The Stranger Project

Introducing Christopher - Age 36

2008-07-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

1. Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Griffin, GA and raised mostly in GA, except for my final two years of high school which were in Belen, NM and a couple years while young spent in Kingstree, SC.

2. Who do you love and who are they to you?

I love Sharon Kotula. She is a wonderful lady who has been in my life for over ten years. If you ask her, marriage is long over due. Hopefully, it will be a dream fulfilled soon.

3. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I have been fortunate to see most of the US, at least in passing, and there is only one destination left I have never been that I would really like to see and that is Alaska. It just seems like with the wildlife and undeveloped land, that it would be a very beautiful and peaceful place to go. Everyone I have ever spoken with that has been there says it is wonderful.

4. What is the best vacation you’ve been on and why?

Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas have been my favorite resort destinations. I have visited both places several times. As a gambler I love Las Vegas and the bright lights and have many stories to tell, but Lake Tahoe is absolutely beautiful and there are nice memories and stories from there as well.

5. What do you despise?

I could probably write a book with this question. Most of all I hate fake people who tell you what you want to hear instead of having the balls to tell you what they feel. I hate the work ethic of current America. I hate our media is biased towards providing mostly the bad news that happens and only throws us a small segment from time to time with inspiring and positive stories. I hate politics, both the obvious politician politics as well as the politics that have invaded our workspace, our homes, our schools, and most aspects of our lives. I could go on and on probably but we will leave it with why can't people just say what they feel and feel what they say?

Introducing Gabrielle - Age 26

2008-07-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

1. What is something you want to accomplish before you die?

I want to travel to as many countries as I possibly can, particularly Fiji, Germany, and Japan. I wish I could just hop on a plane and go, but since I'm not rich, I have to work, work some more, save a little, and then go. Ah, life.

2. Have you ever fought for something you’ve believed in? What did you fight for and what was the outcome?

Yes, I fought over a grade I received in college. I had to take a science course, so I took Environmental Biology. It was designed for English majors like myself. Well, the professor decided that it would be a good idea to change the syllabus and not tell us about it until the end of the semester. University policy states that any changes in the syllabus must be discussed and distributed to the students. She changed what I considered to be the most important part of the syllabus - the grade scale. Because she changed the grade scale, I ended up getting a D instead of the C I was expecting. Guess the class wasn't so designed for me after all. :) I talked to my professor about it, but she swore that she had informed us of the change. No one in the class could remember it, so I figured she was lying. She didn't change my grade so I went to the dean of the school. I explained what had occurred and how unhappy I was, but the dean didn't care a lick about my problems. Since I technically didn't need the class to graduate, I took my D, and let it go. I was still very unhappy about the whole ordeal though. I was especially upset to hear that one of my classmates got a higher grade than I did, even though she had received lower test scores that me. But that is another story completely.

3. Who is your favorite teacher and why?

My favorite teacher is Mr. Robert (Bob) Jenkins. He was my 5th grade home room and science teacher. I liked him because he was extremely funny. I remember him jumping on our desks on the first day of school just to get our attention. It worked. One time he ate a piece of pizza even though a carcass of a roach had temporarily been a topping. Gross, I know, but we loved it and laughed - we laughed so hard. He created a secret class handshake. We'd hook pinkies, and well, shake. :) I remember writing on the chalk board - "Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Pitterali(our DARE officer) are little kids trapped in adult bodies." Some teachers might have just erased it and not said anything about it, but on the day of our graduation, the principal used it in a story. Apparently, he thought it was cute enough to share. Mr. Jenkins was a great teacher who never let me quit, and always believed that I had the potential to learn something. I wish he knew how special he is/was to me.

4. What is the best vacation you’ve been on and why?

It wasn't really a vacation per se, but it was a vacation away from all things that were normal to me at the time. From August 2006 to August 2007, I lived and worked in China. It was an amazing experience. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go even though at times it was very challenging. I saw beautiful places, met some wonderful people, and got to see a world I would have never known existed. It's something you sorta have to do before you can completely understand. I can tell stories all day, show pictures until I am blue in the face, but until you've been there, seen it , and experienced it - it is really hard to explain it. I wish everyone had the chance to go.

5. If you could meet anyone living or dead, who would it be and why?

I would like to meet Cillian Murphy, so that I could try to convince him that I am his dream girl. I don't typically have crushes on famous people, but I became completely infatuated with him after watching the full frontal scene in 28 days later. Sadly though, he's married and has two children. Anything is possible though, so I won't give up hope until he slaps a restraining order on me. :)

Volunteers Are Still Needed

2008-07-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

I know that the last post for this blog was created on June 30, but that does not mean that this blog is dead. I am still waiting for others to participate. I hope to add some more strangers soon. Perhaps you would like to be one of them

I know that many people are probably very hesitant about posting their personal pictures, so I may decide to alter the rules just a bit. If I don't get any strangers soon, I may do just that.

Hope to hear about your life soon.

Thanks for stopping by.

Introducing Lee - Age 65

2008-06-30T11:21:00.000-07:00

1.Where were you born and raised?

I was born and raised in Attica, Ohio. It's a small farming community 80 miles from Cleveland, Toledo and
Columbus (you figure out the coordinates).

2.What are your spiritual beliefs?

I'm a Christian who believes Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.

3. What is your favorite color and why?

Blue is my favorite color. I like to wear blue because women say, "It brings out the color of your beautiful eyes."

4. Who is your favorite teacher and why?

Rosemond DeMott is my favorite teacher. She was my English teacher in high school and played a large part in my decision to pursue broadcasting as a career.

5. You know you have to work to live, so if you could pick your work, what would you do?

I am retired from a career in broadcasting. If I could go back with a magic wand I'd want to be a play-by-play announcer for a major league baseball team (preferably the Atlanta Braves).

The Stranger Project: What You Need To Know Before You Participate

2008-06-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

Hello, and thanks for stopping by for a visit.

So, what is The Stranger Project and how does it work?

The other night, as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, I had an idea pop into my head. Gabe having ideas is usually dangerous, I know, but occasionally, they can lead to interesting things - i.e. China. If it hadn't been for my rather spontaneous idea to go teach English in China, God only knows what the past year of my life would have been like - probably a lot more boring. Anyway, I digress. The idea was this, "Wouldn't it be great to take pictures of complete strangers, ask them some interesting questions, and make a blog or book out of it?" I mean, stranger blogs and books have been created and become successful, so why couldn't my idea potentially work?

Well, I've decided to put my idea on paper, or rather the internet, and see if anyone would be interested in participating because without willing participants, my idea won't work that well. And that is where you, dear reader, come into play. Hopefully, you are still actually reading, and you didn't stop at "the other night". If so, let me tell you more about my idea.

First things first, my idea needs a title. After much thought, I've decided to call it The Stranger Project. Yeah, I know, not as ground breaking as you had hoped for, but I'm sure names like GoDaddy and Google didn't sound all that fantastic until half of the world thought they were cool.

And what is its purpose? What will people gain by participating? Well, the project will allow people to read and learn a little something about a complete stranger that they never would have met or learned about otherwise. I know I can't possibly be the only person who scours blogs to read about the lives of strangers all over the world. People intrigue me. I love learning about traditions, experiences, and how people feel about different things. That's mostly the reason why I participate in Postcrossing. There has to be at least a handful of people out there who share my interests. Well, I'm hoping there is at least several handfuls, or this won't work quite as well as I imagined.

If everything does go well, then I'll be happy. If things turn south, well, worst things have happened to me.

Where to Submit

If you want to participate after reading everything below, you may send your submission to the following email :astrangerproject at gmail.com.

What is Required

1. A picture of yourself.

2. 5 answered questions from the list provided below. Please provide the questions that you use in your submission, just in case the answer you provide doesn't make it clear which question you are answering.

3. Your first name.

4. Your age.

The Rules

The rules are rather simple I think. As of now, I only have six rules. I think most individuals can follow them. I don't typically like rules, but I figured that this sort of project needed them. Here they are.

1. Pictures cannot have more than one "stranger". i.e. Don't include your cat, your best friend, or your best friend's cat with you. One photo. One person.

Pictures may be a profile or full length shot. The more creative the picture is - the happier I am.

2. Pictures cannot contain an ounce of nudity or anything that I deem to be vulgar or inappropriate. i.e. If you have to stop and think whether or not it's inappropriate, it probably is, and you shouldn't submit it.

3. Don't submit pictures of people you don't know, your friends or famous people. i.e. If you are the person sending me an email, it should be your face in the picture and no one else's. If for one moment I think the picture is not legit - it will get deleted.

4. Answers must accompany the picture being sent. i.e. If I get answers, but no picture, your submission will not be considered. The same goes for pictures submitted without answers.

5. Don't include any personal information like your address or phone number in the answers you provide.

6. Last but not least . . . have fun and tell all your friends!

The Questions

Right now I have a total of 22 questions. Of these 22, only 5 need to be answered with your submission . You'll notice that number 22 is an open question. You may use that one as many times as you like, but just remember rule #2 above. In time, I may add some more questions. If want me to add some questions that you though of, just let me know.

1 . Where were you born and raised?

2 . What is something memorable about your childhood?

3 . What are your life goals?

4 . What are your spiritual beliefs?

5 . What is your occupation and what do you like/dislike about it?

6 . Who do you love and who are they to you?

7 . What are you good at?

8 . What is something you can’t do well?

9 . What is your passion in life?

10 . You know you have to work to live, so if you could pick your work, what would you do?

11 . What is something you want to accomplish before you die?

12 . Has there ever been a book that you’ve read that has changed your life? What was its title and how did it change your life?

13 . Has there ever been a movie that you’ve seen that has changed your life? What was its title and how did it change your life?

14 . Have you ever fought for something you’ve believed in? What did you fight for and what was the outcome?

15 . If you could meet anyone living or dead, who would it be and why?

16 . What is your favorite color and why?

17 . Has anyone ever changed your life? Who were they and what did they do?

18 . Who is your favorite teacher and why?

19 . What is the best vacation you’ve been on and why?

20 . If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

21 . What do you despise?

22. Don't see a question you like? That's okay, create your own. Just remember Rule #2 when you do so.

And well, that's it. If you choose to participate, thanks. If not, I understand. Remember, this project is still in its infancy. I've got to work out all the kinks and make it look really nice.