| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | My most memorable experience is the story behind the fence my dad built. I used to love to explore as a toddler, so much so that I wandered away from the my backyard quite often. One time, I had gone far down the block unnoticed by my parents. They only found out because a kind old lady had found me, and I led her back to my house. Because of that, my dad decided to build a fence around the backyard. Only problem was, I still managed to escape. As far as I remember, I was looking for my mom to tell her a story. Instead I found my dad in the front yard, who was wondering how I just walked in from down the sidewalk. When he asked me, I took him to the backyard and pointed to a small gap between the fence and the ground. I then showed him how I was able to shimmy down underneath the fence to the other side. My dad had a good laugh, made sure to deepen the fence, and let a bush grow around it. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I most closely identify with my older brother. While I do not see myself in him, he is the closest person I have to my own personal life experience. Growing up as a child of immigrants of a less common culture, there were not many people I know who shared just my kind of first generation experience. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I admire honesty and integrity. I value most in people a sense of maturity where they take ownership of themselves. That is the core of any decent person. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | It is hard to say. I always like to find humor in my everyday interactions and am definitely known to tell jokes constantly. I don't think there has ever been a peak moment of comedy in my life, but I do know I have lived almost everyday with a good chuckle. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I would hike along the Appalachian Trail or the Great Himalayan Trail. I greatly enjoy travelling in nature, reminiscent of the adventure stories I grew up with. I especially like the idea of going along one of these long trails where I would definitely meet interesting travelers. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | I would like to pass on to them a sense of simple living. Specifically, being able to enjoy the little things and know how to live life in a slow and fulfilling way. I want them to be both happy and healthy. |
