Assignment 8- Nicole Loy

Fears: Ants, large flying insects, death by fire, drowning

Annoyances: rudeness, passive-aggressiveness, people who are fake, people who have a lack of respect for others

Accomplishments: doing well in school, becoming President of Y-club, being an assistant in a special needs dance class

Confusions: injustice, disregarding people’s feelings, selfishness

Sorrows: lack of a relationship with my father, feelings of inadequacy

Dreams: living in New York, attending one of my top universities, traveling to countries I’ve never been to before

Idiosyncrasies: wanting to sit in the same spot, I have a specific bathroom routine, night owl, smiles when uncomfortable or angry (also laughs when angry- I know my emotions are confusing), sleeps in for forever, I eat one food at a time (like first hamburger, then fries- I don't mix my food), I don't eat the end of things (like the end of my fries, hamburger, etc.- again, I am confusing. Don't try to find logic in it cause there isn't). 

Risks: applying to Ivy League schools, applying to Columbia’s summer program (did and got in)

Beloved Possessions: A blanket given to me by my grandmother, a ring given to me by my mother

Problems: control issues, pessimism

            Most people think I have a pretty strange fear- ants. Why would I be so afraid of such tiny and innocent creatures? However, I have a perfectly valid reason for my fear. When I was about four or five, I had a rocking chair in my bedroom. It was springtime- the perfect time for ants to try to infiltrate our house. I sat in the rocking chair one day and began to rock it back and forth, slamming it into the wall of my bedroom. All of a sudden, what seemed like a million ants started to flood out of my bedroom wall and surround the rocking chair. I immediately screamed at the top of my lungs. My father finally came into my bedroom, alarmed by my wailing, and saw the unnerving scene. He retrieved a vacuum and proceeded to suck all the ants up. While I may have been fine, this experience has haunted me ever since. To this day I can’t look at them without being immediately disgusted and scared for my life. I freak out whenever one gets near me. They may be harmless, but the fact that they’re so tiny and there are so many of them troubles me. I will never forget this experience, and therefore will never get rid of my fear of ants.