Q & A

So a few of you stepped up to keep me off the happy pills. Here are the questions I’ve gotten so far. Feel free to submit others.

From Liz:

Q. Based on some of your previous entries it sounds like you've lived abroad quite a bit. What kind of work/cause took you to those places?

A. I spent about two years outside of the United States, mostly doing volunteer work through a Catholic mission program. I was in Rome, Italy, for three months for training; then went to Malawi (in East Africa) for one year to teach at a secondary school/college for girls; then back to Rome for another five months to volunteer in the program’s office. I was supposed to have stayed in Rome for a full year, but was chased out of the country by a psychotic nun. I also spent a semester in Paris my junior year of college.

From Bearette24:

Q. How tall are you?
A. 5’6”. Although I’m slightly above average for the general population, I often feel short because I’m the only one in my immediate family under 5’10”.

Q. What color eyes do you have?
A. Blue-gray

Q. And I picture you with curly hair, for some reason. Is that accurate?
A. Oh yeah. I have very curly hair. Keri Russell curly. Chelsea during the awkward years curly.

Q. Why'd you go to Malawi?
A. See above.

Q. Have you ever been to Antarctica?
A. Not yet, but it’s on my list.

Q. Did you go to UT-Austin? (I thought this for some reason, don't know if I'm right).
A. No. I did my undergraduate degree in Washington, D.C. I’m applying to UT for my master’s degree in anthropology.

Q. What is your place in the family order? (oldest, youngest, middle)
A. Younger of two.

Q. What is your favorite color?
A. Blue.

Q. Which do you prefer, pomegranates or pineapple?
A. I don’t think I’ve ever had pomegranates, so I’ll have to say pineapple. I only started liking pineapple a couple years ago.

Q. Favorite author (I'm suspecting Madeleine L'Engle)?
A. Too hard to pick just one. And it varies by genre. For fiction: Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison. For spiritual writings: Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Madeleine L’Engle. For nonfiction: Jonathan Kozol, Bill Bryson. Poetry: Emily Dickinson.

Q. Were you an English major undergrad?
A. Nope. Communications and French. But I’ve lost what little French I had. I did take enough credits in the English department to get a minor, but I didn’t take the prescribed courses, so . . . I skipped the dead white men.

Q. When's your birthday?
A. August 24.

Q. You mentioned a "new life" after Thanksgiving. Tell us about it!
A. Seems like I’ve been busier than usual lately. I’ve had the usual church meetings, and then I was asked to speak at a different church about “living simply.” And I reconnected with a friend I had written off about nine months ago. Back then, after an intense discussion, I really thought that our values were just too different and that she wasn’t a positive relationship in my life, so I just stopped trying to be friends with her. Then she had a major change in her life---taking on the care of a disabled relative---which really changed her personality and outlook. So we’ve been spending time together, again. And then there’s obedience classes with Rowen and play dates for her at the park.

Q. What is your favorite shade of nail polish?
A. Hmmm. This is a hard one because I rarely wear nail polish any more, but probably a dusty rose color.

From Frema:

Q. Which fictional character do you love the most and why?

A. Samwise Gamgee from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I think because he’s underrated, yet he’s so much at the heart of the story. He’s the unsung hero. He has good intentions that often are very poorly executed (sort of like me), and he berates himself for his mistakes (definitely like me), yet he has so much courage and selflessness (not so much like me).