Princess M   

★★★★★

English and Tagalog Certified Teacher with Masters Degree in English

What is your favorite word in your language and why?

I really love the word "alpas." It means to be free or break loose, and I love it because it describes who I am. I like being free and defining my own terms and boundaries.

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

I always tell my students that "Philippine adobo" is one of the best dishes in the world. It is also easy to cook anywhere in the world since the ingredients are not limited to the Philippines. As long as you have pork or chicken, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, and some sugar, you can make your own version of adobo.

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

I am a fluent English speaker and am now learning Spanish and Japanese.

What are your interests outside of teaching at Strommen?

I love music. It is my first love. I like making my own songs and playing my guitar, even if I am bad at it. I am also a movie enthusiast. I can just watch movies all day long. If there is no internet, I love reading books. It is my dream to have my own library at home.

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

I was born and raised in Marikina City, in the Philippines. I still live here. I consider it one of the best cities in Metro Manila. It is very safe; the food is delicious (in fact, we are about to be crowned the food capital of the Philippines because of the number of restaurants and cafes you can find all around here), and the biggest shoes in the Guinness Book of World Records are found here.