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Maybe I started to miss my city when I entered in the plane to Philadelphia. I come from a place with plum blossom in spring, fireflies in summer, streets filled with phoenix tree leaves in autumn and soft snowflakes in winter. My hometown Nanjing, was the capital of six dynasties, standing calmly near the Long River and staring changes in history for thousands of years. Every ancient construction in roads has its own story, and my avatar, is a part of the ‘Yuejiang Pavilion’. In my last year in Nanjing, I travelled different parts which I ignored before. Keeping notes, reading historic information and enjoying natural views in mountains, I felt really comfortable. Yuejiang Pavilion was my last destination. I remembered the day I walked up to the top of it, with Long River traversing hundreds of meters away. The bell rang, and pigeons were scared to fly under thick clouds. Because the pavilion is so high, I could see most part of Nanjing in front of me. It is the last time I looked at my hometown in such situation before I came abroad.   

I choose this picture because the Winnie in the picture is not only a toy of my favourite cartoon character，but also my birthday gift sent here by my best friend this year.

My birthday is on September 6th, which is alway at the beginning of school semesters. Thus, when I was a child, different with other children who hated the end of holidays, I was always looking foreward to the new semester. 

My birthday this year is the first time for me to celebrate alone without any family members or old friends. However, I never feel upset for the simple reason that I meet so many new friends here. Although I am far away from my hometown, I can still feel warm and happy.

Moreover, I notice that there is a parade night on my birthday on campus, which makes me feel excited, and I hope to make friends with more girls that night!

In my hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan, we have a sculpture that every townie grows up hearing about. It’s called “The Cube”. Located on University of Michigan’s campus, The Cube attracts plenty of students and tourists alike everyday. Balancing itself on one tip, The Cube has an imposing and uneasy quality to it, looking like it could fall over and crush you at any moment.  However if you go up to touch it you find that it’s not unsteady at all, it actually spins. Now, getting The Cube to spin isn’t an easy task. It takes a lot of energy, strength, and hard work. Sometimes even that can’t get it to turn. That’s where teamwork comes in. The hardest part of spinning The Cube is getting it to move that first inch. But if you and the other people involved (whether they be a few jolly college students or a determined 3rd grade class) put the effort into pushing The Cube, you'll find that it gets spinning on it’s axis, becoming easier and easier to push each time it comes around. The belief that The Cube is movable despite it’s foreboding appearance and heavy weight is what brings people back to it time and time again. 

The picture I chose for my avatar is one that my friend drew of me. It’s very important to me because it shows me how I appear from her perspective. I have always been concerned with how others see me and let that shape my view of myself – in both negative and positive ways. If someone tells me I should wear my hair a certain way because it looks pretty, I agree with them and alter myself accordingly rather than offering and questioning my opinion of beauty. If someone tells me that I come off as standoffish or rude, I work hard to make sure that I appear friendlier when I’m around them. As I’ve grown as a person and formed a strong identity and opinions, I have slowly stopped shaping my behavior around others’ expectations, but it’s difficult to get past the initial urge of wanting to please. That urge is traditionally considered a feminine trait, so it’s hard for me as a cis woman and a feminist to reconcile that urge with the rest of me – is it from my own mind or part of the messages I’ve heard since birth from the heteronormative media? I think the reason why I value the picture I chose for my avatar so much is because I feel it looks like me – it is not a commentary on my appearance or behavior, but a glimpse into my personality.  It shows why the artist values me; it is an affirmation of my self and that which I should not change.

If I were any food, I would be an avocado, and my love for them is a quirk that my friends occasionally tease me about, although I don't really understand why avocados are such an unusual favorite food. Not only are avocados delicious, but they are flexible in cooking (they can be used in either sweet or savory dishes), and incredibly nutritious. As a vegetarian, I find them to be a very important part of my diet. I chose to represent myself on this website with an avocado because I am known for liking them so much, and because I feel that avocados are really underrated.

p.s. After doing some research, I discovered that avocados are also a symbol for both male and female sexuality, so they also relate to some of the themes of this course.

For the most part, I am a very optimistic and always smiling type of person. I don't like to hold grudges or dwell in the past. I love setting goals for myself and challenging myself mentally, emotionally, and physically. I love to live for the adventure and no matter the circumstance, I push myself until I see the sun shine bright once again. Hence, my avatar picture reflects who I am as a person, big smile and the pink shining through the light coming through the window in my dorm. The background of the picture is white, unfilled and untouched as it awaits for a new adventure to be drawn and fill the space. 

Choosing this avatar really reminds me where I am from- Sichuan, China, a place famous for pandas and spicy cuisine. Like what we have done when entering the college, I want to tell you where I'm from. I'm from the bell rings of the rickshas in the narrow and  long alleys; I'm from adorable pandas, from hot-pot and from numerous antiques in history; I'm from brilliant and beautiful poems and literatures thousands years ago. It is the place I was born and grew make me nowadays. Because of the eating habit, I act in a piquant way. Because of the long history, I obey various tradition. Because of the relaxing atmosphere in my city, I like sitting besides the rivers, drinking  tea, and reading some fictions or playing cards with my friends. There's no need to think, no need to worry. No matter where I am going, I know I'm from there, and I am always there. It's rooted in my heritage, my blood, my value, even in my free-well, my soul and future.

In my home, we have a book of Joseph Stella paintings that my dad keeps in the basement.  One of my favorite things to do as a little girl was to sneak down and examine the many pages, filled with the variety of works Stella completed in his lifetime.  My favorite was always my avatar.  It was mesmerizing for me to look at. I loved the placid expression on Mary's face, and the way all the colors of the fruit and flowers seemed to tie into her body and facial language.  When I attended weekly Catechism, I imagined her in the same way as I imagined Disney princesses. As this godly, "chosen" human, she formed one of my first images of the female identity--the creator, the provider of all that is good and holy in this world.  Although I never was terribly religious, and wasn't capable of fully comprehending Mary as the Christian figure of divine femininity, I connected with the natural, lush beauty that she portrays in the painting.  I identify as cisgendered and queer.  In reflection, I realize that the allure of Mary's presentation intiated the beginning of my fascination with women on a sexual and spiritual level.  Through this, I could see that the woman is a beautiful and essential part of nature, and that as a self-identifying girl, I was part of that.  

My avatar is not very interesting; it is just a picture of yourstruly in my dorm room. However, I will use this paragraph to explain my username. By no means do I liken myself to either a missile or an axe. On the contrary, I am very much so a pacifist. I did not choose Tomahawk because of its colloquial meaning, but its significance to me. Tomahawk is a combination of my middle and last name (Tamiko and Hawkinson), and I have used it for various laser tag games and blog usernames since I was eight. 

The simple thought of going through a day without some form of music frightens me. Whether I am walking to meet a friend or on the way to school, music is my companion. It is my workout partner and my study buddy. Unaccompanied by music, boredom comes too quickly in its place. This is why my profile picture is so important to me; it is of myself and my one true love, music. Specifically, Jack Steadman, the lead singer of one of my favorite bands, Bombay Bicycle Club. This was back in January of 2012, and I still consider that night to be one of the most memorable of my life. Without Jack – without music – I would be alone. Many walks would have gone unwalked, many dances gone undanced, many car rides gone unbearable and monotonous. Not only that, movies would be lacking emotion, MTV wouldn't exist, and exercise videos would just be people sweating, someone yelling, and silence.