20 Facts About You
20 Facts About Me
1. I am my mother's only child and my father's only child.
2. I have vivid and sometimes prophetic dreams. I had a dream about a woman that I had never seen before and the next day, I met her. She was wearing the same clothes from my dream and we shared the same last name. Sometimes I would hear someone speaking to me in my dreams and everything they said came true. I also saw someone try to appear in my room and they disappeared with a loud pop. Therefore, I make careful note of my dreams and their messages. I have a dream every single night and remember them all.
3. As a child and teenager, I would memorize long verses of poetry. I would memorize and recite poems that were sometimes 80 or more lines. I would travel throughout St. Louis to barbershops and beauty shops and recite as I marketed my artwork.
4. Although I majored in English and visual art in college, I actually desired to major in Afrikan and Afrikan-American studies. I decided not to after speaking to several people. If I were to return to school again, I would not pursue a degree related to art. I would rather take up studies in religion, holistic medicine, library science.
5. As far as flavors are concerned, I absolutely cannot tolerate MINT or CINNAMON. As far as I can remember, I have always despised mint. I hate the smell of it, I hate the taste and thought of mint. Brushing my teeth is usually an unpleasant experience, but I brush them with mint twice daily. It does not matter what type of mint it is, loathe them all: peppermint, wintergreen, spearmint, etc. If a product has mint in it, such as a hair oil, shampoo or tea, I will not use it, drink it or eat it. As far as cinnamon, I can slightly tolerate it. I used to eat lots of cinnamon rolls as a child. Now, I dislike it. I don't get candles, teas, body products with cinnamon or pumpkin spice/brown sugar (which both remind me of cinnamon).
6. My elementary and middle school started with the letter C. My junior high started with the letter C. And both of the colleges I went to began with the letter C. Every year of college, I lived on the third floor no matter what dormitory building. And each apartment I lived in began with the number 4.
7. As a youth, I had many pen pals around the world. I had pen pals from Germany, Australia, Ghana, South Africa and a few other places. When I got older, I joined Postcrossing.com and received postcards from around the world.
8. Every single day, twice a day, for the past several years, I have been asked either where I am from or "Are you Ethiopian?" or "Are you Indian?" EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. OF. MY. LIFE. EVERY.SINGLE.DAY! I am asked on the street, on the bus, in the store, at work, walking home, online. It is literally the most common question I am asked. When I say, "I am from St. Louis," people have called me a liar, people keep asking me more questions about my origins. They say, "No, WHERE are you FROM?" or "No, where are you ORIGINALLY from?" as if the answer I gave had no substance. I have had people scream at me because they thought I was lying. I have had people come up to me speaking in Amharic, Somali, Spanish. or whatever language they believe matches the place that they believe I originated from. How I respond differs from person to person. I am also mistaken for Muslim due to the shawls I wear in cold weather.
9. Though I have worked with children for a number of years, I never desired to be a school teacher. Even as a child, I never wanted to become a teacher. This does not mean that I dislike children, I would rather have complete control of the curriculum and I do not want to be in a classroom. I also would rather be the tutor of one child instead of 10. I hold teachers to a high standard because I appreciate the miracles that they can create in young people. However, not everyone is made for that field, especially me.
10. Even though I am rather whimsical, I try to be a very disciplined and simple person. I aim for artificial things attached to my body or on my skin. As a result, I don't wear makeup (unless I have to) or synthetic braids, weave, or wigs or get grills. I have never dyed my hair. I have no tattoos or non-ear piercings. I don't drink, I have never smoked cigarettes/cigars/vapors/marijuana, I don't drink, I don't go out clubbing or to bars, I don't wear promiscuous clothing or show a lot of flesh. Not surprisingly, I have been accused of being uptight due to this or that I am not allowing myself to live or have fun. I only have these standards for myself, I don't mind if others choose such a lifestyle. I actually find wild colorful weaves creative, tattoos artistic, risqué clothing an expression of sensuality and party animals people trying to experience life in their own way. However, for me, I want to spend my energy creating and trying my best to be authentic, save money and to not pollute my body.
11. I do not read fiction books unless it is required, if it is a classic or if it is a book I am encouraged to read. I read non-fiction because I find real life stranger than fiction. I also don't watch movies but documentaries instead.
12. I have an addiction to chocolate. I love chocolate so much, I have to cut down on eating it. I love chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies, etc. As far as candy bars, I like Hershey's with Almonds, Godiva, Kit Kat (my favorite) and Dove Chocolate. Ironically, I don't like hot chocolate or chocolate ice cream.
13. I am five feet tall but people think I am taller. Maybe because my ego is a 397 ft. skyscraper.
14. I have a few phobias. I am afraid of elevators because I was stuck on one alone as a child. I am also afraid of heights so I have difficulty making myself go on airplanes, high train tracks and roller coasters. Large dogs, corpses, being trapped in a space, bullets, horror films, shadow beings, etc. I am also slightly frightened of the dark so I make sure there is something that emits light into my room at night.
15. I like to learn about different belief systems and try to study each one thoroughly. I find people who practice that spiritual system or made up their own and ask them questions about their beliefs. My talks with them influence how I operate spiritually. I found a Christian woman online who covered her head whenever she read the Bible. I thought that this was interesting and decided that perhaps I should cover my head if I were read any sort of sacred book or manuscript. Prayer beads were also something I thought were pretty neat after reading about rosaries, malas and Pagan prayer beads. The more I read, the more similarities I see.
16. As a youth, I kept journals. I would write in them daily. There was a period of time where I journaled every single day for six years.
17. I don't have any children of my own. I want them after I am married.
18. I was in choir for seven years. I am not a talented singer but that doesn't stop me from singing everywhere.
19. I like to collect plants, particularly pothos, baby rubber and jade. Back in college, I had a jade plant that I truly loved. Whenever I would feel extremely thirsty, it meant I needed to water my plant. If I became sick, my plant would wilt, but as soon as I got better, it would get better too. I couldn't look at plants the same way after reading The Secret Life of Plants.
20. I usually don't read a book twice unless it is so powerful, I have to reread it in order to study its ideas. My favorite books are "The Complete Works of Florence Scovel Shinn" by Florence Scovel Shinn, "Scientific Christian Mental Practice" by Emma Curtis Hopkins and "A Wreath for Emmett Till" by Marilyn Nelson.
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