Hello! Hola! My name is Mary Jines, and I am from a small town outside of Saint Louis, Missouri. My town is called O’Fallon, Illinois. I have lived my whole life in the Saint Louis area. I even went to Saint Louis University where I studied education and Spanish! Some of my favorite things to do in Saint Louis are going to the park to walk my dog, Ollie, going to the Art Museum because it is free, and getting the most famous ice cream in Saint Louis, Ted Drews. In my free time, I like to play sports like soccer and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and go for long hikes. At the end of my time in Spain, I plan to do an 800 km long hike from the south of France to Santiago de Compostela, a city in the northwestern part of Spain. This hike is called the Camino de Santiago.
After living my whole life in Saint Louis, I decided that I want to travel as much as I can! Meeting new people and learning languages is something that I have always loved to do. (There is always more to learn!) I have already been to many countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Australia, China, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ireland, Belize, and my favorite of all, Spain! Right now, I am living in a small city in Spain called Ferrol where I am teaching English in a vocational school through a Fulbright Grant.
