Vladana R   

★★★★★

Italian and Serbian Teacher with experience working at Italian companies and private tutoring

What is your favorite word in your language and why?

Praskozorje is my favorite word in my mother tongue. In Serbian, it's a compound noun made up of two words: 'praskati' (to burst) and 'zora' (dawn). It could be translated as a daybreak. In addition to its literal meaning, this word can have a figurative meaning of new beginnings or hope. In Italian, my favorite word is pipistrello, which means bat. Yes, that little bat from Batman. I like how it sounds, it reminds me of something tiny and cute. Besides pipistrello as a bat, you can google Pipistrello table lamp and see I am not the only one who likes this word. Gae Aulenti designed a lamp for Martinelli Luce with this name. The lamp will make you understand why.

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

Originally I am from Sarajevo ( in Bosnia and Herzegovina) and our cuisine has a lot of Ottoman (Turkish) influences. I have several favorite dishes, but I have to mention them all. The most famous dish are ćevapi. Ćevapi are small, grilled types of sausages made from minced meat (usually lamb or beef). If you go to Sarajevo, I highly recommend to go to Ćevabdžinica Mrkva in Baščaršija. Besides ćevapi, I love pita (pie) and burek ( a pie with meat). We have different types of pies ( pie with cheese is called sirnica, pie with potato is krompiruša, and pie with spinach is zeljanica). I don't have a recommendation on where to eat the best pies in Sarajevo, because all my life I have eaten the ones that my granny made. Tufahije are the dessert I like the most. It is a dessert made of stewed apples cooked in sugar water, and filled with walnuts and whipped cream. Yes, the best tufahije are at my grandma's place.

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

Besides Serbian and Italian, I speak English and some Spanish. Currently, I am learning Norwegian. At one point in the future, I would like to learn Japanese and Georgian as well.

What are your interests outside of teaching at Strommen?

Although I have many interests, I would say that my main interests are learning new things, expanding my knowledge, and gaining a better understanding of things. In my free time, I love hiking and being in nature, I like literature and reading, I enjoy watching movies and TV series, I adore going to dance lessons, I miss playing djembe, I relax while I am cooking, and I love to travel and meet new people and cultures.

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

In my life, I have moved a lot. I have also changed cities and countries. I have lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia. All places have marked my life, and I can't point to one town. People are the most important thing in all the places I lived in. I have met wonderful and amazing people, and that's why I love every city I have been in. I had the chance to become friends with exceptional individuals.