Five Things meme

[qatarperegrine]

kit_ping posted a meme in she wrote about five topics that someone picked because they associate them with her, and then offered to pick five things for other people. So here are the my explanations of five things kit_ping associates with me. (Comment if you'd like five things for you to write about, I guess.)

Travel. I love to travel! Twice recently people have told me they don't like to travel, and I can't imagine what that means; to me it's like saying "I hate weekends!" I like going new places and learning about different cultures and histories and religions. I like seeing the things that are the same anywhere you go in the world and the things that are very different from country to country.

In chronological order, the countries I've visited (not just transited through) are: the US, the UK, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Qatar, India, Egypt, Jordan, Italy, the UAE (Dubai), Morocco, Gabon, Thailand, China (Hong Kong), Austria, the Czech Republic, Sri Lanka and Oman.

Activism. I'm not entirely sure what to say about this one... I grew up in a very politically active family and some of my earliest memories are of political protests. That said, it was my sister and not me who once warmed the cockles of our mother's heart by answering the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" with "An activist!" Nevertheless, we were both raised with a strong sense of social justice, and I guess some of it rubbed off. At various points in my life there have been various social justice causes I cared a lot about (animal rights, gay rights, Burma, worker issues in Doha, etc.) but I wouldn't say I've ever actually DONE enough about anything to really be an activist.

Vegetarianism. Well, that starts out with activism -- when I was 8 or 9 I got really interested in Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund and ending animal testing and so on, and as part of that stopped eating meat. At that time my main motivation for vegetarianism was that animals are cute and fuzzy and we shouldn't eat them. I'd like to think I've developed a slightly more mature perspective on ahimsa since then, but basically that's still my position: I don't think it's morally defensible to cause beings to suffer unnecessarily, and eating meat isn't necessary. That said, I'm a lot less strident about it than I used to be.

College. I guess kit_ping thinks of college when she thinks of me because that's where we met. We both went to the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA (declared the most miserable city in the U.S. by Forbes a couple months ago!). I studied International Relations, which I greatly enjoyed and which surprises me by actually being handy now and then. The thing I miss most about college was the strong friendships with my roommates and other close friends. Life after college is very lonely, comparatively, in that making friends takes much more effort. What I miss least is the angst -- I'm a lot more comfortable in my own skin at 30 than I was at 20, and I wouldn't really want to go back to that even if I could.

Murder mystery parties. I went to my first murder mystery party about four years ago and thought it was an awesome idea: I like costume parties, I like puzzles, I like parties that don't just involve awkward small talk... so murder mystery parties are great! I started hosting them once a year, generally around my birthday, and since the students put one on every fall, I end up going to two a year. Two years ago Justin wrote one for my birthday, and last year we wrote one together. Writing them is fun, but time-consuming!

Televangelists in a Texas-themed party hosted by our colleagues the Gauses.	I'm the servant on the left in this Egyptian-themed party, the first one I hosted. It was ridiculously complicated; it had about five alternate endings, in one of which the world ended.
Wedding photographer at the students' wedding-themed party.	The '60s-themed party Justin wrote for my 29th birthday party.
Witch at the students' Halloween-themed party last year. Here I attack my alarmed friend Mohamed.	My giggle-suffused death throes at my 30th birthday party, at which I was a financial planner advising investing in oryx farming. (Oryxes: the other other white meat!)
Chambermaid in a medieval themed party. I'm the one in a wimple in the middle, teaching students a medieval dance (Horses' Branle).	TO BE CONTINUED...

Comments

[rmitz.livejournal.com]

The televangelists picture is great! It occurs to me that I look dangerously close to that sometimes...

[lynn-thomas.livejournal.com]

I miss all the fun :( I have to say the televangelists is the best too

Murder mystery parties!

[(Anonymous)]

Hi Marjorie -
I'm a fellow expat in Qatar, and I've been reading your blog off-and-on since my husband and I arrived in Qatar in August.

Just saw your post on writing your own murder mystery parties and I am so intrigued. I've never had one of these parties before and I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing your experience with me (or even your scripts!). It sounds like a lot of fun.

My email is jocelynsage2004 at yahoo dot com.

Yours,
Jocelyn