Distant Language Online International Language School, founded by Natalia Ripalda-Ardila Zavislak, is a dual-language school officially listed in San Antonio, Texas and approved by the organization Dual Language Schools in the USA.  We immerse students in Spanish, including a virtual experience in Spain for online courses and face-to-face courses for students in San Antonio. Courses are primarily taught by a language professor from Spain, sometimes assisted by faculty in Spain and Latin America. Offerings include adult courses, personalized college prep, as well as private tutoring for all ages.

 

Natalia has been teaching English and Spanish since 2002, starting in her home country of Spain.  Because of the Spanish financial crisis, she moved to the UK in 2009.  As an immigrant, she continued on her aspiration to teach Spanish at the university level.  While completing her Masters in Spanish at Instituto Cervantes and Goldsmiths University of London, she worked as a Spanish tutor, English substitute teacher, as well as a Starbucks barista.  It was during that busy time in her life when the idea of creating a business in foreign language instruction first came to her mind.

 

Just as Natalia was finishing her studies in the spring of 2011, she met an American who was in London on business and would soon become her husband.  She moved to the United States with him and quickly fulfilled her dreams teaching at a university.  Living in Maryland, she taught for several years at Anne Arundel Community College and the University of Loyola in Baltimore.  At both schools, students were so inspired by her dedicated and enthusiastic teaching style that many later requested private lessons to continue learning from her.  The overwhelmingly positive feedback further motivated her.

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In 2017, right after having her daughter, Natalia and her family moved to San Antonio, Texas.  Now living in the city that was once the largest Spanish settlement in Texas, she started collaborating on Spanish lessons for the company with friends and family from Spain.  Beyond just teaching reading, writing, and speaking, she wanted to offer live video courses from various regions so students could virtually experience the language and culture from one or more regions of Spain.  With additional connections in Latin America, Distant Language is starting off with Spanish teachers from multiple countries and plans to grow until you can virtually learn the language and culture from almost anywhere in the world.