All Creatures Great and Small
You may have already met my hermit
crabs, but there are still other important living things in my life--
like my family, friends and dog.
I also have two spider plants, two African violets, a poinsettia, a pineapple,
and a bonsai tree in my dorm room. And though I don't mean to brag, I can't
argue the point that I'm living too, and I guess I have to be included
in these pages somewhere. So here.
My name is John, but you can call me
Ishmael if you really really want to. I was born in Norfolk, Virginia while
my family was living in Elizabeth City, NC. Then my family moved to a job
in Tarboro, NC (the one that
flooded). Then when I was about ten my family followed the job to Wake
Forest, NC. Then when I ran out of school, I moved to UNC-Chapel
Hill.
FAMILY
Those are the rough and ugly logistics
of my life. How about a bit about my family? I have two parents and a
dog (and my hermies) in my immediate family,
with an extended family including uncles, aunts, and cousins. I have no
siblings, but have my basset hound named Baskerville,
who is "my Baby".
Mom
My Mother's name is Dagmar. This may
seem like an unusual name for an American, and it is. But she is originally
German, although she is now a naturalized citizen. She has two sisters,
both of whom still live in Germany. She was trained as a librarian, and
thus is very well read (it is well known). She met my father while he was
stationed in Germany during the early 70's.
My Mother's family was on the run
West from the Russians at the end of the war, and it was on this flight
that my Mother was born. The story goes that they crossed the curtain,
with a bribed guard and my Mom in a baby carriage. She then grew up in
Muenster,
in Northern Germany near the Dutch border. WWII and the Cold War have had
an incredible effect on my family history. you still can't speak Russian
around some of my German relatives without evoking a severe response.
Dad
My Father's name is Jack, and during
the Vietnam War he took an Army ROTC scholarship to Georgia
Tech. He knew he had a high chance of getting drafted, so he volunteered,
got the US to pay for college, and to send him to Germany for four
great years. After the Army, he became
a lawyer because he had to do something and he still is one.
His Father grew up an a small farm,
and went to college because he "didn't want to spend the rest of his life
behind the North end of a South-bound mule". He became a chemistry professor
at ECU, along with his wife (my Dad's
Mom), who was a city girl who grew up to be a math professor. They provided
my father with an older sister (another chem professor) and a younger brother
(an economics prof). I've got another uncle in Germany who is a geology
prof, so we've got a lot of profs.
My Parents got married, and eventually
had me. This resulted in my having a lot of German family members and being
half German.
On the summit of the Tooth of Time at Philmont
SELF
Tarboro
I don't really remember anything from
Elizabeth City, so let's just skip that. I attended pre-school through
fifth grade in Tarboro. One
of my old elementary schools was flooded and demolished here during the
recent flooding, which is really pretty incredible to me. But oh well.
The town itself is really pretty, and is definitely worth a day on a bike.
My house in Tarboro was bordering
the woods, and there was a nice creek, and there weren't a whole lot of
kids my age... so I learned to use knifes and ropes and laid a strong foundation
for the woodsy/Scoutsy things I have done since then. I was in Tiger Cubs
(the Scouting organization for really young kids). I was in musicals and
things, and sang in the church choir and was a lay reader. I was also a
very good student. All of these things show up again later.
Wake Forest
When my Dad's job moved to
Wake
Forest, so did we. I attended
Middle
and High school here, and
again was a very good student (at least good enough to get into UNC-CH).
See, I told you this stuff came up again. I kept doing musical stuff, playing
trumpet in school for seven years (four of them I was in Marching Band).
I started playing the old guitar my Dad got in the Army and never learned
to play. I got involved in Drama again my last two years of High School,
and made it to Honors Drama and was awarded for my guitar playing.
Because of foreign family and
wonderful student ambassador/exchange programs through Rotary and People-to-People,
I have had the opportunity to do quite a bit of travel. The travel experiences
have taught me a lot about a lot, and are reasons behind some of my current
academic interests (my major and minor) and interests in cultures, foreign
cultures....
I kept busy in the Church, as an acolyte
and lay reader, and eventually as a Senior Acolyte. I kept up with Scouts,
and eventually became an Eagle Scout with three palms. As far as how I
kept up with all the artsy/craftsy/woodsy/Scoutsy stuff, just take a look
at my dorm room.
UNC
I am just beginning the second
semester of my sophomore year here at UNC. I am an Anthropology
major (no longer an International
Studies major) with a minor in German.
I had to take so much German
for I.S. that I just kinda stumbled upon an unintended yet fortuitous minor.
I'm working hard academically, having made Dean's List for all on my semesters
so far.
Socially I stay busy. I was in Army
ROTC, but my eyes have bad enough astigmatism that I can't pass a commissioning
physical. I did Ranger
Challenge
in ROTC, got to do a lot of neat things, and learned a lot about a lot
more than just the Army. I'm in the Outing
Club, where I occasionally have people problems with my more hard-nosed
effectiveness (hey guys, we were s'posed to canoe six miles North,
not six miles
South), but have a good time anyway.
I tried some stuff with the Y
here, but the van times didn't fit my schedule and I was team leader of
a team which dissolved from under me, so I dropped that. I'm in Kyokushin
Karate, which I really enjoy, and have been doing now for several months.
I've also just recently started working with Habitat
for Humanity, which is good.
I have a roommate and a bunch of pre-arranged
suite mates, so we've kinda got our own little compound.
You've done some reading. Would you
like to do some seeing?
Me got Resume!
Something tells me it's all happening at the zoo. But
otherwise....