2 Mar Estudiante del mes
Alisha Garber
First of all, we’d like to thank you for letting us interview you. We’d like to know you better, so we’ve got a few questions for you. It’ll be a fun way to practise your Spanish too!
1. Could you introduce yourself? Who are you, where are you from and what do you do?
My name’s Alisha Garber and I’m American. I studied Arts at uni with an emphasis on bronze sculpting. I love dinosaurs, sushi and I’m crazy about the Muppets. I also love travelling with my husband (especially trying out new food and local beers) and I’ve worked in six different countries. Nowadays, I’m studying Spanish here at BCNLIP and working for the Mennonite Church in Spain. I’m 33 and been married to Josh for 12 years. We have a son, Asher, who’s 20 months old and full of energy!
2. How long have you been living in Barcelona? What made you choose this city?
I’ve been here for 7 years and I live in the Horta neighbourhood. Before moving to Spain, I worked for the US military for 10 years and 4 years for a university in Lithuania. My husband and I were looking for a place to settle down and we found a good connection with the Mennonite Church here in Barcelona. We live in a communal house with 8 other families from different countries. It might sound a bit strange but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Learning to love people from a different culture to your own is very important. Sharing the housework and friendship is a very significant part of our lives.
3. We decided to choose you as our Student of the Month to thank you for your contribution to our Xmas party. We still remember your pumpkin pie!! So, do you like cooking and have you tried cooking any Spanish or Catalan dishes?
I love cooking, I’ve even won cooking contests. That Pumpkin Pie recipe is extremely important to our family because it was invented by Josh’s gran during The Great Depression in the US. Food was scarce, but they were able to grow a lot of pumpkins on their farm. This recipe is the result of necessity.
My kitchen’s always open to those who wish to learn how to make this pie! There are so many delicious things to eat in Barcelona that my learning to prepare them isn’t improving much; I need to work on my tortilla flip!
4. Barcelona is full of fascinating places, is there a place that you particularly like?
Barcelona is full of surprises. I like taking my son to Parque Ciutadella and to the zoo. We enjoy walking around in our neighbourhood. Horta is full of small gardens and parks, shops and local restaurants. Our favourite is a bar called ‘La Filomena’: delicious craft beer, free tapas, they play classics of Rock music and there are plenty of toys for the kids to play with. It’s a little slice of Heaven just a kilometre away from our place.
Come round and have a beer with me anytime you like!
5. Let’s talk about BCNLIP, what do you like most about us?
I’m really surprised at how my Spanish has improved since I started my classes here back in July. Before moving to Barcelona, I could barely ask for a margarita in Spanish. Now I’m much more confident in my abilities to speak. Sofía and the teachers are all very encouraging; they help me take risks without fear or embarrassment. This week with Mayka, we learned how to use ‘connectors’ in anecdotes. I told this story in class: A few years ago, I was speaking at a conference where Michael Jordan (the basketball player) was a special guest. After my presentation, I went to greet him but my mind went blank! Instead of saying ‘hi’, I blurted out ‘Your zipper is huge!’ How embarrassing… it was literally the size of my forearm and just right at eye level… the following year, we met again and he called me ‘Zipper Girl’.
Being 33, I’d never imagined going back to a classroom as a student but the transition has been easy at this school.
Thank you!
