This interview was conducted between 12:00PM and 1:30PM on Monday, October 03, 2005 at the expense of my 5.112 lecture.
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Interview with Nina
Warning: The following interview may contain various errors.
Nina is a peculiar girl. For one, she refuses to shake hands with others. She also shoots laser beams from her eyes. While walking along the Charles River in order to find a dramatic picture for the purposes of this assignment, she violently attacked a hapless jogger across the river with her laser eyes. This brave reporter managed to capture this on camera, but because of the color restrictions imposed on this assignment, the photo does not actually show the beam.
Nina's dreams:
When she was younger, one of Nina's goals was to live on a deserted island in Portugal completely carefree and full of happiness. Today, she is a freshman at MIT. Such are the cruelties of life.
Nina mentioned several factors that contributed to this ironic outcome: firstly, she realized that she couldn't speak Portuguese. After all, she had planned on ordering food from Portugal (at this point I asked her what the point was of living on a deserted island if you're still going to order food). Secondly, she realized that most islands had been already "taken over" anyway, so her dreams were simply not feasible. And finally, she worried that it would be too lonely.
Even though Nina has had her share of crushed dreams, she is neither cynical nor resigned. To the contrary, she still maintains a goal that she hopes to achieve someday.
When I asked her whether she believed MIT would help her attain this dream, she replied without hesitation, "No."
"Not even a little bit?" I asked.
After much deliberation, Nina gave way and agreed. "Maybe," she said. MIT could potentially help her make money, which in turn would allow her to achieve her dream. Yes, her dream involves using a lot of money. And cathedrals. Think about it.
Impressions of MIT and Cambridge:
I asked Nina to describe her experience at MIT with three words. She ignored my instructions and simply said that she found the Institute "socially fun" but that she disliked the work involved. Also, she added that the guys at MIT were "sketchy" at best and that she would not bother dating until grad school. (Which will not be at MIT.)
Nina is originally from New York. One of the things that struck her about Cambridge and Boston is that people here are apparently extremely polite. "People actually say 'thank you' and even hold doors for others."
Then she proceeded to tell me about an incident in New York when she walked through a door that was held open by a lady. The woman holding the door then barked and swore at Nina, claiming that Nina was being impolite. New Yorkers are crazy.
Surely then, life at MIT and in Cambridge - despite the shadiness of most of the characters here - is an improvement from the ridiculous style of life that New Yorkers apparently lead. But no! Nina prefers New York. She feels uneasy in an atmosphere of friendliness and decency. She's actually heading back to New York this month because she can't stand the politeness here. (Or was it because she needed to get some stuff from home? I can't recall.)
Nina on popular culture:
[Movies spoiled for no good reason in this section. Continue at your own risk.]
Last week, Nina managed to see Tim Burton's new movie, the Corpse Bride. While she found the film visually enthralling, she was ultimately disappointed by Tim Burton's treatment of the living characters in the movie. It wasn't fair that the Corpse Bride ultimately "died" at the end; she should've gotten the guy. It totally wasn't fair. If Nina were to meet Tim Burton sometime, she'd tell him: "You're shallow."
After this, Nina spoiled another movie for no good reason. Apparently, in The Constant Gardener, the protagonist dies in a gruesome, unfair way.
Also, Nina did not like 40 Year-old Virgin, for its objectification of women.
Tifa or Aeris?
For the few folks who actually understand what we're talking about, Nina has rooted for Tifa from the start. (She obviously hasn't seen the awesomely awkward Barrett-Cloud date.)