Let me introduce you to a spectacular girl: Gina Kazanjian. Okay, so, she hasn't climbed Mount Everest, started a rock band, or gotten onto Oprah's talkshow, or anything, but here is one girl who is original and who you won't want to miss. Let her tell you about herself.

LibbyR: Okay, Gina. Tell the world a little bit about yourself!

GinaK: Like what about myself?

LibbyR: Just the basics to start!

GinaK: I am fourteen and I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I have four sisters. I figure-skate, bead, play the flute competitively, scrapbook, and do a ton of homework!

LibbyR: That is a lot of girls for one family. Tell us a little bit about "girl life" at your place.

GinaK: My oldest sister, Mary Beth, is away at college, but I see her every two or three weeks. She's saintly. That's what my mom says, anyways. I know better. Ani is 17 and she's still at home, but she's gone so much of the time that it won't feel much different when she really is  gone. Christi is two years younger than me. She collects tissue boxes for a hobby. She stacks them to make a wall of tissue boxes and puts things in them. She's that organized. She also makes dollhouses for her calico critters and playmobile. She likes making and decorating them just as much as she likes playing in them. Tasha is 9. She is the baby of the family and she likes to play alone- -mostly because there isn't someone around to play with. She has about 15 stuffed animal penguins and she plays with them a lot. Having five girls in one house can be pretty emotional sometimes. But, in general, I like it.

LibbyR:  Sounds like fun! Now, I know that you participate in flute competitions. Tell TPS about tha.

GinaK: First off, I'll tell you that what I love about being in flute competitions and band is as follows: friends, challenging music, and the thrill of a competition. In eighth grade, my mom told me that I was going to do band class at public school. I was VERY surprised, but I just said, "Okay! Sure!" I didn't know what a huge part of my life this would become. I went to band at 7:50 sharp every morning. I got to see what it would be like having to get up early and go to school every day. My family usually gets up early and has family devotions, but ,occasionally, we have a sleep-in day. I didn't get any sleep-in days that year! So, we played some fun music and had a concert around Christmastime. One thing that I loved about band was getting out of the house every single day. It was so good to see people besides my family! Around November, my band teacher pulled all of his best students into his office and told them that there was a chance for them to audition for an All State Band. I was so proud to be one of his "best students," even if I didn't get it. On the day of my audition, my mom drove me to a huge high-school about half an hour away. A woman led me to a recording room, which was painted black: black floors, black furniture, and black curtains covering the walls. She told me to play my four scales. I was so scared that I couldn't play a few of the high notes. Then I played a one-pag-long etude and did much better on it than I had on the scales. I knew I wasn't in, though. A month later, my band teacher emailed all of the students who got in. When my mom came and told me that I was in, I screamed for about three minutes straight and then I jumped up and down in my bedroom. My next playing opportunity was in February. I signed up for district Solo and Ensemble with three events: a solo and two duets. At Solo and Ensemble, all of the students from a district go to a high-school and play their pieces for judges. The judges rate them with a 1 (excellent) 2 (fairly good), 3, 4, or 5. I worked very hard and got all ones. My next competition was a tryout for high-school bands. I am taking band at Pioneer High-School. Last year, Pioneer was rated the best band in the country. There are three bands: Varsity Band, Concert Band, and Symphony Band. Varsity Band is a good band for a high-school. It's made of mostly freshman. They work on "developing their talents," as the band program would put it. Concert Band is a few freshman, sophomores, a few juniors, and a couple seniors. Symphony is mostly seniors and juniors. I auditioned for Symphony and Concert instead of Varsity, like many of the students at middle school. Surprisingly, I got in as one of the three freshman flutists in Concert Band. I just did high-school Solo and Ensemble last weekend, and it was a lot harder than middle school! I managed to get ones on my two events, and I'll be going to State Solo and Ensemble this March. In my flute playing, either I'm talented (which I wouldn't claim to be), I work hard (and I do), or I'm just really lucky! I think it's a mix of all three.

LibbyR: So, do you want to do flute more seriously? Or is there something else that you would rather pursue in college/career?

GinaK: I don't think that I want to pursue flute as a career, but I always want to play. Maybe I'll be a private flute teacher someday on the side of another job.

GinaK: Do you want to know about my family's mission trips to Turkey? It's actually pretty interesting

LibbyR: Yes, please!

GinaK: First of all, you must know that my dad is 100% Armenian. That (obviously) makes me and my sisters half Armenian. Armenians hate Turks. If you look at Armenia on a map, it's a tiny little country almost swallowed by Turkey. It used to be a lot bigger, but Turkey took most of their land. This means that there are many many Armenians living in Turkey. Around 1915, the Turks decided that they didn't want Armenians in their country, and they started to kill them all. It's a really horrible story.

   About eight years ago, a missions organization in my city asked my dad to help them on a mission to Turkey. My dad speaks Armenian and knows the culture. He accepted their offer, but he had a lot of trouble accepting that he was going to help the Turkish people.  Four years ago, my mom and dad decided to take us all to Turkey for a month. There are a few reasons:  for one, it would be good for us to know about the unique middle-eastern culture that's such a big part of our family, and two, to see what our dad does in Turkey and be part of that. That month will stand out in my memory for a long time, and I still remember almost everything that we did, everywhere that we went, and everyone that we met, even though it was four years ago and I was only ten years old. My dad goes to Turkey twice a year: once to plan a long trip, and then the long trip. He's been taking each of his daughters at sixteen, and my trip is coming up next! I can't wait to go.

LibbyR: Okay, now for the fun stuff. Tells us all of the zany things about you!

GinaK: I am random. Libby and I invented the random game! (One person says the most random thing that she can think of, and then it's the other person's turn to do the same! The point is to make each other laugh.)

 I read the dictionary and the encyclopedia for fun sometimes. Nerdy, I know. When I'm really angry at someone, I always go outside. It makes me feel better. I roller blade (when it's warm enough), ice skate (when it's cold enough), or just read in my tree house.  Oh, and my favorite band is Superchic[k]. I also like BarlowGirl and Switchfoot.

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