This post is going to establish all the background knowledge that you need when reading my blog. This way, I won't have to continually re-introduce things every post. You can just come read this one.
Name: Zoë
Graduation year: 2011
Major: Biochemistry and Creative Writing
Public or private high school? Public
Current dorm: Off campus!
Why Oberlin?
Past Winter Terms: Penang Hokkinen Dialect
Japanese Occupation of Malaysia
Service to Telica, Nicaragua
Instruments I play:
Violin - Twelve years
Cello - About two years of actual lessons; eight years total
Recorder - Soprano mainly, though I'm working on alto and play a fair amount of tenor; self-taught; eleven years
Flute - Largely self-taught; one summer of lessons; six years
Types of dance that I do:
Ballet - Eighteen years; I found a class at Oberlin!
Bharatanatyam - Three years
Break dancing/Hip-hop - Via SPARK (Street Performance and Rhythm Kollective); a bit more than one semester, and I still need a lot more practice before I begin claiming I'm any good
Modern - On-and-off-and-on-again over the years; currently very off
Foreign languages I speak:
French - Nine years
Italian - Two years formally, about three years worth of knowledge
Mandarin - One semester
Hokkien - One Winter Term and some self-study
Spanish - Absolutely no formal training, but I can usually guess at it or just speak Italian
Current classes
What do you do when you're not in class?
Do homework, organize things for College Orchestra, practice, go to CSA meetings, hang out in Asia House, hang out at my house, daydream, spend quality time in the Science Library, read too many young adult books, and go to church.
Top six books: (not in order)
Visser by K. A. Applegate
Melusine by Lynne Reid Banks
High Wizardry by Diane Duane
Across the Wall by Garth Nix
The Night My Sister Went Missing by Carol Plum-Ucci
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Fun facts:
- I'm half Chinese, but my family is from Malaysia. This confused me when I was younger. Now I pass the confusion on to you.
- I don't like chocolate.
- I do math on a calculator faster in Reverse Polish Notation.
- You'd be surprised at how many people call me Chloe. At this point, I just go with it, rather than trying to correct them.
