Do you know this question team-builders use to let people introduce themselves? ‘Give me five words that describe you.’ You’ve only just arrived, grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down in the circle of chairs in the middle of the room. And now this.
Seriously, five words? I understand that we are on a bit of a time schedule, but how could five words ever be enough to describe myself? There is much more to me than my name, my hobbies or even my personality. I am a human, and every human is made up not just of tangible and empirical data, but also the spiritual characteristics: your view on life, your psychological history, your hopes and your dreams. Describing myself in five words will only give you a shallow idea of who I am; and it may set some prejudices that will define your image of me, while I may be quite different in real life than how I describe myself. For example, I would describe myself as a bit shy. You will notice this in my attitude in the beginning, but when I start to feel comfortable in a group I can really be quite outgoing. However, your image of me will have been mostly defined by your first impression of me and what happens after will have less of an impact.
So how to go about this introduction? Is there any description of myself that would give you an adequate image of who I am? I could tell you some facts: that I am 20 years old, that I am in the second year of a bachelor’s Biomedicine, that I am a convinced Christian etc. Or I could tell you more personal things: that I have always wanted to sing in a band, that I often have trouble staying away from bad movies, that I feel more confident when speaking English.
But in the end, you will only really get to know me through time. Perhaps you know me personally and our conversations will each time reveal a small part of my heart. Otherwise you might just get to know me through my written snapshots, posted on this blog. Either way, I hope you will get to see a true part of who I am. It is my intention to be honest, although honesty on the Internet is not always the smartest way to go. I’ll have to figure that out as I go along. My main message though, that I want you to remember, is this: we are all unmistakably human. And beautifully so.
As for the introductory questions: I always end up telling my new acquaintances five of my characteristics, whether I like it or not. But every now and then I seriously consider saying:
‘Five words, eh? I HATE THESE INTRODUCTORY QUESTIONS.’
Unmistakably Human 
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