Introducing Myself to the Class

Hey, I’m Meg! I am from Wallingford, Vermont, which is about two hours south of here, right on route seven. Over break I went to Oregon to visit my best friend, Jill, who just moved there in the fall. During the all-day airport/plane adventure to get there, I read an entire book. The book was called Miriam’s Song, and it told the story, in first person, of a girl who grew up in South Africa during apartheid. I was captivated by the story, which was written by Miriam’s older brother who moved to the US and became a famous writer. Miriam’s descriptions of poverty, violence, and political chaos gave me insight into a world I could have never imagined on my own. As a person who has never experienced anything remotely close to Miriam’s childhood, I was deeply moved. I can’t get much more specific without giving away the entire book, but I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about a drastically different culture and an inspiring revolution.
One thing I like about 21st century media culture is that I can stay in touch with my loved ones most of the time, no matter where in the world our travels take us. I have a best friend on the west coast, another in Massachusetts, and a boyfriend in the Coast Guard. Without cell phones and the internet, it would be really difficult to maintain those relationships while we’re apart. On the same note, something I dislike about 21st century media is that it creates the illusion that relationships with other people can be completely reliant on technology. One example that always comes to mind is Facebook. Honestly, what percentage of our cyber “friends” do we actually see or talk to on a regular basis (in person)? As you can tell, I am very indecisive about this issue.
In the future, I would like to be a successful writer, journalist, and environmental activist. I am aware that it can be extremely difficult to build a professional career out of advocacy work. I would also like to be an organic farmer at some point, which will be equally difficult.