How Lovely to Meet You

I am terrible at introductions. I don't know what it is, but when it comes time for me to introduce myself and what I'm all about, I freeze up. I hardly remember my own name, let alone how old I am.

On Wednesday nights, I have a class that is pretty small. Last night, we went through the entire class and we each introduced ourselves. It was simple. We were to tell our name, our major, and where we were from. Then the TA would ask each person a random question he wanted answered. A few students threw in extra things about themselves. One girl mentioned she was half Japanese. Another told us about her achievements. And I sat, half listening and breaking a cold sweat, while I tried to think up something witty I could say when it came to my turn. Everything I thought of either sounded lame or I would be plain bragging about myself. Not that I have anything that grand to brag about, I just didn't want to come across as proud or arrogant. So I decided to keep things simple, and I would see what the TA asked me. Perhaps he would ask me something pertaining to my exciting major like the most interesting story I had covered, or what I planned on doing after graduation. Or maybe he would ask me what my favorite hobby was. I would bank on making myself sound interesting through answering the TA's question. Perfect.

Then came my turn. I said something like, "Hi, everyone. My name is Kelsey Keller (I left out Weller since I still haven't changed my name with the University). I am majoring in broadcast journalism and minoring in sociology, and I am from Weston, Idaho."

Then I waited for my question.

The TA then asked, "Okay, I have a serious question for you. How many potato farmers were there in your hometown?"

Everyone laughed. Except for me. I didn't think it was funny. Actually, I was pissed. But I tried my best to pleasantly smile and answer, "Actually, there was only one potato farmer where I lived."

I really wanted to go on and ask him where he served his mission. Because I know he is not LDS, although he is from Utah. I wanted to prove a point that he was stereotyping, but I decided that would not be the wisest thing to do. Especially on the first day of class. So with that, my turn was over.

And I was bugged the remainder of class because I would be remembered by my classmates as the potato farmer.

So if I could go back in time, perhaps I would say something like this:

My name is Kelsey Keller Weller. That's right, my name is its own little poem. I am majoring in broadcast journalism, minoring in sociology, and I will graduate in May. I am still not so sure what to do from there, but I have a few fun career options. I've done some freelance work for several news stations, but I've also done some wedding and engagement videos too. I am part of the Aggie Radio News Team. I am also a peer mentor for a group of freshmen students. I ran on the track & field team here at USU, but then decided to get more involved with my major instead. I married a great guy about a year and a half ago. So yes, I'm married, but I am a fun married person. My husband owns an Allstate insurance agency. Oh, and my husband's name is Brian, but I often call him BWell or Bri Guy. And we have the sweetest little kitty named Luna. She has all the good traits of a cat, and otherwise, acts like a dog. Her favorite thing to do is play fetch. I am from Weston, Idaho and I went to a very small high school. My graduating class was 42. But I loved how small it was. I love to read, write, sing with my husband, hike, run, travel, and do yoga. The coolest place I have ever traveled to is Ethiopia. Brian proposed to me on the beach in Mexico. I like pulling pranks and I love food. All food. Except for green beans. But I will eat them if they are given to me. Oh, and I'm terrible at math. I still use my fingers for simple addition. I also have a random sense of humor, so if I laugh at something when no one else is laughing, you will know why. I get distracted easily and I can't multitask to save my life. I have a wild imagination.  

However, I can't go back in time. So I will hold the title proudly as "the girl who grows potatoes" until next Wednesday's class time. Until then, I feel a lot better now that I've gotten this off my chest. And I hope you've learned your lesson. Never assume someone you meet from Idaho grows potatoes or even likes potatoes. Because Idahoans have bad tempers.