30 Day Questions, Answers

[keepingintouch]

Combining the Alternate and Original Questions, Nate:
Years 0-5: Who remembers these, really? I was born, and so was my younger sister during this time. I remember trying to get my parents’ attention once at night, but they were in bed and they had one of those really high beds. I thought it was an insurmountable task.
Year 6: I remember my baby sister coming to class once, engaging everyone’s attention, and suddenly becoming really popular for a couple of days after that. I’ve admired her ever since.
Years 7-11: Once I got in big trouble during one of those standardized tests for finishing early then throwing a fuss because work was done but I couldn’t play. For some reason it was Dad and not Mom to address the issue at the school. I remember being terrified, and then after a low conversation with the school adults, everyone breaking into laughter. Apparently I already had a reputation. Dad has always said I have been “100%.” All play and silliness and no focus, or all focus and seriousness and clueless on fun. I don’t remember what the joke was.
Year 12: This was the age I was when I formed as an individual for Cory. All the history came with me.
Years 13-17: Was completely focused on school, clubs, and trying to build a reputation as an innovator. Cory was not on my radar as someone interesting to me. She was simply just always there. At this time, I didn’t fully understand that my reality wasn’t real. I didn’t fully understand how interconnected we all were out of necessity.

Years 18-33: So, 20 random facts? I am a private person. I’d really prefer not to share. At 20/21ish I had to face the fact about the reality of my existence and what multiplicity meant for and to me.
Year 34: Was the year I and Journey forced Cory to face the facts about our existence, and make her see that multiplicity was a real thing for her. It was hard on us 15 years prior when most of us had to admit it, and it was hard on Cory then too.
Years 35-39: Journey steadily tries to insist I am not actually this old, which amuses me given the amount of time we’ve had to convince Cory that we have all grown and changed over the years. At least his “insistence” is soft and based on the fact he doesn’t want to admit we’re growing up. Anyway, during these years I had to face the fact that I am very much a tie/glue of the group, something I have always wanted to be (or have always been) without knowing (admitting) it.
So Random Fact #15-16ish: I am the one who refuses to let people give up here. I do everything I can to keep them keeping on. Keep moving forward. Keep going. Because that is life.

#17-18: So obviously I love Meet the Robinsons, despite being a generally serious person.

#19: Journey is pretty much my opposite, and we keep each other balanced. He drives me crazy and it’s good he’s not always around me, but we are best friends.

#20: I am going to protect us. Journey said I’m the most easily pulled to the front. Give us something to be frightened over, and I am here. I stay back and let Cory handle it until she can’t, but then I’m the one that says all the stuff that she won’t. (And, for fact number 21, I am the one with the most private posts in anything we’ve ever done as a group. Cory always privates them if I manage to get them public, but usually she won’t let me do that.)




Cory's answers
1, Having this journal and starting this apparently makes me nervous enough to have Nate actually go first? Weird.
2, I grew up in Florida.
3, I am an ESL teacher of elementary school aged Korean kids. My current students at my current school are the best group of sweethearts ever.
4, Which is good, because it seems health wise this has been a horrible year? I hate doctors. I like Korean medical insurance and Korean medical facilities, but I hate the language barrier and sometimes the culture and I always hate going to the doctor.
5, Mainly because I have a deep-setted fear of basically being told that there’s nothing wrong with me and to go home. (Or of actually getting medicine, because it seems like medicine just makes me more sick a lot of times.)
6, I always tell my students I am 300 years old. And then hobble around the classroom like a grandma for most the class year.
7, Usually I earn some horrible nickname after they discover I enjoy exchanging insults with them. Four years ago it was “Dudo Teacher” (Thief Teacher, because of my collection of pencils students always forgot), “Monster Teacher”, “Kitty Teacher” (ok, that one was nice, because I always wore a cat shirt), “Jellyfish Teacher” (the best thing my students could come with, right after a lesson on sea animals). But this year I seem to be “Hollywood Teacher.” Probably because they like to see me pose after they say it.
8, I can play the trumpet, the clarinet, and the bass clarinet, and play them regularly.
9, I love going for long walks, especially down the Han River.
10, I love reading, but generally cannot find good books here.
11, I also enjoy writing.
12, Most the alters (Nate up there and Journey in a recent journal post and everyone else) have very close relationships with their inner world families. I absolutely do not. Last time I went home, I panicked the whole two weeks before. I was justified. I panicked for like a month after.
13, In Korea though, I am learning from another family from the States that stable relationships actually do exist outside of my inner worlds, and it has been a very good thing for me.
14, I have been called Harry Potter because of a scar I have on my forehead. I got it from playing King of the Hill when I was 7 or 8 years old. I was Queen, and enjoyed tumbling down, and hit my head on a bike handle.
15, That said, I did read the first couple of Harry Potter books and didn't like the main character (Harry himself) so much that I have walked away from bothering with the series and never looked back.
16, I like the color blue.
17, I think Korean food is the best food ever.
18, I didn't even know anything about Korea other than it existed when I originally came here, basically right out of college.
19, I am a pretty introverted person, but I love getting to know people. People are usually shocked at first when I admit I'm introverted, and then soon come to understand it.
20, So I love liminal spaces like airports and the like where I can chat with people!




Journey in particular will probably do this too, but hasn't yet.