Randomness about Me

I was born in Maine. For this reason, my dad sometimes likes to refer to me as a maniac (Maine-iac).

I can learn the lyrics to songs pretty quickly, but I am terrible at remembering names. Perhaps I just need to put people's names to a tune and I'll be fine. 

I have been to all continents except for Australia and Antarctica, but before I think about trips to those places, I'd really like to spend more time traveling in Asia. Anyone want to join me?

When I was in elementary school, my dream job was to swim with Shamu the whale. I entered college with a plan to study biology, but I was so miserable in my laboratory classes that I changed my degree to International Studies (largely due to the fact that I had a great professor who encouraged me to do so). 

I have taken German, French, and Spanish language classes. I speak Spanish the best but hope to revitalize my French skills this year. 

I prefer to live in places that are walkable or have cheap public transport. I didn't have or own my own car until I was 32. 

Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love the colors, the songs, the decorations, the Christmas story, spending time with family and friends, being extra generous, and the occasional snowfall. Oh and I also thoroughly enjoy the movies Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone II, and Love Actually. 

I have a super friendly dog named Charlie who is black with white on his paws, chest, and stomach. He's supposedly a corgi lab mix, but I have never done any testing to be sure. My parents are graciously caring for him while I am away.

I like trying foods from countries around the world though I don't get too crazy with the ingredients (no palm beetle grubs or chicken feet for me). My favorite cuisines are Asian and Latin American, but I am also pretty happy with the dishes I've tasted in Africa too. 

I don't have a bucket list per say, but I've always wanted to see the Northern Lights. And if someone ever selected me for a brief role in a movie, I'd be pretty happy with that too. 

People often ask me what I plan to do when I finish this field service with Mercy Ships. I honestly don't know. For now, this seems exciting! If you have ideas, however, I'm open to them :) Most recently, I worked as a public health consultant and a personal chef for a family.