Najah Abdul-Qawiyy and Asmaa Elamrousy

00:04 So, my name is nausea a fool Kali. I am oh my gosh. How old am I so I'm 21 years old going to be 22. Today is April 26th, 2017. We're in lower Manhattan and here with my friend awesome.

00:21 He Knows My Name is a smile a mercy. I'm 23 years old from today's date is April 26th 2016. We are in lower Manhattan and I'm here with my friend Naja Naja. The first question that I want to ask you is if you could describe what your childhood was like growing up any best memories.

00:50 Well growing up for me has like been an assortment of things. I guess I could say cuz I went to an assignment school all the way up until the 4th grade. Would you like a relatively good experience? Is that like a high like some issues? I like bling so I kind of threw me off a little bit, but I had a lot of support from my family. So it wasn't as bad as it could have been and I would say like my best memories of all my likes childhood cuz I still consider myself slightly a child cuz I'm only 21 it would probably be when I actually started writing poetry more and actually started being more involved with liked my creative part of myself. And at what point in your life, did you begin writing poetry? I'm actually started in the fourth grade because they introduced us when they introduced poetry to the class nautical. What is this thing? I like this and actually in the fifth grade they had

01:50 Poetry contests and I thought it was just for the school. I didn't know it was for something bigger and I had written a poem and I had submitted it in and I was like, yeah, I get to write poetry and submit it help like the school take my phone and I found out that they were actually submitting our work to the Young Americans poets Anthology and I got into it and I was like what I got into a book. I know the thing so I was like super proud of myself. I kind of wanted to write more cuz I was able to do that.

02:23 That's really awesome. If it was a turning point in your life, you would say that inspiration. Can you describe a little bit more about like what that felt like that moment super cool. I felt like I was the coolest 5th grader around cuz I was like, I heard something that got into a book like it's kind of like one of those things I showed it to my mom after they told me I got into it and my mom didn't think I wrote it. She's like no this is too advanced for your mom know I did it. It was all meet an overwhelming feeling of like happiness and like feeling that like, I accomplished something cuz I was able to get into that but can I still have that book at my house? Cuz I love it.

03:10 That's awesome. Tell me about a time where you first performed poetry lies. First time. I perform poetry live was my freshman or sophomore year of high school when I was on actually did it originally for my job. I was interning at the salon children museum and they had is doing like this Open Mic at this Cafe on Staten Island called everything goes book Cafe. And at first I was like, I'm just going to be here and work and help out but I was like, oh I can ask you before I'm so psyched. Let me try this out and see how this goes. If it goes terribly I'm going to take a little Hiatus. So I went up there and actually performed the poem that I did and the fifth grade cuz like with a gun to a book summer sure people will like it put it in there. And at first I was extremely nervous cuz I've never performed in front of anyone ever is my first time performing anything really except for Lake little plays in

04:05 You know Google. Go, like once I got on stage and like the crowd was also like really nice to their like you can do this. Don't be shy in a sexy things guys.

04:17 And then like once I started I just all of the nervousness and all of the like the fear. I had kind of like dissipated and I felt like even more confident in myself and my ability to write cuz I was like I wrote this when I was in the fifth grade and you guys like this, I'm pretty sure don't like myself now and I did another poem. I think it was about like this appointment and basically how like on certain how liquor and things you know, I can be kind disappointing but not to let let it get you down kind of thing. And everyone was like, they like Snapped cuz you know poetry snap and has a whole bunch of snaps in the room and I was like, thank you guys so much and then like as I'm getting Allstate I tripped but it was okay because I laughed and everybody but it was just really nice.

05:02 Would you happen to this is kind of like on the spot, but would you happen to perform poetry for this at like would you have something on on me on now? Oh Lord have mercy.

05:17 Let's see. What can I do? Let's talk about bananas bananas are healthy and yummy, they give you potassium yummy yummy now, that's so cliche, but I have another thought so you recently did a performance at for the most American leadership Alliance that they like for you when performing your poetry piece that was a different experience cuz I'm now more used to performing like on my campus if they have an open mic night every Wednesday. So I usually perform there but like the forming at would like to music professional performing I was like, oh my goodness. It's all these people from like everywhere not just my school where I expect him to cheer for me and like it was just it was a little nerve-wracking cuz I wasn't sure what poem to perform cut in when I like bring down the mood cuz most of my stuff is usually pretty negatives cuz I put all of my negative emotions like into my poetry and a kind of like pushes it outside.

06:17 My heart so don't really feel it as much cuz that's like in my book. So I was like, how do I make like upbeat I got to know what to do so I can I pick the poem about his job cuz this is when I really important to me and starting off like I was doing okay and then I was like I messed up and I was like, oh crap and the other great I said, oh crap start a kind of like help, you know, what the mood like Hillary would not be as stiff and like meeting were joking a light-hearted so they will tell Siri kind of funny. So you kind of felt like you're able to put your personality and Tamia and at the end of the day, it was like a a good experience experience. I hope to do it again actually know you said that you did a piece about hijab about modesty is had what does that mean to you? What is hijab mean to hit job has changed what it means to me as good as they grow up and I learn more about

07:17 I like more about what's important in my life. But as of right now his job is really important to me cuz it's most definitely a part of my identity like walking around everyone already knows like a she's okay. So it's a very definitely a major part of my identity and I represent myself. I do like representing myself this way like I do like representing myself as someone who's a part of something greater than me and trying to represent it in the most positive way, especially with how media can be on perception of my religion and stuff like that. So for me, it's more so empowering because like I get to choose who sees 10 paises myself, you know, like I get to choose like how much or how little whatever I want to show is up to me and the fact that I decide to cover it up is completely cool like you have a wife and also to like I get to design it and some pretty cool ways and I get to like have some really nice outfits. I can't really have I didn't have a job, so I'm kind of happy about that.

08:17 So how would you identify I guess I would identify myself most definitely as a black Muslim cuz my racing also like in a messy that's very important to me too. Because like it's very obvious that I'm Muslim. It's also kind of ions and black as well. But like just combining those two together. I feel like sometimes both in the Muslim comedian Amazon. Can you get separated a lot? It's like oh if you're black, how are you Muslim if your Muslim, how are you black and I'm like, well, I'm both so I I usually identify myself as I saw, you know about Muslim or I want to delve more into it cuz I am I do care a lot about my culture and my family is from Jamaica. I feel like I'm going to make in Muslim.

09:09 Do do do do do.

09:13 DDD DDD what social organizations are you involved in on you to talk about a little bit of your activism? A lot of things. So, what are the organizations are mainly a part of is the Muslim sisters of Staten Island. It's a nonprofit organization that my lovely mother has made its breath waiting 2 and 1/2 years almost 3 years old being a 501 c 3 before years and is following relative activity and I'm really proud of her for all she's done cuz he's really trying her best to have a lot of things on Staten Island cuz there isn't a lot of things for Muslims to do especially Muslim Youth and that's where it's really geared towards I get scared to his all the listen Community as well as non Muslim Community but scared more towards the youth as well which is why we have are going to summer camp programs while we have like sisters swimming health and fitness we had stuff for Zumba. We also had on different like bulifants and fundraisers and stuff.

10:13 That I'm actually coming up on the 29th Saturday wreck she having

10:19 I'm assuming masquerade ball so it'll be the kind of give you know young girls out but can't go to prom or they promised expensive whatever like I can come there for like $50 and wear whatever they want to wear and you know just kind of be themselves cuz that's the theme of everything

10:39 I was going to say that you mentioned that like your mom is really inspiring to you can talk a little bit more about her yeah so my mom most definitely is extremely inspiring to be what's up you can be more so because if I could she encourages me to be my best self and like no matter what I decide to do with myself like she doesn't you know it shoot down my ideas she always tries to like have me think of my best options cuz sometimes I'm lucky I can do anything I'm Invincible she's like not to come down you can do a lot of things if you're not Invincible like it's kind of like think things through so he's kind of keeps me grounded and also she's been my Beast involving like my religion because I was every step in a single-parent household for most of my life so most of everything that I learned from my mother-in-law tongue like was in was religion and cuz the rest of my family is Christian

11:40 So like having that Dynamic besides Islamic school fees the one I learned in the most from and my mom's also on a convert to so like I know those kind of stressful on her as well little bit like trying to teach me but also like making sure that she knows her stuff and doesn't want to keep any of the wrong thing. So I appreciate the fact that like my mom tries her best and she's always trying to give back to the community which is what kind of inspired me to want to start doing that as well. Cuz I go can you look Mom?

12:09 You say that that's a reason why the organization was started by your mom. Yeah, most definitely I can say that like she's really big on giving back to the community and giving back just. Like whether it's like physically whether it's like emotionally whether it's like anything really she just loves giving back to people and that whole entire life giving bad shoes ass like oh like what can I do for this the Muslim Community? I don't know what to do and like it's hilarious before that. Like I believe I was in the sixth grade. My mom actually started the first some Girl Scout troop on Staten Island, cuz he was just like there isn't one why so she's sorry that it now she has on to Girl Scout Troops now in Staten Island, and I was like look at you got to do this to you but

13:00 What would you say is the greatest accomplishment in your life greatest accomplishments?

13:08 I would say my greatest thing up two of them. Hold on. I think my group one of my greatest accomplishments. I feel like I have like two or three with the me going to college because my brother didn't go to college he went to I'll trade school. So I'm kind of going to Mom's first kid to go to college on my God. I'm almost ready to go to college. I'm a little bit by the same time. I was kind of used to it because my mom did fill it with more pressure on me because I think cuz I'm a girl and she's a girl and she's like you got to be able to do this. I believe in you get home. So I think me being able to go to school and try to cuz I'm a Psychology major and I minor and he's Asian studies in Mandarin. So like my mom at first was just like why you doing all this stuff I can just cuz I like Asia.

14:02 And like just hearing how proud she is of me like being in school and I'm doing something that I love and what I want to do cuz I do want to help people as well. Like that would be if I like one of my greatest greater accomplishments among some other things. So it's one of your future plans is to help people be able to give back to the community in some way. But actually LED you to chew Psychology was actually my college now class that I took my senior year. I took a behavioral social science class and we were learning about different things and I'll be like the human how the mind works and like cuz I'm a little bit about like psychology in at those look really interesting. So I guess when I first started being interested in it, but when I kind of like put my heart on Elsa going to do this for years when I get a degree in this was probably be like towards the end of my senior year. I had this friend who is going through a lot of things throughout the her senior year.

15:02 Every night I would talk to her. I'm like 12 in the morning until like 4 in the morning and like it never bothered me because I I like listening to people. I like just kind of like being there to help someone and then like at the end of the year. She had wrote in my yearbook and she was just like thank you so much. Nausea it like I really appreciate you talking to me every night. Like I helped a lot like I don't know how I would have gone through like to hear without you and I like bald head crying so I don't like oh my God, I did something and I didn't think it was like such a big thing cuz I got to me just natural to listen to people if they ask for your help, but they just asked you to listen to them, you know, like not everyone is looking for you to give you give you their opinion, you know, like some people just want you to listen to them so they can hear so that you can hear it someone like what I have to say pretty much and when I started learning more about like psychology KY sorry, I was like, oh, I wonder like I can like you something like this and like listen to people for a living like a sauna kind of

16:02 When I thought about it and I likes are looking more into psychology as I can. Wait. That's what I can do. I can be a therapist and listen to people for a living and like help them with like, you know the issues in their life cuz like I never want to tell anyone what to do with their life because that's your toys. But I like helping people get their options about what they can do, you know, I like scaring people towards where they want to go. It's like hey, I want to get from point A to point B. I don't know how to get there. I'm like, okay. Well you have these options you have these options. Which one do you think will be the best option for you? Cuz I can't tell you cuz I don't know anything. I'm not a fortune-teller. I'm not a psychic. It's so that kind of made me want to delve into the profession Morris also from the earnings different stuff. I'm a different psychology course. It's kind of like me more concrete as I continued on like for me to be a psychologist.

16:57 What would you say is one of the happiest moments of your life?

17:01 Pull that stuff cuz I food is a thing. Oh my gosh. Let's see happiest moment. Oh my Lord. Okay the happiest moment as of current would probably be when I got accepted to go and you study abroad for a semester cuz last semester I was on Exchange and at the University of Hong Kong and it sounds like the coolest thing in the world can finally go and Asia it yes. I'm so happy. So like for me I was like jumping up and down. I'm going to be forever to convince her to let me go but I had to do a whole pie graph Excel spreadsheet for budgeting system. Like I'm not joking or being so serious. I still have it.

17:52 So what I found out I was like yeah, I'm going to Asia going to be there for four months and months so many things which way I just plan on going to Hong Kong and just experiencing like Hong Kong cuz like this excited to go to Asia that sells like I'm not going to go anywhere else just like to go there and then I got like inspired till I go to other countries cuz I went to Japan for 5 days Korea for 6 and Thailand for 7 because apparently when you go on Exchange you do that you go to other countries, so I was just like really excited just be there. It was really hot. Like super duper hot like New York is humid air humidity is x 10 you feel like you're melting into a puddle so bad, but I got used to it which is weird cuz I was like, oh, I'm not sweating bullets everyday. That's great and the temperature didn't change so I knew it was me.

18:47 But it was just a really great experience. It was a little bit scary though, cuz I went on the plane by myself 14-hour flight and then had a layover in Beijing for 17 hours then had another 3-hour flight from Beijing to Hong Kong. So I was like losing my mind a little bit cuz I was like her. I have no one crap so is and I got lost in Beijing to but thankfully I know Mandarin siding get to Lost try to get to my hotel, but it was just an overwhelmingly great experience. I don't think I would trade the amount of time that I had there for anything cuz I'm at so many different people from all around the world and it's like it's easy to do that here in New York City, but like you just meet them in passing like it's not something you don't really have conversations with them. So like having like my different form AIDS be from like Malaysia from Indonesia from France from you know Madagascar at is I never met anyone from Madagascar Madagascar and I think it's how you pronounce it friends and then like I

19:47 On different trips and stuff like that. We went on like it's all these different places and I got you so much more healthier cuz you kind of have to hike to get anywhere and Hong Kong's is extremely mountainous, but it was just a really really overwhelmingly like great experience that I was able to fill fill one of my dreams of going to Asia and then I'll be able to go to like three other Asian countries when I plan is only for one. So I was like, oh my God, I'm living my dream. So was that your first time traveling not my first time traveling technically my third time traveling. The first place I ever went to was Jamaica and I haven't been since that first time for a family reunions, which is really interesting cuz like I said, there's McKameys Christian and like I Believe Christian like going to like church every Sunday Christian add-on, so when I met us out of my family didn't even know that they had no swims or what was songs where is little bit awkward but they're very accepting. They're very nice and sweet. I know if it's like Jamaican culture just my family.

20:47 It was just really nice and sweet to like be there with them and like joke with them and I kind of got an accent while I was there for two weeks and then I came back and I was like me we became American and then the other time was when I went to Canada, I would do the Toronto for my cousin's wedding. And so I met some family over there. But yeah China most different kind of Asia since I really like the time I traveled

21:20 Do do do. Do do do you recall any particular X-ray and that some of them didn't know.

21:38 Yeah, did you have any particular experiences that well, it was most definitely in Jamaica because Jimmy cuz I have any Christian country and like I would say what a good 98% decide it's like my brain family or Christian like to some of them are like Israelites and stuff like that. So like when I went there at first they were confused cuz they they automatically assume that I was Christian but they were confused cuz they saw my head jobs to the lake. So are you and none else I feel about a nun they're like but how cuz you know the saying I had experienced? How's it going? No, like a Muslim day like your who will your while ago? Does that had to explain to them like a different stuff and like, you know what I believe in and they were like, okay, like I understand that it wasn't like a negative thing like some people when I was walking through the streets in Jamaica or a little bit nasty, but those same cousin that didn't understand anything. They like defended me and I was like so happy as I call you guys won't be so much you met me yesterday.

22:38 That was like really nice, but I've never had any like major issues with my family even growing up. I used to live in my grandmother's house with my mom and like I've been surrounded by all my cousins and like we've never had any issues with them or anything like that like 1-year my on actually gave me like a prayer rug for a Christmas gift. I was like the coolest thing in the well Sac. I love you Auntie. I've never had any negative experiences why I felt like we're not accepted or like, you know, they didn't love me because we're different religion. He's like a grandfather. Sometimes it's like well, you know, and I'm like, I'm like grandad.

23:27 Disney me a question that I have for you is what aspects of life in the United States have had the greatest impact on you or has made the British impression on greatest impression volume knighted states. I feel like my experience is so like in between because like New York City is very like Coltrane in La people understand a lot more things because there's so many people from all around the world but Donnell is so segregated and like I'm not using voice acted like lately like it really is like the highway is the segregation enough like you can tell where people live like based off their housing and I'll like the rich people usually live in like high places or a really secluded places as you like Drive 2 minutes away, and then there's people that are like in broken down houses and is a different demographic so free me, like once I like realize that cuz like you don't pay attention when you locate was driving looking at the trees, you know,

24:27 Most definitely in passing me a lot cuz I was like why why but we live in New York City. Like why are we in like such a segregated? Like why you back in like 19 something something like we should be more together like we should be more accepting and I also saw that you also in the Muslim Community like involving like different mosques and stuff like that when I realized I could okay like there's is Pakistani monsters helping you Masters, you know, the Egyptian musk. There's you know, the African also like I shouldn't be issued if your mouth like I shouldn't be like the most specifically for an ethnicity or certain group but it should be for anyone and like it just threw me off a little bit cuz I was like this has to change like this is needs to be there needs to be a change of all them this which is another reason why I'm really behind my mom on what she wants to do cuz she really wants to bring you know, the North and the South Shore Staten Island more so together and just a different, you know ethnicities involving El Segundo Community more so together, so just doing stuff with people from your culture or from your section of the world. I just do so

25:27 Together cuz we're all human were almost letting you know people that would be like your definition of Islam in half. Is it supposed to be inclusive everyone like a ball cultures, like even like other religions like we're supposed to be accepting of other people that we're not supposed to, you know, by another person whether they have a different religion or no religion really, you know, we're supposed to be accepting, you know of them. Like if someone's like needs help in the street, like, you know, like you're Jewish. I'm not to help you like that's so utterly done to me like I miss me so much matter at all cuz they're still you know, they're still act like, you know God's creation. Like there's there's nothing whatever they decide to do that's on them like you shouldn't impose what you want for someone else on the somebody else. Like what I was going to ask was you mentioned like your mom having a really big impact on you tell me about your family. So my family is

26:27 I think relatively simple I guess cuz my older brother he 7 years older than me and then my younger sister. She's nine years younger than me. So my mom she's faced us out to give us our own little time for you know, my brother is an adult. I'm trying to be an adult to messages like a child preteen thing. So our family Dynamics is pretty simple and you know all my mom got married at five or six years ago to my step dad. He's really dope. He's a cool dude. I told her that you can't get married to him until I approve of him. She's like, okay shirt and I was like, okay proving that you guys can play as real as pretty simple. I mean like we don't spend as much time with each other is I would like to come in very big emotional teddy bear because we all work. We all have other things we have to do those time. I come home from my bills School in like around like 11:00 11:30, and then you know by that timer going to sleep. You say you're closest to and my family

27:27 In terms of siblings a sibling brother or sister. That's weird cuz I could in the middle ish cuz like I'm close with my sister by kind of like want to smack her sometimes and she's annoying but then like I'm closer with my brother-in-law thing like more adult things cuz I we can joke about certain things in our childhood cuz we grew up together and like we're not that far apart in year. So like we can talk about like certain animes cuz we both like anime a lot. I like saying different things and like so but sometimes I want to get away from cuz he's annoying me. So it's like when one annoys me a ghost

28:00 Yes, what do you love about them by brother? I love the fact about looking kind of like this is only thing with my mom does like he on Startup his own Auto Club the right now he is a financial advisor for Primerica and like you just basically he's always like Innovative and doing his own thing and always trying to create something new. So I really admired that a lot about him because I also encouraged me to want to be my own thing and be my can all be a leader as well and I'll just look a follower and then like involving my sister. She's like a lot more creative involving certain things that I'm not like she was like trying to design dresses like do all the stuff she knows how to stay so I don't know how to say so she knows how to bake baking is hard for me cuz I always forget about the stuff in the oven. So for like that type of stuff like that certain aspects that I don't have I appreciate you know in them.

29:00 What was the most?

29:05 What was the most profound spiritual moment in your life most profound spiritual moment while having a most profound moment spiritually?

29:25 I think that would be when I was 16 years old.

29:29 Because I'm struggling a lot with like religion in the maidan E Jung like who I wanted to be like what I wanted her, you know, like represent and stuff like that and like during that time. I was really doing likes some serious like. And like just reading up on a different religions and like, you know my own religion even more so cuz I was always like questioning everything felt like so why do we do this? How come this is this way? Who said this? I like all the stuff. So like I decide like to do my own research and I asked if I like I'm a different shakes about different things and like I even talks like some pastors and stuff like that. It's like kind of like figure out what I owe like I want to do with myself and I remember like I was reading the Quran and I was reading I think it's a cover for a lake but the woman likes with Anisa and as I just reading through all of it and like I was like, this is so dope like we have all these rights like, oh my God, I love those like so cool. Cuz I didn't realize that we had all these things. Like I knew that we were important and you let you know, you know Heavens at your mother's feet and stuff like that. But like it's hot

30:29 All women like I'm like, I'm not a mom yet so happens that my feet yet. So I get to like the tire point and when I was like reading in infamy like we could also read like, you know, the Bible and the Torah and then some other stuff like it just wasn't clicking for me. Like it wasn't like something that I was like, okay and get down with this kind of thing. Isn't this is just like to know questions for me. So I feel like I read it and like I read like, you know, like we have rights to her last name, but we don't have to give our husband, you know our money we do so and kindness and like all this different stuff. I was like the dopest thing I've ever met and like, you know that time is kind of like when I like reconfirmed like on my own that I was like, this is something that I want to follow this is you know, who I want to be. This is why I want to represent and like the most positive way possible be then

31:22 I guess this is kind of like a heavy question but it's something that I've always liked. You know, I'm just inquisitive and would like to know how would you like to be remembered? How would I like to be remembered? I guess I would just like to be remembered as like a happy person that help people like this really simple. Like I don't want to be remembered as like this glorious conqueror of none of none. Just like as a happy person who likes help somebody but even if it's just one person that thinks that I'm content with that I don't care if everyone remembers who I am because people forget, you know, we get ahold you know, so as long as it's like there is one person that's like yeah, I remember nausea. She was such a sweet person, you know, she's even if I can help out a particular person, but they know that I helped someone like that would be just really nice.

32:30 Have you ever been in love? Yes, I have been in love before and it was like really weird cuz I didn't realize I was cuz it's like living my life and I like this person is very interesting. I like hanging around this person. Why is kind of like one of those things like normal friends? Like of course, like I'm going to be comfortable and like hanging around with your friends when you do friendship and then I like realize I was like, oh no, this is I'm looking at you not at a friendship way. What is happening here kind of thing and like I can't do anything about it too much because like, you know, he was a Muslim and like I didn't want to put myself in a place. I feel like I couldn't get like get out of like no one foot in the door and then hurts nothing but like it was really nice cuz I was like, he was very sweet very, you know, very kind person never liked made me feel like I had to change any part of

33:30 SLO for anything like that, like he was cool with me just being me and just even reminded me of some stuff that would forget and revolving. Like what I'm supposed to do for my religion. I was just so sweet like so that's how it really happened. I think when I was like

33:45 I just got to college I met this person and it was just a very interesting to me. Like course. I would like to work out different ways and had a but we're still friends and like, you know that we still hang out from time to time and like talk with each other and like we're always there for one another in case like when you'd like someone to talk to you.

34:04 So would you say that some of his treats are kind of what you look for in a future husband or do you want to do for your future? What do you hope for the future? I hope that I have my license in mental health counseling and I can open up my own practice on the island cuz we need one and I also hope that you know, like cuddling like that. I'll be able to be married to a nice husband who laughs at my jokes and also like stuff about Asia cuz that's a large part of my life like in stuff about. I just kind of just accept me for you know, like who I am and like my different, you know weaknesses if I should like my physical ones cuz you know that some physical ailments and just like it's overwhelming like nice person. It doesn't make me feel like I have to change myself to be with him cuz he wants to do that so annoying and then like how like three kids Max

35:06 A little bit. Do you remember how we met on my Lord? How do we meet the most earliest memory? I have of us like a meeting or interacting was when I was waiting for the bus. I think my sophomore and junior year and I had saw you with I think your brother and I was like, I don't want to say hello and it's not her to be so awkward, right and then like I kind of like Peak over it and I got this weird angle to see her face and I was like, oh my god, seriously, like I want to talk to you. I don't know what we were talking about. We were talking about something and it didn't get on the bus cuz I'm still with my friend brother. Okay. I'll talk to you later. But like I hadn't been likes my sophomore or Junior year cuz I keep forgetting you're older than me.

35:51 You probably remember more than I do. I was actually thinking about the first time I met you I think was at Sarah's. Yeah you're too so let's describe that dude. You remember

36:12 I just remember that we've just been afraid since that night. I like been doing like poetry. That's awesome.

36:30 Did it take the date it is I love intermission music if you could do anything if you could do anything now, what would you do anything now?

36:47 What would I do?

36:54 I think I would just start my practice if I feel like if I could like magically get my license and all that stuff and like the lake. Hey, you're so qualified here and I gave it to me like I'd probably like me to start up made out of my business and it started my practice cuz I'm trying to open. I want to try opening up like an art for art therapy cuz I'm really big on like not using medicine for stuff that goes on with you like emotionally and mentally cuz you don't always need medicine for that. Sometimes you just need to express yourself cuz like you pending it up inside if it's causing you to physically be you know, so I would rather use that form before getting anywhere involving like no medication or like, you know who to that type of treatment that would you most definitely just start that cuz I feel something so needed that isn't wild wildly use cuz I know you have this issue hear some drugs and it's like I don't want drugs. To draw something very simple. I feel like it's really needed.

37:54 Does she like you know with our generation also the younger generation with all things are exposed to like especially like talking with my little sister. Sometimes I feel like they're exposed to so many things that we were exposed to at such an early age and they're still developing like as not like they develop faster there still developing at the same rate that we were is that they just have access to more things and just messing with their speed of development or how much they think that they comprehend certain things.

38:25 That's that's really interesting. I guess like a follow-up question was if you could kind of talk more about your sisters. So my sister is like this quirky little 13:13 this year. She's very annoying and kind of sassy as a very sweet girl when she wants to be when she wants to be a pain in the butt. So seriously be a pain in the butt feel like going go in till like your nerves in like a bull like my sister does inspired me to want to work more with people in her angel rated higher because I feel like they do need a lot of guidance involving a lot of things cuz like I just fed so much. Like I said before that they don't know what to do with the information like I'm taking a developmental psychology class now and like we learn something I like blew my mind like our brains don't fall.

39:25 Development over 25 and I was like, what do you mean are britons overly developed number 25 by 18 we can like buy a house and go to like War but our brains aren't fully developed. Like, how do you what is it? Like it was so unlike at this age there like expecting him to be able to do so much. I see what technologies I call you can do this because you have this type of thing a kind of like forces are brain to kind of be ahead of like what they're ready for and I feel like I just throws them off cuz I'm like, my sister is one of those kids when I see them. I don't think she's actually acting like her age like the Weiss you like some of the people in her father's on her classmates. I want to pick her up at school. Sometimes it's like they're acting like, you know, there are a Zagg in their twenties and I like being all I actually like extra sassy not like he's acting like some unnecessary sassiness and like, you know, like running around with like boyfriends and girlfriends like doing all the stuff and I was like, I wasn't I was worried about drawing and stuff. I wasn't worried about being in a relationship.

40:26 Your braids are fully develop. How you in a relationship. I got a relationship is there like all the types of stuff and you know, they're that's so just like I don't know. It just bothers me. So you would say that there's like certain social situations is happening around them that's causing them to have that like development of like maturity or just not acting the rage is kind of like like when I was when I was younger like I remember I would play outside and like do stuff you know it by myself. Like I was just imagination from like SpongeBob, you know, I just looked through all that type of stuff like they're so late into their phones and I'm into my phone sometimes to like, I'm not going to act like all those young people are in their phone, but I'm not like no I am to mostly cuz I'm checking my schedule like they're so into their phones are not even interacting with each other like you be right next to each other and they're not interacting cuz they're like so into what they're doing and I'm like no, that's why you got together interact so like that also open

41:26 Are iMacs, you know, it closes a door really to them communicating with people more? So because I know what I was younger, I don't want her getting mad at me now because I feel like I can't tell her I feel like now they're like, oh like to talk to you. Like I have like this device. Like I have like this this this thing and there's been different studies on like how long like the phone is becoming like more so like a drug like the type of like that don't do me like this because like your happiness Center like in your brain fires off almost as much as drugs do when people take drugs. So when I was like reading up on that interacts like throw you in a room with some stuff go play in 2017. The role of technology is taking over our lives and made us less connecting to our fellow humans final question that I have for you would be if you can go back in time to a moment that you want to relive. What would that be?

42:22 Mama, I want to relive.

42:25 The last summer I had before I had to work.

42:29 Because that was great cuz I didn't have to work. I was just chilling and playing video games or watching anime. I was like eating junk food. I was like just like my last moment to talk.

42:42 Please like the summer before I started college. I was like I have to worry about nothing. I can just do whatever I want and then I started working as a cop my God. I'm so tired before I started working clothes. So relaxed and now I'm supposed to stop but she's working School.

43:03 Straight

43:15 Canadian Dairy are there any words of wisdom that you would like to pass along to me words of wisdom. I mean, I feel like these are words. Are you ready know but as I was telling want to tell you personally could I do care about you a lot and every time I see you like everything is fine for me. I'll see when you think they'll fit those pipes. Most definitely tell you is like, please please please continue doing what you're doing and inspiring people and being creative cuz I was such an important part of like being yourself like when you're creative and you're doing what you do, like I can just see you like glow in like a light up and it shines on everybody and everyone feels the shine like I want to go to like so I would most definitely tell you just please continue being creative. Please continue being yourself cuz like there's never been a doubt in my mind that you've never been yourself. You're like the most on fake even though the proper English term on fake.

44:14 I like makes me want to be a better person when I see you cuz like oh my God, look at all these things. I want to do that and just say I'll just keep being yourself in like doing what you do and inspiring others in this like making the world a better place. Thank you so much for that. And I would say like what words of wisdom would you want the world to know or what? Would you want the world to know about you? LOL to know about me or words of wisdom, Same thing just be yourself guys. Like time is too short to be fake like that so much energy like when I think about like people being fake and I've tried to be fake like as an experiment like it's so much energy cuz I have to like stop being part of my cell about a time be somebody else. I don't like how to remember how to be that fake person. That's not real. This is so unnecessary.

45:14 Be yourself and like you've what you love and what makes you happy as long as what your makes you happy doesn't hurt other people. It shouldn't matter what it is, you know, especially if it's like making the world better, you know, don't worry about what other people have to say, you know only care about what matters most to you, you know caring about what everybody else says that you're just going to put yourself in a hole and be miserable and maybe like why am I losing my mind? Can you listen to everyone that's why I so just be yourself and just try to make the world better. If you can if you can just make yourself better than your part of the world. So that's fine.

45:55 That's really powerful message.