How did Shakira manage to take a summer history class atUCLA in 2007 and not make headlines until after the course was over?
The Colombian-bred international pop star revealed her successfulgame plan in a recent interview with the UK's TheGuardian.
"I used to wear a cap and a big backpack," Shakiraexplained. "I looked like a boy. I didn't get recognized."
When onlookers got suspicious and inquired whether or notshe was the "Hips Don't Lie" singer, she told them that her name was Isabel,which is actually one of her middle names.
Her simple plan worked. Professor Robert Cleve, who taughtthe Introduction to Western Civilization: Ancient Civilizations from Prehistoryto Circa A.D. 843 class, had no idea "Isabel" was actually a pop star.
"She told me she was visiting from Colombia andthat she was just doing this for her own enlightenment and enjoyment," Clevetold the Associated Pressin 2007. "She looked like just an ordinary student. She wasn't flamboyant...shedidn't act like a big celebrity or anything."
The singer, whose song "She Wolf" is No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, sat near the front of the class and regularly stayedafterwards to ask questions, Cleve added. "I was really impressed with howintelligent she was," he said.
Shakira decided to take the class after wrapping the tourfor her album, "Oral Fixation."
When most celebs need a break from the business, they typicallytake a real vacation. They travel to a remote destination, relax, and cleartheir minds.
But Shakira said challenging her mind instead was the ideal getawayafter the tour.
"It was such a long tour, I needed a break from me," Shakiratold TheGuardian. "The universe is so broad, I cannot be at the center of it. So Idecided to go to the university and study history for a summer course, just tokind of switch gears, taste the student life."
Shakira has been known to spend her spare time studying, andlearning about the countries she visits, her manager Fifi Kurzman told TheAssociated Press.
While Shakira did not attend the last few classes, she toldThe Guardian that she enjoyed the experience. "I would go to the universityover and over again if I could," Shakira said.
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