Insta-Interview
October 26, 2007 - 12:00amName: Alessandra West.
What year are you? Freshman.
Major: Linguistics. Maybe a double major with history.
Hometown: Topeka, Kan.
How is Kansas different from Cornell? There’s a lot more tolerance here since this isn’t the Bible Belt. Also, there are so many more cultural opportunities here. There are so many libraries, choirs and dance groups. Also, theater is a lot more respected here. And it’s prettier here — there are more trees. And everything is so close together.
You consider things at Cornell close together?! Yeah, in high school, I had to walk 45 minutes to get to school. It may have been flat, but 15 minutes of walking up hills is better than 45 minutes of walking flat.
Where do you live at Cornell? I live in the Holland International Living Center.
Why did you choose to live there? I originally wanted to live in a language house since I speak Spanish, French and German. But they’re not open to freshmen, so I chose HILC. I wanted to have the opportunity to practice and hear different languages and be exposed to other cultures and food.
How do you know so many languages? I really love languages, so I took three in high school. I also used to be fluent in Tolkien’s Quenya at one point, but I’ve since forgotten it. And, I’m working on my own language for the novels I write.
How many novels have you written and what are they about? The novels are a fantasy series aimed for middle-schoolers called The Song of MajikWing that follow a young girl who wishes to become a Healer. I finished one in middle school and one in high school, and I’m working on my third. I’m busy sending them to publishers. I’ve already gotten 5 rejection slips, but I realize that I’ll probably get about 15 before I finally find someone to publish my books.
When do you find the time to work on your novel at Cornell? I work on it between classes instead of going back up to North Campus.
Why are you creating a new language for your books? I wanted to add a new level to my stories because there are some things in them that English can’t quite capture.
What is the language like? It’s called Faerien, and it sounds a little like Celtic, which I’ve been studying a bit here. I’ve made up a lot of new words, but I haven’t created a new grammar system yet. I’ve also created my own alphabet to make letters for sounds that don’t already have their own letters, such as the rolled ‘R.’
Can you speak the language? Only when I have my dictionary, which is saved on my computer at home, in front of me.
Do you have a favorite word? My favorite phrase is “Canach lesure doy lairn ta lairn rdoa.” It’s a greeting that means, “Let nature guide you on your path.”