Elizabeth V    Spanish All levels

What is your favorite word in your language and why?

My favorite word in the Spanish Language is CHISME (Gossip), of course.... because who on the planet earth doesn't love a little CHISME (Gossip) from time to time to help break up the seriousness of life. The universal word for gossip in Spanish is CHISME. It is a masculine noun, so whether it’s EL CHISME or UN CHISME, we use it to talk about either gossip in general, or a sweet morsel of good gossip. On that note, every night, sitting in a rocking chair on my abuela's porch (Grandma's porch) in Colombia, I personally witnessed some of the finest CHISMES (gossips), poetry, and family stories known to man, passionately told in full living color.

What is your favorite dish from your hometown? If you no longer live there is there a good local restaurant that serves it?

My favorite dish from my hometown Caracas is HALLACAS. HALLACAS are the traditional Venezuelan dish during the Christmas season, made by stuffing a mixture of seasoned meats (chicken, beef or pork), olives, raisins, and capers into a masa (corn dough), made from a blend of cornmeal and various spices, making each HALLACA a personal and tasty special creation. The process is time-consuming, but deeply rewarding, as it allows loved ones to bond while preparing this cherished dish. Each family passes their recipe on through the generations, and every family member gets a task according to their generational status. Mamá (Mom) is in charge of making the guiso, the main filling. The HALLACA then gets passed around the table to get filled. Sisters add olives, raisins, and capers, a brother the shredded chicken, and at the end each HALLACA gets wrapped in fragrant fresh banana leaves and tied with twine like a small gift. With laughs, music, drinks, and stories shared along the way …. always taking me back to my time in Venezuela every time I eat a HALLACA. The restaurant Mi Venezuela, located just south of DTLA near USC and the Art District in Los Angeles, sells Hallacas, and it has South American & Venezuelan Cuisine.

Besides the languages you teach, do you speak or study any other languages?

Certo. Parlo un po' d'italiano! (Yes, I speak some Italian). I studied Italian for four years in Recanati ("La Città della Poesia" or the "City of Poetry"). A very special place in Italy's gorgeous Marche region, in the province of Macerata. Recanati is the birthplace of the greatest Italian poet of the 19th century, Giacomo Leopardi. To this day, I tend to blend the Italian language with Spanish conversation with some Italian friends and I also use the Italian when I travel to Italy. I am currently studying Brazilian Portuguese.

What are your interests outside of teaching at Strommen?

Volunteering, traveling, spending time with family and friends, and enjoying the simplicity of life

What do you consider your hometown? Why do you love it?

Margarita Island, Venezuela, is my hometown, where I have amazing, fond memories as a young girl. I loved playing and swimming in the warm, turquoise colored Caribbean Ocean, exploring the rainforest with my brothers, sister, and friends, and going every day to El Fortin de La Galera (La Galera Fortress), which is an impressive structure that was built in the 17th century to protect the island's inhabits from pirates). As kids, we spent all day climbing trees, connecting with nature, and every afternoon staring at the most beautiful Caribbean sunsets that used to take our breath away. I love and I miss the smell of fresh coffee and the tasty warm empanadas in the morning from "La Casa de Milagros" (The House of Milagros, a small restaurant in town owned by my aunt, where everyone knew her).