Meet Jacke and Joan: Spanish Adventure’s Very Own Chefs

Every day after class, excited students anxiously wait for the roar of a bell to fill the halls of Spanish Adventure. This sound can only mean one thing: it’s lunch time. In Colombia, lunch is usually the heartiest meal of the day, consisting of a soup, a salad, a protein, and a carb like potatoes or rice. Here at the school, we have a restaurant onsite where we are treated to amazing meals each day. I sat down with Jacke and Joan, who not only cook us this delicious food but also take time out of their days to help us practice our Spanish: 

Joan preparing food for a fiesta!

¡Hola Jacke y Joan! Pueden presentarse rápidamente?

Hi Jacke and Joan. Can you just quickly introduce yourselves?

Jacke: Mi nombre es Jackeline. Tengo veinte y seis años. Nací en Medellín y he vivido en San Carlos durante cuatro meses. 

Jacke: My name is Jackeline. I am twenty six years old. I grew up in Medellin and I have lived in San Carlos for four months.

Joan: Mi nombre es Joan. Tengo veinte y seis años también. Nací en San Carlos pero he vivido toda mi vida en Medellín. 

Joan: My name is Joan. I am also twenty six years old. I grew up in San Carlos but I have lived in Medellin my whole life. 

¿A qué universidad fueron? 

What university did you go to?

Jacke: Yo fui a la universidad de Antioquia. 

Jacke: I went to the University of Antioquia. 

Joan: Yo igual.

Joan: Me too.

In a conversation I had with Joan about school, he explained how difficult it can be to go to university in Colombia. The private schools are incredibly expensive, and the public schools are extremely hard to get into. In order to gain entry, one must pass a challenging test; luckily, both Jacke and Joan did. 

¿Qué estudiaron?

What did you study? 

Before our bread went in the oven.

Jacke y Joan: Ingeniería de alimentos. Jacki también estudió cocina. 

Jacke and Joan. Food engineering. Jacki also studied cooking.

While I may have previously grouped these two fields together, they are apparently very different. Food engineering focuses more on the science of food and food manufacturing. Their expertise shone brightly when we were given a class about making bread and the science behind the process (they spent 6 months in school just learning about bread!) 

¿Cuáles fueron primeros trabajos cuando salieron de la universidad? 

What were your first jobs out of school?

Jacke y Joan: Este! Nuestro primer trabajo fue iniciar una microempresa de alimentos cárnicos como chorizos, morcilla, y tocino ahumado. Llamada Monte Alma. Además trabajó en un restaurante para la escuela. 

Jacke and Joan: This! Our first job was starting a micro business for meat like chorizos, blood sausage, and smoked bacon. It is called Monte Alma. We also work in a restaurant for the school.

Not only do Jacki and Joan work for the school every day, but they also run their own business, frequently making trips to Medellin to drop off orders.

¿Cuáles son sus comidas Colombianas favoritas para preparar? 

What are your favorite Colombian dishes to prepare?

Jacke: Frijoles y empanadas de papa y carne. 

Jacke: Beans and potato and meat empanadas.

Joan: Me gusta preparar mucho los amasijos Colombianos como pan de queso, pan de yuca, y pandebono. 

Joan: I really like to prepare Colombian dumplings like cheese bread, yuca bread, and pandebono. 

¿Cuánto tiempo han trabajado con Spanish Adventure?

How long have you been working for Spanish Adventure?

Jacke y Joan: Hemos trabajado durante cuatro meses.  

Jacke and Joan: We have been working here for four months.

Describir sus experiencias en la escuela hasta aquí. 

Describe your experience so far at the school. 

Joan: Ha sido una experiencia muy enriquecedora porque he conocido nuevas culturas, nuevas personas, y muy buenas amigas por todo el mundo. 

Joan: It has been a very enriching experience because I have gotten to know new cultures, new people, and very good friends from all over the world.

Jacke: Ha sido una experiencia muy diferente porque nunca había vivido en un pueblo. He conocido y aprendido mucho y siendo esto una buena experiencia. 

Jacke: It has been a very different experience because I have never lived in a small town. I have learned a lot and it has been a great experience. 

¿Disfrutan practicando con los estudiantes aquí? 

Do you enjoy practicing Spanish with the students here? 

Jacke: Si es divertido porque puedes conocer diferentes personas y aprender diferentes culturas. 

Jacke: Yes it is fun because you can get to know different people and learn about different cultures.

Joan: Si, es la mejor parte de estar en la escuela porque interactúas con nuevas personas, haces nuevos amigos, y aprendes mucho. 

Joan: Yes, it is the best part of being in the school because you interact with new people, you make new friends, and you learn a lot. 

One of the best parts of the Spanish Adventure program is that we are given the opportunity to converse with a Native speaker. Each week, we are paired up with a different person, and we get to spend an hour in the morning talking about whatever we would like. I have had conversations about politics, past travels, beliefs about life, funny stories from childhood… It is easily my favorite part of the day. 

¿Cuáles son sus expectativas para el futuro? 

What are your hopes for the future? 

Jacke: Con la escuela, poder avanzar construyendo una familia y poder viajar por todo el mundo. 

Jacke: With the school, to be able to advance in building a family and to be able to travel the whole world.

Joan: Con la empresa la idea es crecer y tenerla posicionada en el mercado siendo referentes a nivel nacional. Con la escuela queremos aprender a conocer nuevos amigos para visitarlos en el futuro. 

Joan: For the business the idea is to grow and to have it be in the market at a national level. With the school we want to learn and to know new friends to visit in the future. 

Getting to know Jacke and Joan has been one of the many highlights of my time at Spanish Adventure. Not only have they accommodated my vegan food needs for the past month (a very difficult task in Colombia), but they have also become true friends. My days will not be the same without the enthusiastic, “Buenos dias Jordyn!!!” that is sure to come from the kitchen when I pass by each morning. Gracias por todo mis amigos. Disfruten sus vidas y los veré en Europa algún día:)

Our Spanish Adventure family.