Relocating to another country is a dream come true for many people, yet when the language is a nightmare it can be a major deterrent. But a 36-year-old former gardener from California who flunked Spanish language at high school embraced his fate when a short-term stay on the island of Mallorca led to him finding the love of his life and starting a flourishing business – one that he’d never have dreamed of starting. Ted Purdom, BA ’11, from San Anselmo, California, graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in English and enrolled in an overseas language program, aiming to learn Spanish.