25 Things

25 Things--This was something started on facebook. I thought I'd re-post it here for anyone who may have missed it there and is interested in reading it. It's supposed to be 25 random things about me.

1. I love Ryan’s back massages. No, he can’t give you one.

2. I met my best friend (Ryan) online. It’s a long story.

3. I try to buy at least all of the “dirty dozen” fruit and veggies organic. We’re also planning to do an organic garden at home starting this year.

4. I’m pretty frugal. I love Goodwill. I cut my own hair, do my own nails, pluck my own eyebrows, cut Ryan’s hair, etc.

5. I LOVE tropical places. The only negatives would be that my hair is a “froey” (can that be a word?) mess and my face gets super oily. Gross, huh?

6. I like Honda Civics because they are priced well, long lasting, and economical on gas. We have two.

7. I prefer dark to milk chocolate.

8. I got my nose pierced by an Indian man in India.

9. I danced 11 and ½ years of ballet, tap, and jazz. I’ve also taken a few years of Polynesian (hula & Tahitian) dance and some Sevillana while living in Spain.

10. Speaking of Spain, I lived there illegally for 5 months after they didn’t renew my visa and told me that I had 72 hours to leave the country. I was really scared at first since they had a picture of me at the police station, and I thought they might come to my apartment to get me
at any time.

11. I ate horse meat unknowingly in Italy.

12. I love hiking and being outdoors. I feel closer to God and more meditative during those times.

13. I like cats, dogs, etc. but I don’t want any right now because I don’t want to clean up all the hair.

14. I am surprising myself in that I think that I like gardening. I’m just starting, hence no weeds yet, and I’m enjoying it.

15. I teach English as a second language to adults. Because I get asked so much, no, you don’t have to speak all of the students’ first languages; you just have to be really creative in the beginning. Around the high beginning to low intermediate stage and beyond, it’s best for the students to hear nearly all instruction in the target (i.e. English) language anyway.

16.I will not use any form of hormone altering birth control (i.e. The Pill, patch, IUD, etc) for two reasons: 1) Every form I've read about has at least some risk of aborting a newly conceived life because of the changes it causes to the uterine lining, and 2) I don't like to make my body do unnatural things.

17. I enjoy studying theology and different beliefs. I also like to talk about this but not argue about it.

18. I’m a shaver, not a waxer. I don’t want to intentionally cause myself pain.

19. I hope to work more internationally once Ryan finishes school in about 2 years.

20. I enjoy knitting baby things though I don’t always have the time for it.

21. I’d like to study Arabic. I speak conversational Spanish and took a Mandarin class last quarter.

22. I love traveling (for the most part). I hope to see many more places. I’ve been to most of the U.S. states including Hawaii 6 times. Of countries other than the U.S., so far I’ve been to Canada, Mexico, The Dominican Republic, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Greece, Serbia (Yugoslavia), Egypt, India, Nepal, Thailand, and most recently Indonesia.

23. I studied Intercultural Studies (missions) and bible in my undergrad at Biola University. This May, I will finish my Masters in TESOL (roughly--teaching ESL).

24. I like reading about and listening to messages on marriage and family. I listen to Focus on the Family and Family Life Today frequently online.

25. I lived 14 and 1/2 years in southern Georgia, 5 years in southern California, a total of over 8 years in Washington state, and about a year and a ½ in various places overseas. Add it all up and you’ll get about 29.