F: Oh, I just like having fun, going to school, swimming, teaching kids how to swim. And try to help people. She watches Netflix.
J: I’m studying political science. I’m like really interested in politics, and I really want to change the world some day.
F: I want to eventually lead up to ophthalmology. So uh, 70% of our sensory receptors are in our eyes. And imagine not having 70% of those. It would suck. And there are a lot of little kids out there, overseas, and they don’t really get the treatment they need in case they have some disease. And I’d love to make a difference in that way.
J: We’re really interested in the [AIDS Walk] cause.
F: I usually come. [It’s been] 4 or 5 years. I usually bring my friend.
J: [In my free time, I watch] Netflix? Like everything. Like any kind of genre. It’s weird when someone asks you something, and you forget everything you like! Oh yeah, I love The Walking Dead.
F: I don’t have free time. Monday through Thursday, I go to school, and I work. Fridays, this one right here. And Saturdays, I work again. And then Sundays, I try to study. I teach kids how to swim. I’m a water safety instructor. I’ve taught over 200 kids how to swim in my day. I started swimming at the age of six. And my mom got me into that, so I thank her for that. I’m always busy. It’s just the lifestyle.
J: [Live life in peace not in pieces] This is my only tattoo. It’s my favorite quote in the whole wide world, and I live by it. I just saw it on Tumblr one day, and it stuck with me. I kind of just live by the quote. It really helps me when I’m going through hard times. I went through a really bad break up, and it helped me through that. I just got dumped, and I was devastated.
I guess my passion is learning as much as I can about the world. I honestly don’t know [what I want to do with political-science]. I’m kind of just hoping I’ll figure it out along the way. Well, right now, I’m super interested in protests, and police brutality, and things like that.
F: Oh yeah. I’m kind of scared because I know how competitive [medical school] is. I’m trying to do the best I can to prepare. Internships, working, taking the right classes of course. Getting A’s.
J: [College]’s really fun.
F: Tiring.
J: Yeah, it’s way better. I just feel like I fit in better in college, than in high school. And I made really good friends. And I like my classes a lot more. I think my favorite one I’ve ever taken so far in college is history. I really like learning about it, and I had a really good teacher. It was American history, like post-Civil War time to present. We read articles about people who lived in important times in history, so we got a first-hand look kind of. It was really cool.
F: I like being busy. ‘Cause at the end of the day, if I don’t do anything, I can’t sleep. So if I get home tired, I can fall asleep as soon I get there. In high school, I didn’t really do much, so now I’m trying to turn the boat around. Being surrounded by different people. In high school, there’s kind of a vibe: You don’t really see ahead. But now that I’m in college – I mean, I guess I’m hanging out with the right crowd.
I like being happy. [What makes me happy is] Her.
J: We’ve been dating since July 24th. [We met] At work.
F: Yeah. I was a lifeguard, and she was a recreational coordinator.
J: I just really love his personality. He’s down-to-earth.
F: I like the way she smells.
Excerpt may be edited for clarity.