Question: You have received the MacArthur Fellowship, worth $200,000. It is given in installments of $40,000 over five years, and you may do with it what you wish. Tell me your plans.
After the near heart attack that I would have upon hearing that I had received a MacArthur Fellowship grant, I would probably decide to put the first year’s amount of $40,000 into investments and savings, because you never know what might happen. I feel like I would need a security net before I went spending wildly. Also, it would be nice to know that I could benefit from the fellowship for years to come, as well as leave a nice inheritance for my children. I would plan to continue working even while receiving the grant, because I hope to be working at a job that I love. Although, I must say, it would prove difficult to be patient until the next installment of $40,000. I imagine that I would receive the fellowship because of writing, about historical times or possibly novels.I think the first thing that I would do, after the initial year, of course, would be to take my family on a vacation in northern Michigan. Every year, we take a trip to a place called the Jolli-Lodge, which is an old fashioned, peaceful vacation spot – some would call it a resort, but I do not think that word describes it at all. It is in Leelanau County, on Good Harbor Bay of Lake Michigan, across the street from a vineyard, and right in the middle of cherry country; it is beautiful in all seasons, but the summer is my favorite. The night sky is filled with more stars than you would ever imagine, and the sound of the waves is incredibly calming. Incidentally, the writer Jim Harrison spent a few months there while he wrote “Legends of the Fall”. I find it the one place where I can truly relax, and I would enjoy it immensely if for once we could go there as a family without my mother worrying about the expense or the budget. I get along amazingly well with my immediate family, and spending a few weeks with them at the Jolli-Lodge would be just wonderful. It would also be a great starting point for my four-month journey around the world.
After spending some time collecting myself at the Jolli-Lodge, the first stop on my world tour would be China. I had the opportunity to visit China with my high school symphony band, on a performance tour – I got to play the piccolo solo on Stars and Stripes Forever – but I would love to visit the country again, as a single person, not as part of a school group. I would ask my friend, Peng Li, who lives in New York and attends graduate school at Columbia, to come with me on my visit to China. I know she would be delighted to be an interpreter for me. She is from the city of Guangzhou, and our friendship came about because I have an uncle who goes to China on business, and her father owns one of the companies that he visited. We have been corresponding for about seven years, and although she is about four years older than I am, we have become close friends.
I cannot even begin to list the places in China that I would love to visit. Besides Beijing, which was the area that I visited with my school band, I would like to stop in places such as Shanghai, which is like the New York or Paris of China; Xi’an, which is home to the Terra Cotta Warriors and also the mausoleum of the first and only female empress of China; Guilin, which is a beautiful mountain region; Luoyang, where the first Buddhist temple was erected; Anyang, the capital of the Shang Dynasty (the second oldest recognized dynasty in China) and where the first evidence of Eastern writing was found; Kaifeng, which was the most culturally diverse city in the world 1,000 years ago; Guangzhou, a beautiful southern city which is Peng Li’s hometown, as well as so many other cities that thinking about where I would like to go almost gives me a headache. I know that most of the areas that I would want to visit are less famous, but are representative of the historical, traditional aspects of China. This would be the most expensive segment of my trip, as well as the most extensive. After China, Africa would probably be my next stop. My grandparents went to Kenya years ago, and I would like to do the same. I do not know as much about Africa as I do about China, but the very thought of seeing the continent firsthand excites me. I think that two weeks spent in Africa would do, visiting primarily the countries of Egypt and Kenya. Egypt, with all of its history and mystery, intrigues me, and Kenya is famous for safaris and its wildlife, which are two things that interest me.
The next place I would like to go would be England, Scotland, and Ireland. I went to Scotland and England when I was about 8 years old, with my extended family, but being so young, I do not remember much. I would possibly invite my immediate family to come with me, but in a way, I would like this to be a solitary adventure. I would visit castles, manor houses, Stonehenge, zoos, cities, and the countryside and I would try to find Mistlethwaite Manor, the setting of “The Secret Garden”, which was one of my (many) favorite books when I was younger. Ireland itself seems like such a gorgeous country, and I could not visit that area of the world without making a stop there.
After the British Isles, I think I would go to Sweden for a week or so, because much of my dad’s side of the family is Swedish. I may bring along my sister and her friend for this trip, because her friend speaks Swedish, and my sister would be very interested in coming along. I would probably include Germany on this leg of the trip, because much of that side of my family is also German. I know Sweden is not that close to Germany, but I think I would take a plane from Sweden to Germany, and take a train to the next location – Italy and Greece, spending possibly two weeks or so there. My mother’s side of the family is Italian, and she went to Italy the summer after high school with a group of friends. I think I would like to go alone, however, and experience all of the historical Greek and Roman structures and places. I truly enjoy solitude, and having my friends around to distract me from the atmosphere and wonder of such a historically important place would not be a good thing. I would want to be able to let all of my thoughts come to me undisturbed, and not have to explain what I was thinking.
I hope that traveling so extensively in such a short period, approximately four months, would not overwhelm me. I would end my travels with another stay at the Jolli-Lodge, this time by myself. Even imagining that now makes me quiver with excitement. I would plan to write about my travels, how they changed me as a person, and similarities that I had seen across cultures, possibly in a novel, a non-fiction travel book, or even an autobiography. I would not know what I would write about until I had actually seen the world. All together, my voyage would take more or less four months to complete, and cost nearly $40,000. I would have to use some of the money from the first year to cover rent or utility costs on my home, or I could always sublet for the time that I would be away.
The next installment of $40,000, with still $80,000 left to come, would probably be given in small amounts to members of my family. I do not think that I would give money to everyone in my extended family, because, to be quite honest, not very many of them have been encouraging in my intellectual endeavors. Many of them tease me when they see me sitting in the corner with a book at a family gathering, or when they hear about the good grades I receive, have called me “college girl” in the past – with a sneer – even when I was in elementary school. (I think they are just jealous.) However, I would give some money to my parents, because after all, they raised me, and without them, I would not be the person that I am today. I would possibly consider giving some money to my younger sister, but there is the chance that she would not spend it wisely, so I would possibly set up some kind of savings or investment account for her. I would lend money to loyal friends if they were in need, but I would not give generously or extravagantly to anyone who decided, all of a sudden, that I was now their best friend. I have an intense dislike for being used, and this is a situation in which I hope I would notice an impostor before I did something that I would regret.
The fourth year, I would use the money to buy a sensible, but very nice car for myself, such as a Toyota Camry or maybe a Volvo. I would not want to buy something extravagant or flashy, such as a convertible or a sports car, because I would feel guilty, as if I were wasting the money. For some reason, I imagine receiving the MacArthur Fellowship before having children, but with children in mind, whether they are my own or my nieces and nephews. Therefore, a nice, comfortable, safe sedan would be the most practical use of my money. After buying the car, I would put the leftover money towards my home, whether an apartment or a house, and use it to do basic home repair that I had been putting off for a while or to possibly pay off some bills. Some people in this situation would choose to donate part of their money to a charity or a good cause. I do not find anything wrong with this or with charities in general, but frankly, the amount of money is not necessarily excessive, and being a selfish, greedy American, I would want to keep it all for myself. I would donate to the music program in my hometown, possibly $5,000 or maybe $10,000, but that would be the extent of my charity.
As I said before, I do not necessarily see children in my life while I would be receiving the MacArthur Fellowship, but I know that if I do not have children myself, my sister definitely will. I would put half of the final payment of $40,000 into an interest-gaining trust fund for any children that happen to come along. They would be able to use it toward college, or after they turned 25. My mother’s aunt did the same for me, and I am forever grateful, because without it, I would not be attending DePaul. The rest of that final $40,000 would be spent, not frivolously, on fun “toys” for my family and myself. I would buy my dad a few expensive model circus trucks, as well as any architecture or other books that he would ask for. I would try to buy my mother anything that she wanted, but knowing her, she would protest for quite some time before asking for some nice jewelry or possibly books. It is always difficult to figure out what she wants. My sister would be quite happy with a $1,000 shopping spree, particularly on Michigan Ave., and possibly a redecoration of her bedroom. (Her dream is to be an interior decorator.)
For myself, although the trip around the world would be enough of a treat, I would probably treat myself to a few gigantic, high quality stuffed animals from FAO Schwartz. I am serious – sometimes, I live the life of a big five-year-old. I love frogs, and so would try to find the biggest, fluffiest, softest, cutest stuffed frog around. I would also like a giant teddy bear. I think it would be really neat to decorate my house with children in mind – even if I really never have any of my own. I cannot think of any grown-up “toys” that I would like to buy, other than books or a nice computer. I would set aside a certain amount of money for a “book fund”, because I am always finding a new book that I want to buy, but I never have the money.
Ideally, I hope to spend any money wisely and sensibly, but not without having fun, whether that money comes to me through working hard at a job or through an amazing grant such as the MacArthur Fellowship. I always feel guilty if I spend too frivolously or without giving careful thought to what I am buying, whether my purchase is something that I truly enjoy or not.
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