I am stealing this from Emily because I thought it was a fantastic idea, although I'm not sure how many of my readers would benefit. We'll see, I guess.
You know how sometimes [your blogger friends] post about stuff going on in their life, and all of a sudden you think "Wait a minute? Since when are they working THERE? Since when are they dating HIM/HER? since when???" And then you wonder how you could have missed all that seemingly pretty standard information, but somehow you feel too ashamed to ask for clarification because it seems like info you should already know? It happens to all of us sometimes.
Please copy my response below, erase my answers putting yours in their place then post it in your journal! Please elaborate on the questions that would benefit from elaboration! One-word answers seldom help anyone out. :)
1. First Name: Karel. Whoo boy, if you don't know my name everything is pretty much hopeless, mostly because it's just a few inches to the left of every latest blog entry. Well, anyway it's pronounced Carol and it is spelled the way it is because my parents didn't want my initials to be C.C. for fear that people would naturally call me 'sissy.' True story.
I have been called Karl, Ka-REL, Karen, Kah-REL (yeah seriously?), Mr. Chan (this was a particularly flustered substitute teacher who thought it better to not even attempt a pronunciation. Too bad if you're an overweight 4th grader, boys think it's really funny to associate you with your opposite gender. What?), and ..... (to which I would inevitably respond, 'It's Karel.')
I used to hate my name, but now I like it for the most part. I only don't like that until people see my written name, they think my name is Carol. Barf.
2. Age: 25. Apparently I could pass for as young as like, 17.
3. Location: Central Jersey Shore, which is where I spent the majority of my childhood. I went to college at Haverford in Pennsylvania, then lived in New York City for three years before moving back home with my parents in preparation to head out to Portland, Oregon in a month. I like Jersey mostly in theory, and I kind of can't wait to leave.
4. Occupation: Erm... I currently tutor part-time at SCORE! Educational Centers, but that's coming to an end in like... a week or something.
In my post-graduate career, I've been an Assistant Director at SCORE!, a Marketing Coordinator at a corrupt children's service organization that I'd rather not name, and a Recruiting Coordinator at Digitas.
I look forward to a day when I can answer this question excitedly and proudly, and people will genuinely be interested to know more about what it is that I do.
5. Partner: I have a wonderful boy in my life named Brian and the more I learn about him the more I love him. We've yet to co-exist in the same state but in the time we've spent together I'm confident that we have what it takes to make it.
I met him back in September 2007 at our friends' wedding - he was one of the groomsmen and I grew up with the bride. He had mutton chops and wore a top hat, and it was the first and only time he's ever so much as worn a jacket, let alone a tuxedo. We called him Abe Lincoln. It took me way longer than I'd thought it would to get him to kiss me. :) Now it's not so difficult!
Oh and he lives in New Hampshire. But not for much longer... we're driving out to Portland together in almost exactly one month...!!
6. Kids: I love them, I want them (though not now of course), I worry constantly about the state of our future because of how crummy U.S. education is. Apparently I've dug myself into holes by claiming to love naughty children - let me clear the air. I love them, but that doesn't mean they don't wear my patience or that I'm always equipped to handle them. Sometimes I'm mean to them, but only when they're mean and whiny first. ;)
7. Brothers/Sisters: Older brother Jason - 2.5 years older - and younger brother Brian - 3.5 years younger. I never imagined that I would end up with someone who shared a name with one of my brothers, but what are you going to do, eh? Somehow their names mean completely different things to me, if that makes any sense.
Growing up I was much closer to Jason - we're a year closer in age than I am to Brian so at times it felt like we were the much older siblings picking on the baby. (Okay, it feels like that sometimes now too...) After Jason went off to college though, Brian and I had two years to bond and I became his confidant on his many heartaches. Being a big sister is totally fun!
My favorite story from our childhood is this: Brian was probably about 6 or 7 and Jason and I were picking on him. He ran away crying to his room, and about 15 minutes later he came back into Jason's room holding his pillow. He showed us the little tearstains on the pillow, and we cruelly laughed and threw the pillow in his face. Oh, it breaks my heart!
8. Pets: I don't have any, and have only ever had goldfish. Brian has two dogs and two cats and they get into all sorts of trouble which has led me astray from the desire to really have any sort of animals around. Also, I know for a fact that I'm allergic to cats and am starting to think I might be allergic to dogs too. Bah!
9. List the 3-5 biggest things going on in your life:
a. Um... I'm moving to Portland in a month? I think that should take up like two or three points. From now until then, I need to organize my possessions, pack, change banks, find an apartment, and start making contacts to do my best to find a job once I get out there. I also need to say goodbye to my parents, see my friends one last time, and then be there with Brian as he says goodbye to his family and home. Kind of intense.
b. Well, Brian and I are going to live together in Portland, which I suppose is kind of a big deal. (Ha! So nonchalant, I am.) Things with him have happened so organically that I'm somewhat unfazed by this idea, but rationally I know that it's going to be a big adjustment. I'm looking very much forward to us starting a new chapter together but also gearing up for the increased responsibility and the potential challenges we might face.
c. That's... kind of... it.
10. Where and for what did you go to school? I majored in English with a Creative Writing concentration at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. I won't say it's gotten me nowhere, because I constantly recognize that my writing skills set me apart from most people in corporate America (sad to say, but it is true), but in order for me to make a difference in my chosen field I'm planning on pursuing a Master's in Education Policy and Leadership starting next fall.
11. Parents: This year is the 30th anniversary of my parents' immigration to the U.S. from Taiwan. They came here for grad school - my dad for computer science and my mother for education, both at University of Illinois in Chicago. My mother taught Special Education for a while before having children and my dad has been a software developer for as long as I've been aware. After being a stay at home mom for about 12 years my mother went back to work as a software tester, which she's done pretty consistently since then.
About four years ago my dad moved back to Taiwan to work, and he and my mother had a long-distance marriage for three years. I'm really not quite sure how my mother managed, living in our four-bedroom, two-story house all on her own for that long, but finally earlier this year he moved back here for good and they now work in the same office building they always worked in together. How adorable, no?
I halfway get along with my parents, I suppose. The cultural gap is ever-apparent now that my brothers and I are all in our 20's, and while my parents are pretty progressive in comparison to their other first-generation counterparts, in some ways they just can't quite understand the ideas in our heads. They're still wrapping their minds around the life events mentioned in number 9.
12. Who are some of your closest friends? I actually kind of hate this question because I don't like leaving people out or whatnot. Suffice it to say that right now in Jersey, I'm pretty far away from all of my best friends, and moving to Portland is only going to bring me closer to one or two of them. I've maintained a lot of long-distance friendships in life so I don't doubt my ability to do it, but it does make for some lonely times. Snif, snif! Pity party!
And now, before 10:00pm on a Friday night, I'm off to bed. I think I've come down with something from having too much fun in New Hampshire...
