That was the first impression I had of the Cosmopolitan Club when I arrived accidentally to Cosmo with my friend Susan. Probably some who attend Cosmo dinners and coffee hours think that I am a resident of the house because they associate me with the club and also because I spend more time there than in my own house. Anyway, this is not an article about me or what I think; this is about the lady who came to the U.S. last January and is from the same country as I am--I mean Venezuela--with the difference being that she has an ancestry that is German and mine is Italian. She obtained a computer engineering degree from the prestigious University Simon Bolivar in Venezuela. She is well-known as Suziko by her Cosmo-mates. She came to the U.S. to improve her English as best as she can, and for other goals that she never expected .... Who knows! It's a mystery to herself! By the way, her name is Susan Rivero.
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| Lucia Romantini, Pam Fernandez, Susan Rivero, and Anna Kasten at the Italo-Venezuelan dinner. |
Prior to her association with the Cosmo Club, she spent a couple of days in a friend's house in Champaign, who introduced her to Andrea Shields, the Executive Director of the Cosmopolitan Club. At that time, I went to the meeting with her and Anna Kasten to assist her as a lawyer if any problem would occur, but the whole truth is that we couldn't stop laughing during the whole meeting. Don't ask me why. The fact is that Susan decided to live at Cosmo and in that precise moment started the fun to us!
Even though we were deeply depressed by the cold weather around Champaign, we found a lot of enjoyment and fun during Cosmo attractions you know: coffee hours, international dinners, parties, and some trips. It should be noted that Susan has been an active member in all these kinds of things. As you know already, she became famous with her Italo-Venezuelan dinner that she made last March. Another fact is that she has never missed any trip, whatever it was, because as everybody says in our country she is a "pata caliente," which means she always wants to be part of everything. Still another fact is the excellent host she is at any kind of reception. One example of this is the preparations and activities she did for the Valentine's Day party with her friends at Cosmo. Then, we can say that she has never missed a coffee hour. In fact, she is studying a strategy for the next Venezuelan coffee hour where there will be lots of surprises with all kinds of delicious plates that she is thinking to make on April 30th.
Well, I'm sure of one thing, I could never forget the whole great moments I've had in this white house, even though it's not a real white house. The people who are there make the difference, and one of these is Susan Rivero, my Venezuelan friend. Of course, there are others, but those people will be part of another story.
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