Nomad Team
We have a strong international orientation and, in our small way, we promote intercultural and inclusive values. Languages are for us the key to discover new cultures, facilitate social interactions, empower people, and enhance cooperation.
photo by Lisanne Bakker
Giovanna Digregorio
I come from Santeramo in Colle, a small town in the Puglia region, South Italy. In our language trips, I take you there and introduce you to my family, friends, and roots.
I’ve always been interested in languages and trips. While studying English and French at school, I invested my little savings to buy a Spanish course for self-study for 1000 lire and years later I graduated in Foreign Languages for tourism in Bari (Russian and Spanish). I travelled, studied and volunteered all over Europe and besides Italy, I’ve lived in different countries: Russia, Spain, Bulgaria and now the Netherlands.
Nomad Experiences
I gave my first Italian lessons in 2009 in Saint Petersburg while studying at university, but I became a full-time and qualified teacher in 2014 in Sofia, Bulgaria. When living in Italy in 2016 we were the forerunners of working from home: we used to give English lessons to our friends in our house and Peter became famous as the teacher in slippers! We developed the idea of freelancing and teaching everywhere but comfortably from home and we started our Nomad Teacher adventure.
My Interests
Good food (both cooking and eating), good company and good wine. Walking, cycling, and being in nature. Books, cinemas, museums, and old bars. Playing Ticket to Ride with Peter and friends. Travelling slow.
My Teaching
Besides Nomad Teachers, I also work as a freelance Italian teacher at Talenmeester (Hoofddorp) and Italiamoci (Amsterdam). I collaborate with publishing houses and with other training centers in giving webinars to my colleagues. The webinars are appreciated for their practical tips and the involvement of colleagues. I’m the co-author of Proposte per la didattica a distanza: practical ideas for online teaching included in the teacher’s book of Al Dente (Casa delle Lingue).
Qualifications
DILS-PG [Certification in Teaching Italian as a Foreign Language] II level, University for Foreigners of Perugia.
CELTA [English Language Teaching to Adults], University of Cambridge.
TKT [Teaching Knowledge Test] Modules 1, 2, 3, University of Cambridge.
MA Euro-Mediterranean Cultures and Tourism, University of Bari & EMUNI Foundation Slovenia.
BA Foreign Languages & Cultures, University of Bari.
Peter van IJperen
I grew up in Vlaardingen, a town near Rotterdam. My desire to explore interesting places in the world and learn foreign languages dates back to the holidays with my parents in France and Central Europe. As a student, I crossed Europe several times with an interrail ticket and spent two years in Berlin as an Erasmus student. After studying sociology, I worked for several years at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies (University of Amsterdam) and developed a passion for teaching.
Nomad Experiences
In 2011 I decided to move abroad again, got certificated as a teacher of English as a second language and taught English and Dutch in Colombia, Bulgaria and Italy. At a Couchsurfing meeting in Sofia I met Giovanna, we became roommates and happily stayed together ever after. Our desire to teach languages at different locations, to students from all over the world, has resulted in setting up our own language school, Nomad Teachers. We have been living and working in the beautiful city of Haarlem (the Netherlands) since 2018.
My Interests
Mediterranean languages, Syrian / Jordanian cuisine, African and Brazilian music, DJing, gardening, literature and films from all over the world, a game of Ticket to Ride, hiking in the mountains and forests.
My Teaching
Besides Nomad Teachers, I currently work as a teacher of Dutch as a second language at several schools in Haarlem and Amsterdam (Double Dutch, Taalboost, and Nedles).
Qualifications
NT2 [Certification in Teaching Dutch as a second language]
DELTA [Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults] Modules 1&3, University of Cambridge.
CELTA [English Language Teaching to Adults], University of Cambridge.
MA Sociology, University of Amsterdam & Humboldt University Berlin.
photo by Lisanne Bakker
☛ collaborators ☚
Tours
Gianluca Stasolla
Naturalist, entomologist, hiking guide, and founder of the sustainable travel blog Tripeco. Periodically based in Santeramo in Colle, South Italy, but you can often find him also in Tuscany. He walks you through the countryside of Puglia in our language trips.
Fabio Sampaolo
Architect and touristic guide from Santeramo in Colle, currently based in Bari, South Italy. He tells you a bit about the history of the cities in our language trips Italiano nella Puglia rurale.
Workshops
Chiara Dellerba
Artist and curator. You can find her at F-L-A-T-5 in Nottingham, UK, or in her trullo in Locorotondo, South Italy, taking care of her residency programme Zona planetaria. With Nomad Teachers she experiments making pasta online with the workshop Storie di pasta.
AIDE
A non-profit women organisation promoting cultural traditions. During our language trips, they reveal the secrets of fresh pasta making and they share their knowledge in local wild herbs.
Colonna Family
A cheerful family that has been handing down knowledge on sustainable agriculture for generations. In our language trips, they welcome you in their country house and farm Colonna Azienda Agricola in Altamura, South Italy.
Support & Communication
Labarile Family
Our family: Lucrezia, la mamma (the mother), a proud citizen of Santeramo in Colle, she always enlights you with wise dialect saying; Giovanna, la cugina (the cousin), she gives precious tips on good wine from Puglia. You will definitely share some meals with them if you join our language trips.
Saria Digregorio
La sorella (the sister), graphic designer and design teacher. You can find her in Nottingham, UK, or in Santeramo in Colle, South Italy. She takes care of the visual identity of Nomad Teachers.
Lisanne Bakker
Het nichtje (the niece), photographer and dog lover. She lives in Rotterdam and she graduated at the University of Applied Photography. She makes Nomad Teachers look good in photos and videos.