List of ten things about me, Anne

1. My real name is Anne. Anne is not exactly a flashy/elegant name, and I used to wish that it was "cool" like all my friends' names (there was one point when I was four years old where I insisted that everyone call me "Tanya"). I have grown to appreciate it more, though, since it fits my quiet personality (and since I found out that my mom partially decided on the name Anne because of her love of the terrific book "Anne of Green Gables"). My best friend Laila loves giving people nicknames, so at some point in the school year she bestowed me with my very own. I've never had a nickname other than Annie and the name I use in my Chinese classes, Ma Ailin, so I was flattered that someone would think to do this. Laila started off calling me "Annie Bananie", which I absolutely despised (even as a little kid, I hated when people called me this because I thought it was stupid and immature sounding). She asked if Banana would be okay, and I agreed; after all, it is definitely so much more mature than "Annie Bananie". :)

2. I absolutely love traveling. Like seriously love it. If all else fails in my school career, I have decided I will become a flight attendant so I will be able to travel (sort of) and get paid for it. I've always had a passion for learning about different lands, peoples, and culture, and travel is a natural offshoot of this interest. My dad does a lot of international travel for his job, and I've picked up a lot of my enthusiasm from him. I remember the day nine years ago when my parents announced that we would be going to Rome for a week's vacation; I was so darn ecstatic that as soon as I found out I ran down to our computer and wrote a story about it. Since then I've done a fair share of travel, including to China with my Chinese class in high school and to the Rocky Mountains last summer to visit family, but I am always hungry for more. If I was given tickets to any three places in the world right now, I would fly away to Malaysia (I want to go there on my honeymoon too!), India, and Jerusalem. Of course someday, Insha'Allah, I also hope to do Hajj.

3. My fashion sense leaves much to be desired. I am almost always seen wearing a solid-colored long sleeved shirt, long baggy skirts (or the occasional jilbab or abaya), an undecorated hijab, white socks, and plain sneakers. I hardly ever wear jewelry except for earrings. When I'm at home, my hair is always down. My mom refers to me (with disdain) as "Amish", and my friends say that I really need a makeover. I guess I could afford to wear brighter colors and different hijab styles. But I honestly like dressing plain; it's so easy, it doesn't look too casual or too formal, and it never goes out of style.

4. I am twenty years old and still sleep with a security blanket. It's this old white (now grey) thing that has my initials sewn in on one corner by my mom when I used to bring it to preschool with me. It doesn't have a special name or a gender or anything, and I don't really need it to get to sleep. But I always feel comforted and relaxed when I sleep with it, and I don't think I'll ever throw it away (I'll try and refrain from having it with me on my wedding night, though).

5. Besides Massachusetts, Minnesota is my favorite U.S. state. I've only been there once, and that was just for two days when Rachel and I were looking at colleges, but I fell in love with it. Perhaps it was the gorgeous weather they happened to have that weekend. Or maybe it's because I've grown up listening to "A Prairie Home Companion" with my family. Or maybe it's because every single person I met in Minnesota was just plain pleasant (the stereotype of "Minnesota nice" is very true). To any readers out there from the Land of 10,000 Lakes, let me holla at you!

6. My favorite show on television is The Boondocks. It is a show on Adult Swim (Cartoon Network) based off the comic strip by Aaron McGruder about two young black boys, Huey and Riley, who move from Chicago to a house in the suburbs with their Granddad. The show, done in anime-style, is chock-full of swearing and hilarious, smart jokes (it has gained controversy for making liberal use of the "n-word"), and the satire and messages presented in each episode are surprisingly profound and wise.

7. I love my best friends for totally different reasons. With Laila I can talk about matters concerning religion and not have to always explain or defend my beliefs. She is the go-to friend when I want to check out the latest television show or romantic comedy. And she is just so sweet, thoughtful, and an all-around good person. Rachel is the friend who I can talk to about absolutely everything. When I am feeling depressed or in despair, she is the first person I call. She gives the best hugs, and she is the best person to travel with. I feel like Rachel isn't just a best friend, but a sister (cliche, but true). With Tiffanie, I can let loose and have fun. She is hands down the funniest person I know; her jokes are both incredibly immature and brilliant at the same time. She's a great artist, and when I'm feeling creative we write graphic novels together. I have literally spent the night with her every weekend this past summer except when I was on vacation, and I wish she could come to college with me.

8. My sister and I are adopted. I would like to do meet my biological family someday, but I'm not really in any rush; not because I'm mad at them or harbor any negative feelings, but just because I don't feel like I must meet them as soon as possible. I've always had a very laissez-faire attitude about my adoption, unlike the stories people hear of kids who are completely traumatized for life by it and when they finally meet their birthparents they abandon the parents that raised them.
Even though I'm not very sensitive about it, I am definitely pro-life/pro-adoption; there are so many couples out there that want to have children so badly but just can't, and there are even more children that need loving families and safe homes. I really didn't like the movie Juno, because it seemed to trivialize the serious matter of giving up a baby for adoption; I hated that Juno seemed not to care at all about her baby.

9. I have never been to Florida.
When I was a kid this upset me greatly, because everyone else in my classes had been before. I'll add this to my list of places I want to go.

10. My favorite color is green. This is a totally anti-climactic ending. :)