50 ELLSWORTH AVENUE

Cuando mi colega y yo nos mudamos de casa de mi amiga la catedrática, nos casamos y alquilamos una casa de cinco habitaciones, enorme, con un jardin precioso que por supuesto teníamos que compartir porque no podíamos hacer frente al alquiler nosotros solos. En la Universidad mi colega hizo amistad con un italiano que tambien estudiaba allí y le sugerió si quería compartir. El italiano dijo que sí que encantado. Vino a casa y le reconocí enseguida ( le había visto crecer en el "HOLA") era Milko Skofic, el hijo de Gina Lollobrigida. Mi colega no tenía ni idea... Acabó viviendo con nosotros durante dos años hasta que acabó la carrera y regresó a Italia. Era extremadamente bien educado y bellísima persona. Recuerdo que sus padres le llamaban a menudo, mientras que su padre era encantador y muy correcto cuando llamaba Gina, muy altivamente en plan diva, decía: "Milko pronto!". Luego encontramos a otros que tambien compartieron nuestro hogar. Pero nuestra casa era el centro neurálgico activista de todas las minorías étnicas que habitaban la ciudad. Mi colega había sido un leader político universitario en Madrid e intelectualmente le atraía y apasionaba ayudar a los más desprotegidos. Por lo tanto soliamos tener reuniones de los separatistas eritreos, los isrelies pro palestinos, refugiados de Azania (que no sabía dónde estaba-- es el nombre africano de Sud Africa). Teníamos un muy querido amigo uruguayo que siempre estaba tocando la guitarra y cantando : "A Desalambrar... a desalambrar....". Los amigos españoles que venían a nuestra casa flipaban con el ambiente... Fue un periodo de mi vida muy enriquecedor y, la verdad, que nuestra casa era la única en Toronto dónde podías venir sin llamar antes, para avisar de tu llegada. Llamaban a la puerta y eran bienvenidos.

When my colleague and I moved from my friend the professor's house, we married, and rented a five-bedroom house with a lovely large garden which, of course, we had to share because we couldn't afford it on our own. At the University my colleague had an Italian friend to whom he suggested if he would like to share a room. The Italian said yes, that he would love it. He came to our house and I recognized him right a way (I had seen him grow up in "HOLA"). He was Milko Skofic, Gina Lollobrigida's son. My colleague didn't have the slightest idea... He ended up living with us for two years until he finished his studies and went back to Italy. He was extremely well educated and a wonderful person. His parents called him often and while his father was very charming and correct, his mother Gina was very haughty and diva-ish, she always said: "Milko, pronto!". Later we found other lodgers. Our house became the neuralgic activist centre of all the minorities that lived in the city. My colleague had been a Madrid University student leader and intellectually he was attracted to and loved to support all the unprotected people of this planet. Therefore, we had meetings of the Eritrean separatists, Israelies pro Palestinians, Azanian's refugees (I didn't know where THAT was, it turned out it was the African name for South Africa). We had a very dear Uruguayan friend who was always playing his guitar and singing: "We have to destroy the fences...we have to destroy the fences..."
Our Spanish friends who came to our house, actually flipped with the ambiance... It was a very enriching part of my life. Our house was one of the only ones in Toronto where you could come without calling in advance. Everyone that knocked at our door was welcome.