Vanessa Willenberg 韦南珊

Foreign Teacher From Germany 

Master of Education 

Proficient in German, Spanish, English, and Other Languages 

Rich Experience in Teaching German, Spanish, and English 

Combination of Both German Rigorous and Spanish Enthusiasm 

Motto: "Break out of your comfort zone and take action. Only then you can rock the world."

With German, Spanish, Irish and American background, Vanessa has experienced life in many different countries. This is where her passion for languages and cultures comes from. While she was working as a translator in Ireland, she started learning some Chinese. However, it was in the USA, at the college where she was teaching, that she actually went to Chinese classes and seriously considered emerging into the culture.

It wasn’t until 4 years later, that she decided taking the big step of leaving her family, her job in marketing and her life behind to move to Kunming. “The position offered at Yunnan University of Business Management sounded so interesting because it gave me the opportunity of being part of a bigger internationalization project. I like teaching, but I also want to contribute in a different way to the educational system. Giving students the chance of using their acquired language skills abroad and living together with local people, getting first-hand experience of the culture, is crucial in their learning process, resulting in greater job opportunities.”

“Kunming is the first Chinese city I visited and it gave me a great first impression of the people, culture and landscape. It is a beautiful and authentic city with cultural richness not seen in too many modern Chinese cities nowadays. The fresh air and blue sky helped me a lot to feel like home.”

Before starting her journey, Vanessa took some Tai Chi and Kung Fu classes which she kept up when she arrived in China. “It is a great way to disconnect and relax and, at the same time, to stay focused and get to know the culture better.”

Before starting her journey, Vanessa took some Tai Chi and Kung Fu classes which she kept up when she arrived in China. “It is a great way to disconnect and relax and, at the same time, to stay focused and get to know the culture better.”