Meet Junette!

[Junette, Bennet, and a poppy field]

I live In the Curious City of Los Angeles with my best friend Junette. We first met in this city as young girls with two things in common, naiveté and curiosity. Life has since brought us back to this city, and with our wits and curiosity we are getting to know it better. But first let's get to know Junette better!

Our friends describe you as independent, creative, sassy, driven, and a thinker. How would you describe yourself?
One way I would describe myself is that I am different. I think I am different, whether that is weird in some people’s eyes, or as some people say quirky or unique. So I think I’m different and I notice that more as I get older. I think I am excitable—easily excited. I find enjoyment in many things and I think a lot of things are fun or funny. I’m really greedy. I have all these links saved of projects I want to do, websites I want to read, and all these art supplies that I’ve used once or have never used. And I am greedy about food. I have all these recipes saved up. When we go eat somewhere, I always eat too much. I always say I ate too much…because I always do.



You lived in Berkeley for 4 years in college. What has Berkeley taught you and what can Berkeley teach LA?
What I associate Berkeley with is when I first learned to express my interest in cities and urban living on an academic level. It taught me to appreciate it and to describe it with theories and ideas. Before it was like I liked living in cities, but I didn’t know why. I didn’t know it was because of things like density or the anonymity of living in a city. All those things I liked, but I didn’t know why until I went to school. So for me, I will always be fond of Berkeley in that way. The East Bay and San Francisco do a lot of innovative things, which kind of answers the second part of the question. People in the Bay Area, whether it's the government, non profits, or the private sector, incorporate lots of pedestrian use and green space into design and building cities. I think that LA doesn’t really do that because it’s so car oriented. People think that people don’t walk around when actually a lot of people do walk around. LA is designed without any design in mind.

You’re the only person I know who still goes to the library and borrows books! What excites you the most about reading books?
I don’t read all books. I only like fiction books that have a happy ending. But I think the reason why reading is so enjoyable to me is that you are transported into that world in the book. I think being able to go to those places and to be those people is like being outside of yourself, like you are part of something bigger than your little life.

[Junette's mighty bookshelf]

What advice would you give 18 year old Junette?
Oh my god, she is so dumb. Well, it’s so hard because I know that she wouldn’t listen. A lot of things you learn because you have to experience it, especially relationships. But I would tell her not to go out with the “second one” or the “third one.” I guess a lot of the ways I grew was because of hard parts and bad parts of relationships. As much as I want to say, don’t date those people, it’s hard to say that cause then I would never learn.
Fine. Advice as in something to do instead of not to do. What would you tell her to do?
A lot of it is about getting used to things. So I would tell her to exercise more regularly so I would get used to it. I would tell her to study Korean a little bit each day so I would get used to learning it. I don’t know, I think it’s just all the things I wish I was better in, I wish I started doing earlier.

What are 3 similarities between you and Bennet?
Well we are both sooooo cute! Haha just kidding. He’s really scared of things. He’s a pansy and I’m a pansy too. If I didn’t have Bennet, I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep at night by myself. Number two, he’s very food motivated and I’m very food motivated too. I really look forward to meals and I think about what I am going to eat or what I am going to cook all the time. Third similarity is that we both hate brushing our teeth. I hate brushing my teeth, it’s such a pain. I used to have an electric toothbrush but it broke so now I have to use a manual toothbrush. If I didn’t have to brush my teeth everyday I wouldn’t do it, but I do…

Want more Junette? Check back tomorrow for part deux!