Too often, when we only know someone in one context, they get stuck in our minds existing only in that specific context. Sometimes we see a teacher as someone always teaching, not someone who enjoys competitive cycling. Sometimes we see a pastor as someone dressed up always helping people, not someone who works out at the local Y. Since this frequently happens with me, I thought it might be good to ask our featured composer, Mona Rejino what she likes to do outside of teaching and composing music. (Don’t forget about the opportunity to submit an interview question to Mona.) Here is her response:
Keeping Up with Current Events
I feel compelled to keep up with current events, so I read the newspaper, Time and Newsweek magazines faithfully. To me there is nothing more interesting and enlightening than excellent journalism.
Cooking
My husband and I love to cook together! We make everything from “Flatiron Steak with Avacado-Corn Relish” to “Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Vinaigrette.” He loves to roast ancho and guajillo peppers to make homemade salsa, and I enjoy trying all sorts of seafood recipes since they tend to be more healthy. I tend to follow the recipes fairly closely, and he is a better improviser in the kitchen. All in all, we turn out some pretty good chow!
Traveling
Traveling is something our family looks forward to when we are able to get away. The most fantastic vacation we ever took was to Italy in 2005 with our two children. We spent about ten days in Assisi, Cortona, Siena, Florence, San Gimignano and Rome. The artistic and historical masterpieces we observed were unbelievable, and we enjoyed gelato usually more than once a day! We have also taken some breathtaking trips to the Pacific Northwest, Colorado and Alberta, Canada where we explored the mountains and valleys in awe of the natural beauty. We have taken a couple of short trips to New York City which were great fun! There is so much to see there, and the pulse of that city is like none other. For Richard and I, who grew up in very small farming towns in West Texas, these vacations have afforded us great adventures that were so much fun to share with our children.
Don’t forget to submit your interview questions to Mona here by September 27th.
