About
My name is Kristina. Mercurial describes me for many reasons and while the word carries with it the weight of its negative connotation-- flighty, fickle, unreliable-- I have come to embrace my natural curiosity. It is that interest in understanding the world that keeps me going from day to day.
I'm an educator, storyteller, a performer, and a connector. I'm also an introvert. Not only do I prefer to spend time alone (it's never as draining as peopling), when I don't get enough alone time, I struggle to exist in any semblance of comfort. It is in those moments I become so very much aware of the sounds of electricity, the swarms of people around me, the bombardment of scents attacking my tastebuds and setting up camp in my nostrils.
For years I struggled against my natural inclination in an effort to fit into the world the way one is supposed to: I graduated college with bachelors in English. I went on to earn a masters in teaching and became a classroom teacher in the Bronx that raised me.
Years before, I survived some shit, went no-contact with my mom, met the love of my life, lost a baby, got married, and welcomed the bestest child in thee world.
But piece by piece I began to exchange more and more of myself with the me demanded in to existence by the world. The me that over performed. The me that covered my ass with copies of every piece of communication. The me that worked twice as hard to get less... The me that didn't learn in classrooms being lectured to by professors, but rather on her own, exploring as deeply (or not) as I want. I toed the line. Hid behind he scenes and helped others create a life of visibility because to push my own would be to be too much.
And after years and years of walking the path expected, I broke. My mind. My spirit. My willingness to continue. It all died and I almost went with it.