Name: Gabriela Anaís Lanauze Torres
Hometown: Guaynabo
Grad Year: May 2016
Major: French and Linguistics
Relationship Status: “Committed relationship with myself” (she’s funny, too!)
Favorite colors: Navy blue, black everything, and burgundy
Current Song on Replay: “Water Me” by FKA twigs and “Yegua” by Babasónicos
HCUPR: How do you spend most of your free time?
G: I love reading, especially novels about dystopian societies. I also enjoy going to the movies and watching foreign films in order to practice French. I like to read about fashion and the arts, my favorite designer has to be Yohji Yamamoto. Sometimes I enjoy driving around and doing road trips, or watching a little bit of anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Kill la Kill are my favorites. Also, is drinking wine a hobby?
HCUPR: What’s your favorite food and restaurant?
G: Sushi is most definitely my favorite food, as well as almond butter. Locally, I love Fleria Theo’s Greek Café in Santurce. Veganism isn’t very popular here so when I travel, I love finding vegan-friendly places, and Pure Food and Wine in New York most definitely takes the cake.
HCUPR: What are some of the biggest turn-offs for you?
G: Arrogance, dry sense of humor, ignorance, and compliance, and laziness.
HCUPR: Who’s that one celebrity you can’t resist?
G: Adrien Brody, he killed me in The Pianist; also there’s Waris Ahluwalia.
HCUPR: What do you see when you envision your Dream Partner?
G: First of all, he has to be able to make me laugh. I think humor is so important in life, so that’s the first thing I’ll notice in others. I’d like him to be kind-hearted and proactive, even though I don’t expect him to have all his life planned out and going perfectly, but I like people who have goals and are determined to work hard to make something out of themselves, no matter the circumstances.
HCUPR: What’s your idea of a perfect date?
G: Maybe getting some dinner at a nice, quiet restaurant and then lounging, watching a movie or going to a nice bar afterwards, but I always appreciate originality.
HCUPR: What has been the best date you’ve gone on? And the worst?
G: Best date was with this Belgian boy while we were in Holland, we ended up going to a gay parade with lots of dancing and music and eating at a really good Indonesian place. Worst date? I prefer not to look back at those.
HCUPR: Is there a person that inspires you?
G: My parents are quite inspiring. They have worked so hard all of their lives to financially provide for my siblings and for me, yet have never once failed to emotionally support us and help us in everything. They could get home at 8 PM on weekdays and still made sure to make us dinner and help us with our homework. Even to this day,with all of us grown up, working and studying, they make sure we stay focused on our studies and give us a hand any way they can.
HCUPR: What book are you currently reading?
G: I am reading Nietzsche and Maryse Condé for school but for personal enjoyment I have just started to read The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath.
HCUPR: Can you share some of the items on your bucket list?
G: Ideally, I’d like to start my Doctorate degree in Linguistics and specialise myself in another language, such as German. I’d love to be able to move to Europe, places like Denmark or Norway seem so beautiful. Plus, I love the cold.
HCUPR: Is there any weird quirk that we should know?
G: Sometimes I gasp really loudly in the middle of a shift or in my apartment, and that usually scares people. I also get way too excited when I see a cat.
HCUPR: What are some of your guilty pleasures.
G: Wasting time on Tumblr and buying books even if I have countless ones in my possession that haven’t even read. Wearing too much black.
HCUPR: What has been your most embarrassing moment?
G: Way too many to count, but one time I accidently opened another person’s hotel room and they were doing the deed. Safe to say I avoided going out for a while.
HCUPR: What are some words you live by?
G: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning.
HCUPR: One last thing if you don’t mind sharing: what’s your secret spot?
G: Libros AC is a good place to read and grab a cup of coffee. Also, countless places around Humanidades that are quiet and full of nature, perfect for reading as well.