This thread seems like so much fun!!!
I'm 21 years old, 5'6'', brown hair and dark brown, almost black eyes, more squash-shaped than pear-shaped, about to be a senior in college. I'm a double major in history and religious studies with a minor in South Asian studies (India, Pakistan, etc.) though I was raised Jewish. I'm not especially religious but Jewish customs and culture are very important to me. I speak Hindi, Spanish and a moderate amount of Yiddish and I really want to learn more! I LOVE to write, poetry and short stories--favorite writers include Flannery O'Connor, Zadie Smith, Dorothy Parker, Agha Shahid Ali, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Jonathan Safran Foer, Dostoevsky, Meerabai and Mirza Ghalib (both Indian poets who wrote erotic poems about spiritual love, lol)--a really varied mix, but I treasure those writers whose words I can identify with in some way. That's what reading and writing have always been to me--a way of connection. I was kind of a lonely kid, I guess, and books for me were a way of travel and companionship when I didn't have access to either. I'm a bit dreamy and introspective as a result of this. I definitely have a tendency to navel-gaze.
I LOVE to travel and traveling has become kind of the defining experience of my life in the last few years. I was lucky enough to study abroad in both India (New Delhi and Bengal) and the UK (London). I loved both but India made the more lasting impact on me. I'm returning in December to visit my friends there and I'm actually really strongly considering a permanent move in a few years. I love the aesthetic in India, if that makes sense--the colors, the arches and latticework of the architecture, the giant Mughal fountains and gardens, even the crush of people and the smell. The host family I stayed with became nearly as important to me as my own family. There was definitely a reason why I chose to study in cities. I love being around lots of people and meeting new folks. I'm pretty shy at first, but once I acclimate I love talking, finding out about people, listening to them. I tend to make really close and lasting friendships, and I guess I can sometimes be a little needy? (Just trying to put the bad in with the good, lol). My friends often describe me as "nuturing" or "maternal." My mom (she just said this this morning, haha) says I have a "strong heart for justice." But I can definitely also be a little bit petulant and pedantic, and I tend to feel hurt and anger as deeply as I feel love. I have an offbeat sense of humor and like to make people laugh! I will defend others fiercely. Other things I like: Pop art, bluegrass music, thunderstorms, tea with lots of milk and sugar, mojitos, my cats, old movies (my undergrad thesis is on Bollywood, lol), costume jewelry with fake gems, and '50s clothes.
My favorite BPAL GC scents are Sudha Segara and Pele. I'm alright with nearly all notes except heavy vetiver!