| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | I grew up in a very cold and snowy rural area. My strongest memories as a child are being in snow-filled pine forests. The atmosphere was magical: bright white pristine snow, vivid green tree tops, the mist from my breath, and near complete silence due to the sound attenuation effects of the deep snow and still air among the trees. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | My grandparents--especially now that I'm older and can relate more to their stories. They all grew up in what we would now consider poverty, and as adults never became much more wealthy, but they're kind and caring, and have so many happy memories of friends, family, and adventures--they've figured out the important stuff! |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | To me, strong character comes from being self-aware and comfortable in one's own skin. From this comes self-confidence, which allows a person to act with kindness and compassion for themselves and others. I also admire people who face their fears head-on and overcome them. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | In retrospect, the funniest things that have happened to me are typically situations in which I felt really embarrassed at the time! One incident happened during my teenage years--that period in which many of us try really hard to project a certain image. During a martial arts class an advanced student was giving us a demonstration of an upcoming skills test in which he had to run through a long series of complex moves that required a lot of concentration. I was sitting with around twenty other students, many of them girls my age. I must have been really into what the guy was showing us, because without realizing it was coming, I noisily broke wind in the dead silent room. The demonstration continued and everyone in the room fought to stay quiet--most of them turning bright red holding in laughter. At the time I was completely mortified, but now I'm glad I provided some laughs! |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I think visiting places vastly different from those we live our daily lives in is a vitally important activity, and I want to see the whole world. If I had to choose, I would take a trip through Southeast Asia and Asia, especially India, China, and Japan. These places have such ancient and established cultures that I would like to understand better. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | My curiosity about the world, and my good health. |
