Name: Tara Nicole Zuber

Age: 23 (24 in January)

Hometown: Evanvsille, Indiana, USA

Posting: Rumoi (Just trace up the west coast of Hokkaido. You can’t miss it. If you hit Wakkanai, you’ve gone too far). I’m with the Hokkaido BoE and a one-shot, which means that I travel lots. My furthest school is just a hair over three hours away by bus. My closest school is about 30-45 minutes walking distance. I go to about 20 schools (some drop or add throughout the year) from elementary through high school.

Education: Indiana University with majors in Comparative Literature, History, and Japanese Language. In History I focused upon the history of medicine and some topics in Japanese history. (Aka, I can talk with you about the development of the educational system or the rise of the emperor post-Meiji, but I can’t give you a timeline.) Basically, I never stopped writing essays during college.

Family: I am the eldest of my family. I have two younger brothers (21 and 20) and a younger sister (18). I also have an adorable nephew (1) who is the son of my sister. Two parents, six grandparents (only 4 of whom count), and a plethora of aunts, cousins, and uncles. I buy books for all my little cousins to try and tempt them away from the sports-oriented mindset of everyone else in my family.

Hobbies/Likes: I like reading mysteries, humor, and other books. My favorite authors are Stanislaw Lem, Neil Gaiman, Laurie R. King, and Terry Pratchett. I also adore epics, such as The Odyssey, and popular history, especially those with a medical history focus. I enjoy music of all sorts and various podcasts. Music-wise, I like Vienna Teng, Magnetic Fields, Lumiere, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and a whole host of others. I surf the net, knit scarves (slowly), and watch Jdramas (currently watching CHANGE, my favorites, though, are Galileo and Nodame Cantabile) and some other shows from back home (House, Bones, Psych, and BSG). I also love problem-solving and world-building.

Other Likes: Okonomiyaki, Sashimi, Wasabi, Cheese and Spinach Quesadillas, Dr. Pepper (available in Asahikawa and Sapporo!), Umeshu, Wine, Good Bread, Stilton Cheese, Mint Ice Cream, Chai Tea with an Espresso Shot, Homemade Ice Cream, and Uber Dark Chocolate (70-85%). My favorite animals are pandas and snakes; the former in the wild and the latter as a pet. My favorite season is autumn, especially when on the cusp of winter.

Dislikes: Bananas, Beer, Peanut Butter, Corn (and other sweet vegetables), Milk, Dogs, Summer. I also dislike people who demand respect without giving any to others or doing anything to earn it.

Why JET?: I had heaps of reasons, but basically, I wanted to (a) travel; (b) see how people teach; (c) help people in some way; and (d) use one of my majors. In all the possible life plans I laid out, JET was the next step. *shrugs*

Why the HAJET PC?: I have a lot of free time and I’m the sort that if I can do something, I both want to and feel like I should do something.