As promised, a cast of characters in my house

The descriptions are in order of the pictures, right to left, top to bottom. Pictures are courtesy of an iphone app called "yearbook yourself" (best ap ever)

Carolyn—a 2^nd year JV from California. She has some killer dance moves and her hobbies include cross-stitching robots. She also tells excellent stories about the people she sees at the homeless drop-in center where she works. For her birthday we made a 6-layer rainbow cake (each layer a different color). She is the only person in the house with a car and lets anyone drive it (except for me because stories about learning to drive somehow came up and it was decided afterwards that it would be better if I didn’t borrow her car ever)

Joe—hails from Vancouver (WA not Canada) and is the lone male in our house but probably a bigger feminist than the rest of us combined. For his birthday he gave each of us knitted hats. He is particularly good at insulting banter (which is a critical requirement for me) and tells great stories along with Carolyn (he also works at a homeless drop-in center.)

Katie—from Chicago, another pre-med nutcase except she has already been accepted to medical school and so consequently is more sane than the rest of us. She is incredibly good at repeating stand-up comedy (which a lot of people think they are good at but ARE NOT). She works with the Wallace Medical Concern (free clinic for the uninsured) and cannot cook but makes up for it by washing dishes constantly. Definitely has a Midwest accent that makes me giggle inside.

Lauren—Another pre-med student, in a similarly terrifying place as me trying to apply for med school while volunteering. She has a particularly fantastic, off-color sense of humor that nicely compliments my own (I would repeat a few jokes she has told me here but I have heard a rumor that Grammy Ann is reading this—love you Grammy Ann!). She is from Long-Island and when talking about her mother unconsciously adopts a New York accent.  

Liz—A second year JV from Connecticut with one of the most extensive collections of top-40 pop music I have ever seen (also has a great voice). For her birthday we each wrote a haiku in her honor and performed them in a drum circle. (one of the haikus, appropriately was entirely comprised of Justin Beiber lyrics). She works in a shelter for victims of domestic violence and consequently cannot tell us where she goes everyday since its location is confidential-I am convinced she is really working for the CIA. She’s working in the cubicle across the lunchroom for me (good for time-wasting visits) with UNICA, a subsidiary of El Programa Hispano that addresses domestic violence in the latino community.  

Claire—originally from Chicago (also occasionally has an accent) but she does a fabulous Sean Connery impression (makes my day every time). She is working in the same building as me but two floors down (and consequently she’s not as important if I understand American business culture correctly) with transitional housing. She is also a 2^nd year JV and is our community’s book-keeper (she would not include “drug money” as part of our official budget though so I’m not sure she is trustworthy…..)

Julia—Also working with El Programa Hispano she is originally from Seattle. Julia is a GREAT cook, puts me to shame, and I have been conditioned to start salivating every time she walks towards the kitchen (does the name Pavlov ring a bell?). She is the only person I have met who actually enjoys reading great Latin American literature for fun and not just for edification (I am pretty sure that everyone else who says that is lying but I have seen Julia consume these books at an alarming rate).

Sarah--I hope you know me