3 questions about 5 things answered by 7 people. Go!

“What are five things you used to believe?”

1. She furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips, thinking about how she could answer this question. Then she sat up and exclaimed, “I used to think there were tiny people who lived in my car who would play little instruments and sing when I turned on the radio!” When I asked her about the book, she went on to enthusiastically tell me about how her favorite book, The Littles, was about people the size of your thumb that lived in our world. She also continued to say she thought Star Wars was a documentary.

2. “I STILL BELIEVE IN SANTA!” she blurted out. She started to defend herself, explaining how she knew there had to be someone who gave gifts to less fortunate kids every year. As I calmed down from laughing, she smiled and then went silent. She blankly stared at her computer screen for a couple of seconds before finally saying, “This is a hard question because I believe in everything.” I laughed again and told her she could say anything, it didn’t have to be deep and meaningful. She settled on telling me that she didn’t believe Jack in the Box had better tacos than Taco Bell.

3. This girl immediately began to laugh. “I thought Michael Jackson was really alive. Like, legitly,” she said through breathless giggles. I started to laugh too and asked her when she stopped believing in this. She started to laugh harder and told me she had just stopped thinking this three years ago. When we finally stopped laughing, she told me more about her beliefs. She used to think art had to be more realistic to be good, which stood out to me because I knew she was going to school for art. She also talked to me about how she formally hated rap music, which she thought was “lazy and dumb”, and is now her favorite type of music.

“What are five things you’ve always wanted?”

4. As soon as I finished asking this question, she turned her head away and to the right. She starred off as if she were looking for the answer somewhere far away. She turned back to me and started listing material things for me; a pet turtle, a Kanken backpack, to go to Italy. Then she stopped and looked away from me again and told me she had always wanted to be loved. There was a pause and then she suddenly snapped back to look at me in the eyes again. “WAIT is anyone going to know who I am?” she questioned. When I told her she would be completely anonymous she sighed in relief and went back to the relaxed position I had found her in, sitting in the chair with her shoulders hunched slightly, the book she was doodling in on her lap.

5. “What kinds of things? Do they have to be objects? Can they be, like, feelings?” she asked immediately. I told her they could be either and she quickly began to list things from tea pots to politics. She continued eating her breakfast as she talked me excitedly about the things she had always desired. I loved listening to her talk about a six-foot lemon tree she wanted, a watermelon shaped tea kettle, and a house on a cul de sac that she had seen on her favorite cartoon as a kid.

6. Right after I asked the question she answered that she wanted to be happy. She went on to tell me she wanted to give back to her family because of all they had done for her. She continued by saying she wanted to make a lasting difference in the world. Her next thought was for having children. The last thing she told me was about her desire to make the meat industry more sustainable, “Although I think that maayyy be out of my reach…”. This person was very selfless and kind. Her thoughts were for the good of others, which is something no one else I had interviewed had said before.

“What are five things that were taken away from you?”

7. She looked at me intently, as if she could find the answer written on my face. She then looked up and paused. She began telling me about the college of her first choice being taken away by her financial situation. I nodded, listening to her story until it came to an end. Without pausing she listed the next item: “Dairy, in general. I REALLY LIKE CHEESE!” I started to laugh as she talked about her newfound lactose intolerance. The next thing she told me about was the disillusionment she experienced when she realized her parents weren't the perfect people she thought they were all throughout her childhood.

8. I watched her as she sighed, almost deflating in her chair. She then told me about the years she had spent in middle school and how in high school she wanted to continue playing. Her plans were changed when she tore her meniscus in freshman year. “I was really good at it too. But you know, bye-bye to that.” She laughed and so did I. She told me a little bit more about volleyball, and how she continued to play despite the warnings of her friends, family, and doctor.

Asking these questions helped me learn more about the people I interviewed, people I thought I already knew everything about. The nature of these questions was pretty intrusive and personal, which makes them even harder to answer on the spot but even better to write. This was a really fun way to practice writing in a more prose-y style and quickly taking down notes during an interview.