga yoga on the daily, dances and sings her heart out at concerts, and enjoys the company of her dearest friends.