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Shakira is intensely interested in world history. She frequently studies the history and languages of the countries she visits. After her Oral Fixation tour ended in summer 2007, Shakira audited a class in Los Angeles at UCLA, on the History of Western Civilization. She used her middle and last names, Isabel Mebarak, and told the professor she was visiting from Colombia so as to avoid being recognized as a celebrity. ^{clip de chacira class="reference">[35]}^[36]

Shakira means "thankful" (شاكِرة) in Arabic.^[10] It is the feminine form of the name Shakir.^[11] Her second name, Isabel, is also that of her paternal grandmother, meaning "my god is my oath", "my god's house" or "my god is abundance". Her family name Ripoll is Catalan. She spent much of her youth in Barranquilla, a city located in northern Colombia. Shakira is widely noted for her keen intellect and is reported to have an IQ of 140.^[12]

Shakira originally recorded the song ¿Dónde Estás Corazón? (later released on her album Pies Descalzos) for the compilation album "Nuestro Rock" in 1995, released exclusively in Colombia. ¿Dónde Estás Corazón? was the Nina-Friederike Gn�dig nude only hit off the album. This allowed Sony to give Shakira a third attempt at making an album. Shakira returned to recording in 1995 with Luis F. Ochoa, using musical influences from a number of countries and an Alanis Morissette-oriented persona which affected some of her next albums,^[17] and made her third studio album, Pies Descalzos, which brought her great fame in Latin America. Pies Descalzos sold over five million copies,^[15] prompting the release of a remix album, titled simply The Remixes. The Remixes also included Portuguese versions of some of her best-known songs, which were recorded as a result of her success in the Brazilian market, where Pies Descalzos sold nearly one million copies.^[15]