Are you planning to go to Latin America or Spain? Are you going to visit Machu Picchu or surf Chicama in Peru? Maybe catch some waves in Puerto Escondido, Mexico? Or perhaps in Mundaka, Spain? Well, before you go, make sure that you pick up your “Spanish for Travellers” book because there is a full page on vocabulary for surfers (can be essential when you need to ask where are the waves). Lourdes Flores who is a Spanish teacher and has been living in Australia for 15 years, has written a book that has been designed for the English speaking person who would like to learn the basics of Spanish so when travelling to either Spain or Latin America their journey will be more enjoyable. By using her book you will be able to communicate in different situations such as having a conversation on the beach, ordering drinks at the pub or going shopping just to name a few. Lourdes and Mark Riley – from Riley Balsa Surfboards - met in 1997 in Lima while Mark was surfing and doing some businesses. Mark was her very first Aussie student and he passed his test by ordering “Dos cervezas, por favor” at the cafe where they used to go after Spanish lessons. Lourdes says “My book is so much better than other ones around because after 15 years teaching my language, I know what travellers want and need to learn to survive while visiting a Spanish speaking country. There are plenty of options for Spanish travellers’ books. However, many of them are only phrase books and they do not have any grammar explanation or they have too much grammar which is complicated. My book is a combination of a text book and a phrase book. It has a basic grammar section with exercises and dialogues for many contexts and has been illustrated with colourful drawings and pictures. It is also small and light."
Lourdes Flores was born in Lima, Peru. She studied law at the University of Lima and worked as a lawyer until she moved to Australia in 1998.
From her early years in Primary school, Lourdes developed an interest for Spanish grammar. Later while in university, her fascination with the Spanish language helped her venture into the teaching field. When Lourdes moved to Sydney, she already had the required skills and experience to enable her to teach Spanish to a wide variety of people wishing to learn about this language.
Lourdes has been teaching Spanish since 1998 and in 2012 she received the Most Outstanding Tutor Award given by St. George and Sutherland College.