A lot of people make new year’s resolutions, but they rarely stick to them. I’m definitely one of those people. However, this year, I’m going to change that. I didn’t know what my resolution was going to be until 13 days into the year, but once I met a security guard who is walking the distance equal to around the Earth, I figured it out: I’m going to talk to more people about their lives and the stories they have.
Today, you’re going to get a sneak listen into some of the people I’ve met so far.
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The best question to start off a conversation, I’ve found, is ‘what’s on your bucket list?’ Then, that spirals into other questions, like ‘what’s the best thing you’ve ever eaten?’
KEVIN HU: The best thing I’ve ever eaten? Hm. That’s hard. Honestly, it was probably at this, like, really sketchy stall in China. They had spicy noodles. They were the best noodles ever. Probably unsanitary because they’re just cooking them on the side of the street. I gobbled it up.
That was Weinberg freshman Kevin Hu. Hu describes himself as a foodie and wants to eat his way around the world. Some of his favorite foods have come from his visits to China to visit his grandparents.
HU: Every time we go to China, we always have to get a hot pot. Hot pot is amazing. Highly recommend, great for cold weather like this. I really like spicy food. So all the spicy Chinese food, it’s all good to me.
One of his core memories with hotpot is when his sister put what he thought was tofu in his bowl.
HU: I ate it but she’s like, kind of funky. I was like you’re lying to me and she’s like, ha ha lol, it’s blood. I think it’s duck blood. We eat that in hot pot. I’ve never had it before so I kind of freaked out and puked, but it didn’t taste that bad. It was actually pretty good. I eat it now in hot pot.
He found a food he now loves by chance and I would never have known that if I hadn’t asked about his favorite foods.
Stories like this are why talking to strangers is my new year’s resolution. The catalyst for this resolution is a Northwestern security guard, who I will refer to as RF for legal reasons.
RF has been walking an average of 13 miles a day since August 2022. On July 1 of this year, he will have walked a distance equivalent to once around the Earth.
I met him while he was making rounds in my dorm, trying to get 13 miles before midnight.
RF has walked through all kinds of weather and the cold front this week was not special. He said he would go to a shopping mall or the Robert Crown Community Center if he had to, but he prefers to walk outside. He said his neighbors have seen him go out for walks multiple times a day and some think he’s crazy for doing this.
Nonetheless, a year and a half in, RF is going strong. He is set to complete the walk around the Earth on his birthday. He says to celebrate, the next day will be a no-walking day for him.
RF’s story fascinated me because first, have you ever heard of anyone walking around the Earth 13 miles at a time? The average American walks two miles a day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is significantly less than RF.
Second, I would never have known this about him if I hadn’t been in the right place at the right time. That’s why, this year, I want to create the right place at the right time, so that I can learn more about people and their lives.
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I hope you were equally as captivated by these stories as I was. Hopefully, this serves as a nudge for you to stick with your resolutions or create one now! It’s never too late. That’s all for now. Speak to you next time!
From WNUR News, I’m Anavi Prakash.
Music credit: git2016_3.WAV by phantastonia on Freesound
