Pirates Q&A with Gift Ngoepe

What’s your favorite place you’ve visited around the world that isn’t your hometown?

“My favorite place would be Spain. ... I had a fantastic time. I knew a little bit of Spanish from the Spanish I learned here from the guys and in my first year. I thought I knew Spanish, but I went over to Spain and I was like, ‘You know what? I know Spanish.’ And I started talking in Spanish, but the Dominican Spanish. And they looked at me like, ‘What is this guy saying right now?’ ... They speak the normal Spanish, and Dominicans have a bit of a dialect.”

What was it about Spain that really stands out to you as a favorite?

“The environment. It’s kind of a clean place. The people are real nice. Going to the beach. The culture. Just learning how to dance the salsa and the cha-cha. It was just, all around, fabulous.”

You visited Cuba, too. What was that experience like?

“I’ve been brought up in that kind of environment in Cuba, so for me it wasn’t a shock. It was like, ‘Oh, there’s other people that live like this. This is nice. I can do, third-world country.’ So it was fine for me. For other people, it was an eye-opening experience.”

Jason Dill

Faces of LECOM Park

Job title: Bradenton Marauders assistant general manager

Residency: Tampa

Hometown: South Amboy, N.J.

Years at the park: Second year

Fans of the Game

Residency: Parrish

Hometown: Allentown, Pa.

How long she’s been a fan: 10 years

This story was originally published March 21, 2017 at 6:38 PM with the headline "Pirates Q&A with Gift Ngoepe."