Francisco Andreu
Francisco Andreu is a native of South America who was born in Santiago, Chile and raised in the northern city of Antofagasta. He studied at the University of Chile and taught Spanish to foreign workers in the metropolitan area of Santiago. In 1974, Francisco left for Spain. When he returned to South America, he first lived in Argentina -- Buenos Aires and Cordoba -- for 17 years before returning to Antofagasta. Francisco then took an active role in developing the cultural life of that city. He eventually served as public relations official for the Cultural Arts Center of Antofagasta. In 2000, Francisco returned to teaching Spanish to foreign workers of the mining companies present in the area. He arrived in Portland in 2004 shortly after his marriage to a native of Portland. Since that time Francisco has been active in the Latin community of Portland. He appeared on the local program "We the people" giving highlights of news from Latin America and sharing information about Latino culture and happenings in Maine. He is an active member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church community, director of the Cine Club Hispano, and a board member of Centro Latino. Since 2004, he has been teaching Spanish to both children and adults.

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Victoria Chicon
Victoria was born in Catacaos, Peru and lived in Lima until she came to the US in 1998. Victoria found an outlet for her creativity at an early age, while working for one of the most well-known film production companies in Peru. She learned the "ins and outs" of the filmmaking industry with renowned directors and, after 12 years, started free-lancing and producing her own documentary films. In the early 1990's, she directed the CIDECOS (Center for Research, Development, Education, and Social Communication) where she became involved in the development of educational materials and curricula for children and teenagers. Most recently, she has taught Spanish to children in various academic settings and has continued to produce educational materials to teach Spanish, such a television program named Como Jugando, which has been broadcast on Portland's Community TV Network and Portland Public Access Channel 2. She is involved in the Latin Community Council and is a frequent host on WMPG for programs of Peruvian music and culture. Victoria is looking forward to using her creativity in her work at The Language Exchange.

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Fernanda Darrow
Fernanda is a native of Salta, Argentina. She graduated from a Humanities Academy where she acquired a solid background in languages and literature. She moved to the United States to pursue her studies in Management Information Systems with emphasis in languages at Iowa State University. She worked as a Spanish translator, interpreter, and tutor with the United States Agriculture for International Development Agency. She taught Spanish and French to children in the Foreign Language Association program in Ames, Iowa. She currently works for the Iowa Council of International Understanding and Communications Data Corporation as a Spanish Language Consultant. This year she will be teaching Latin at Cheverus and Spanish at The Language Exchange to both adults and children.

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Vivian Flanzer
Vivian joined the staff of The Language Exchange when she moved to Maine in the summer of 1997. While in Maine, she taught Portuguese, both privately and in group settings, and developed a cross-cultural seminar series entitled Doing Business in Brazil. She was born and raised in Rio and lived in Copacabana most of her life. She is a fervent Copacabanense and adores all aspects of her old neighborhood: the colorful mix of races, ages and classes, the beach and its intense social activities, the healthy água de coco (coconut water) sold along the boardwalk, the laid-back attire, its art deco buildings and the relaxed, creative and friendly way of its inhabitants.
Vivian considers herself a real Carioca, and believes she will carry the Carioca spirit with her wherever she goes. Vivian holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications and a Master’s degree in Anthropology. Her master’s thesis examined the identity and social organization of a group of immigrants settled in Copacabana (of course!) She taught Anthropology for several years at College level while serving as Editor for the Brazilian Association of Anthropology. During this time, she met an American historian working on his PhD on the Xavante Indians. They headed together to Mato Grosso, Central Brazil, for a three-month field work among the Xavante Indians. After this unforgettable experience, they were married and moved to the real jungle: New York City! And the Carioca anthropologist working with inter ethnic relations, became an immigrant herself. In NY, Vivian worked for Berlitz, The World Trade Institute and other language institutes, serving as a Portuguese instructor, translator and cross-cultural consultant to various multinational corporations operating in Brazil.
She loves teaching and photography. She returns to Rio at least once a year and it will be her pleasure to guide you through her city and culture a la Carioca: with fun, enthusiasm and creativity! Bem-vindos!

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Jean Goetze
Jean was born on Staten Island, NY and grew up in central NJ where she fell in love with the French language as early as her high school years. She earned a BA in French from Douglass College and was privileged to spend her Junior year in Paris studying with the Hamilton College program. During a French summer program McGill University in Montreal she met her 1^st Frenchman, Jean-Rene, who would later become her husband, after she completed her MA in French at Indiana University. Jean told him ‘she hadn’t married a Frenchman to remain in the U.S.’ and her dream of living in Europe began as they settled in the Paris region in 1971. 35 years later Jean-Rene is finally having his dream come true, as they have moved permanently to ME. Jean’s work in France centered on ESL teaching but also included training and translating in French. Her passions include Bible study, reading, travel, art, jogging, sea kayaks, roller blades, swimming, gardening… She is looking forward to teaching French as a fun way to help and meet people in the community.

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Valérie Guillet

Valérie has been Director of The Language Exchange, Inc. since 1992. She was born in France in a small town located between Annecy (Haute-Savoie) and Genève (Switzerland). She grew up in this French part of the Alps and lived there until 1986 when she began College at the Université Lyon III. She started a Master’s Degree in Business and Languages which she completed in the MBA program at SUNY Binghamton. While at Binghamton, she started an interdisciplinary graduate program where she specialized in Social Sciences and Translation, fields in which she had a keen interest. Following her thesis, a translation of Joyce Carol Oates’ All The Good People I’ve Left Behind , she decided to move to Maine where she has lived ever since. It now feels like home to her although her heart and soul always seem to be rejuvenated when she has an opportunity to speak French and be around French people! Something most "expatriates" can identify with! So. . . she goes to France every year, sometimes more than once, and receives the best of both worlds. Her travels have allowed her to see her country with different eyes, so to speak, and in a way to keep a more objective opinion of the culture of which she is a product. As such, she has rediscovered Provence where she spent most of her summer vacations as a child and continues to find it an idyllic place and hopes to be able to share this vision with you. As for Martinique, she discovered the island during a 1995 trip and has remained under the spell of its beauty and diversity. She continues to enjoy the abundance of its colorful literature and cultural diversity. Valérie is also a Lecturer in the French department at Bowdoin College and a three-season track coach for young women at Cheverus high school.

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Lisa Hayden Espenschade
Lisa wrote her first paper about the Soviet Union when she was in sixth grade. Her childhood interest in Russia led her to the completion of a BA in Slavic studies and an MA in Russian literature from the University of Pennsylvania. She began teaching Russian while in graduate school at Penn and later taught courses at the University of Southern Maine. Lisa lived in Moscow for six years, working under U.S. government technical assistance grants and traveling widely throughout the former Soviet Union. She was glad to return to the United States in 1998 and looks forward to sharing her knowledge of Russian language and culture.

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Meehee Kim
Meehee was born and grew up in Seoul, South Korea. After receiving a BA in History from Hyo-sung Catholic University in Korea, she taught History, Social studies, and Korean for 10 years. She also owned a restaurant specializing in Korean cuisine. She moved with her family from Korea to Maine in 2005. Recently, Meehee has taught Korean Language and Asian Culture courses for the USM Upward Bound Program. She is looking forward to continue to teach the Korean language and culture, including Korean cuisine. She is also currently preparing for the ETEP Program at the university of Southern Maine.

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Reiko Yoshimura Laney
Reiko was born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan. She is a third generation Korean-Japanese who grew up in a bicultural environment. After she earned an associate degree in English, she volunteered at a Kibbutz in Israel for five months and traveled across Europe for a month alone to gain firsthand cross cultural experience.
She moved with her family from Japan to Washington D.C. in 1996 where she worked for Nissan North America. She moved to Maine two years later. She attended the University of Southern Maine and earned her B.S. in Business Administration. She is a member of the Japan America Society of Maine and hosts Japanese students at her home in the summer. She taught English to children in Hiroshima, Japan, and is currently teaching Japanese in Southern Maine.

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Deborah Gussoni Mohr
Deborah was born in Firenze, Italy where she grew up in a bilingual Italian/English family. Until 1994 she lived in the hills of the Chianti Fiorentino and visited her American family in Alabama and North Carolina during many summers. She earned her BA in Spanish and Business Administration in Alabama where she also discovered her enjoyment for teaching her native language. While a student at the University she founded the Critical Language Program within the Foreign Language Department. She continued her exploration of languages in the international business world where she worked for several companies training Italian, Spanish, and French customers on the companies’ technologies and directing translation projects. In 2005 her husband’s employment gave them the opportunity to move to Maine where they could honor their love for vast nature and its exploration on foot or on a bike. While she has now made Portland her home with her husband, Michael, thier daughter, and their two cats, she continues to visit her family and friends in Italy a few times each year. She is looking forward to sharing her passion for the Italian world with students of The Language Exchange.

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Alex Orlinski
A native of Poland, Alex holds a master's degree in Polish Language and Literature and Cultural Anthropology from Warsaw University. During his studies and after he graduated, he taught Polish at the British Embassy in Warsaw and The Institute of Polish for Foreigners, where he was also involved in preparing the standardized examination in Polish recognized by the European Union. Alex came to Maine for the first time in 2000 and found it curiously different from the stereotypical USA seen on TV. He now resides in Portland and looks forward to sharing his knowledge of Polish language and culture at The Language Exchange.

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Kaoru Watanabe Phillips
Kaoru is a native of Chiba, Japan. She received a BA in Anthropology/Geography and an MA in Adult Education from USM. She is currently the Manager of the Portland Learning Center at USM. She is also involved with the USM-Rissho University Exchange Program and advises Japanese exchange students, both academically and culturally. Furthermore, her service on the Board of Directors of the Japan American Society of Maine keeps her very active in numerous cultural events. She has taught the Japanese language privately and through various academic settings.

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Marlies Reppenhagen
Marlies grew up in the Hanseatic city of Lübeck. Her interest in languages and other cultures first brought her to Maine as an exchange student, but her affection for Maine and its people eventually led her to move here permanently. For the last five years, she has lived in Portland, where the proximity of the ocean and the handsome brick buildings remind her of her native city. Marlies has a degree in teaching English and French from the University of Freiburg and a M.A. in German from Middlebury College; she has taught German at the high school and college level as well as in adult education programs. Her interests include hiking, biking, reading, and traveling - and always learning more languages!

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Madoka Iriguchi Tonge
Madoka was born and raised in Ehime, Japan. After she earned her degree in English Literature from the Women’s College of Kyoto, she worked for several Japanese companies such as Japan Financial News, Kanebo, and Sony. Since her passion was to travel overseas, she went to Canada to further her studies of English and worked for a travel agency in Niagara Falls. Before coming to the United States, she traveled to many countries from Europe to Asia gaining many firsthand cultural experiences. She has been residing in Maine with her husband since 1999. She attended the University of Southern Maine and earned her B.S. in Computer Science in 2004 and currently works for Hannaford Brothers and teaches Japanese privately and at local adult education programs.

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Ulrike Vachon-Frisch
Ulrike is a native of Germany. Her interest in other cultures and languages led her to study English and geography at the University of Frankfurt and the University of Bristol, England where she received her MA and teaching diploma. She has extensive experience teaching both German and English to children and adults, as well as interpreting and translating these two languages. In 1975, she came to the US with her American husband. She enjoys living on the coast of Maine and returns to Germany two to three times a year to visit her family. At the moment, she teaches, tutors, and works as a freelance translator.

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Siegfried Wevering

Siegfried (Sigi) grew up in Germany, and has recently relocated to Portland. He studied English and German at the University of Muenster and earned a master's degree in English Language and Literature, American Studies, and German Language and Literature from the University of Goettingen. After he finished his teacher training in the town of Hamelin (home of the Pied Piper,) he taught at a variety of schools, worked as a media coordinator and translator/interpreter for a human rights organization, translated novels for a German publishing house, worked as a travel guide in England and the U.S., and served as a social and cultural counseling assistant for the Goethe Institute in Germany. For the last ten years he has taught English as a second language and German language and literature to senior high school and first- and second-year college students in Germany. He has traveled extensively in Europe, North and Central America, and Asia, and is an avid reader, runner, photographer and motorcyclist.

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