Karina

Karina lives in a Texas suburb with her fiancé and their two dogs. Both of them work with animals and make art. Her five words are Unique, determined, easy-going, quiet, empathetic. She knows where most of them come from: I grew up with a single mom who migrated to the US when I was very young. I learned to be a hard-worker and not take anything for granted from a young age. Working with animals, she adds, has made her more gentle and nurturing.

Her three defining moments are a ladder. She came to the United States from South America at seven: I remember being scared and unsure of what the future held. The culture shock and language barrier was a struggle for the first couple of years. She was the first in her immediate family to finish college: I'm happy that I was able to make my mom proud. And she bought a house young, on her own. Beneath the ladder runs a harder memory. In middle school, in an advanced math class, another student asked whether she belonged there because I was the only Hispanic kid. She writes: I will never forget how sad and alienated I felt that day. She became Americanized very quickly in order to avoid being stereotyped, and only later stopped caring what others thought; now she is very proud of her heritage. One reading is that her lifeline climbs on achievement while she carries, underneath, the work of belonging.

Her food world began with absence, not abundance. I grew up in a home with a single mom who worked 2 jobs so she did not cook very often. I never learned how to cook and resorted to eating quesadillas and frozen dinners. Today her fiancé, trained as a cook, plans and makes the meals; on her own she reaches for the microwave. Her typical day: cereal, a frozen meal, pizza, popcorn. Her food words are honest, lazy, inconsistent, easy, adventurous, sweet, and the food of her heritage is hard to find where she lives, so she looks for spicy dishes that taste like home. Her mother's diabetes changed the family: since her diagnosis she eats salmon and greens, bought a bike, and seems a lot happier now that’s she’s in control of her health.

She would consider vegetarian eating, not vegan, since I love cheese and other dairy products, and her reasons are health, the environment and animals. She sees climate change around her, poor air quality, more disease-carrying insects, droughts, wildfires, extreme heat, and links it to food prices.

Her superpower is a creed: Have a purpose, be mentally prepared for the worst, have a sense of humor, and refuse to give up. Her weakness is the voice of others: I let pessimistic voices and naysayers get in my way. She copes with meditation, sleep, hobbies and professional help. When she is sad she loses her appetite; when she is down she reaches for fast food. Her 2 a.m. person is her mother: we are very close and have been through many struggles together.

On Day 5 she wants to be less lazy when it comes to cooking, and to feel less stressed out when I think of making dinner. She names what stands in the way with a clear eye: Cravings, ads on TV, busy lifestyle, fast food on every corner. Her motto: Overall wellness is not a destination, but a process. Her letter: I'm so proud that you didn't give up. You had good days, bad days, overwhelming days, too tired days, but you still showed up.