Name: Nat
Date: April 15th, 2005

PERSONAL QUESTIONS


-Name:
Natalie D

-Nickname:
Nat

-Sex/age/location:
Female, 23, Detroit, USA

-Tell us about your life, what do you do in general? including your career and education.
I was born and raised in Michigan; I am the eldest of 4 siblings. I would have to say I am a true Libra: Diplomatic and urbane, Romantic and charming, Easygoing and sociable, Idealistic and peaceable but on the dark side I can get Indecisive and changeable. As for my career and education right now that I am in school I work for a Health insurance agency. When I am not working, I am in school working on my Bachelors degree in Industrial Psychology.

-You are from Detroit, a city known for its automotive industry as well as a big Assyrian and Middle Eastern population. What else distinguishes Detroit?
Little Baghdad.

-You are the first person to be interviewed, following a lot of important world events (Tsunami, Pope's Death, Terri Shiavo's death debate etc.) Have you been following any of these events closely?
The closest event I have been following was Terri Shiavo's death. It was a terrible event to watch and just makes you think how many people have died when they had a chance to live, maybe her death and what sum doctors said that she had a slight chance to live may give hope to some people who have loved ones that are sick that there is always a chance if given one and not to give up right away. As for the most recent event which was really sad was the death of Pope John Paul II, it's very sad to see such a noble man go he will always be in our hearts.
 

-Tell us a bit about your personality. You seem to be quite stable online. Is it the same in real life as well?
Yeah, I am not that type of person that finds picking on people or starting meaningless conversations fun. It takes a lot to make me mad and when I do get mad har shooq o rooq :) I don't tend to let any one online take me to that point cause there is much to life that start a simple argument online, so I tend to just let things go and I just watch people. I like to pay attention to how people are online sometimes you can tell a lot about them. BUT I would have to say I am the same in real life.



-We should also make a note of the fact that you are a fans favorite, having demonstrated a very peaceful and friendly image: how do you manage to keep it that way, and for years?
Ahhhhh I guess I just don't take things to heart that way and if I do have a problem I just let that one person know and not make it all global and be ignorant about it ... I try to see both ends before jumping into conclusion and just having a clear heart and a open mind things will always be fine.


-How attracted are you to Assyrian guys?
I am very attracted to Assyrian men as my mom would say "sawiltit atooraya leh shaklipaneh be kha nikhraya" Let makh orza atooraya. Its just not that same I don't care what people say dating outside your culture you will always bump heads sum way sum how.


-How do you define "true friends"?
To me, a true friend is someone who will stick with you through thick and thin even if you are slightly cracked and bring you up when you are down.


-Are you more of a religious or spiritual person?
I would say religious.


-If you are a believer, have faith, read the bible daily, and pray, do you still have to go to church?
I reserve comment on that question.


-At this age, are you looking forward to getting married, or is that something for the distant future?
Right now I have 2 more years left and I will be done with school. I would say that would be perfect time to be married.


-What do you look for in a future husband? Is there any absolute conditions that he must have?
He has to be Assyrian and he has to be a God-fearing man.


 

CHAT QUESTIONS
 

-Take us to your first day on our website and how did you get there?
Heeeeeee my first day ummmmmm I think it was my senior year in high school which was about 4 or 5 years ago I wasn't as active as I am now and I don't remember how I got here I think I searched it up bala len bidkhara


-Speaking of first days, when was your first day online ever? what computer and ISP were you using at the time?
Oh wow, my first day was in 1997 and I had this super slow HP and I would dial up to AOL to get online heeeee it was one of those you had to pray until you heard that noise that meant you were logged on hahaha.

-Although a very popular member on Assyrian Voice, you have been quiet and missing in the last few weeks? what happened? or, like many people, you are only reading and not posting?
Well the biggest reason for it all was about a month ago I got called down to the office and I was on the top 100 list of employees who uses the internet for non business related purposes and the only web site was AVN so yea I was a bit embarrassed and I had to stop coming to AVN in the mornings or get fired. BUT hey you guys made it on my corporation report hahaha and also I was on vacation so I really haven't been online much.
 

-It is amazing how many people have recommended you for this interview: do you have that in mind, and any plans to impress them?
Yeah I was shocked myself but kheena mo odan I am LOVED!!! :)


-When it comes to the forums, what your solution to making more people write than to just read?
Lately, the gap between readers and writers has been shrinking tremendously. Well lately it's been silly conversations like "hey Kelly how are you doing" and so what are you suppose to respond to when reading that. So maybe if we had more intellectual topics maybe more people will be engaged and respond.


-Right now as we read this interview, Assyrian Voice is celebrating its 6th anniversary. And during this anniversary, Assyrian Voice is going through its best times ever: most members ever, biggest traffic and lots more: what do you attribute this huge increase in the use of the site?
I would have to say the forums... The forums have come along way and the different contests you are having engages people to chat and become frequent chatters. And also all the chatters meeting we have had between the different cities have become a great success and meeting different people is great. So that engages others to become more involved.


-What distinguishes you from other chatters?
I wouldn't say that I am really different then any other chatter I guess we are all the same in a way that we all come to AVN to chat and meet new people. I guess living in Detroit I have the opportunity to be in most of the chatters meetings when some other chatters cant.



-A lot of people would probably know you more by your "Quote to think of" than your nickname. What is with this daily quote which has become part of our daily AVN morning routine?
I personally find quotes to be a wake up call or a word for thought so why not share it with others and most of the people who read my post always tell me how they write sum of my quotes down and use them as a food for thought so why not help people and have something positive grow from it.


-Has debating improved on the forums? Or, how much has it improved?
Debating is defined by the people doing the debating. As long as people still resort to name calling, nothing will ever change.



-Can you comment on the job done by the admins and mods on the forums lately? We keep getting a lot of positive feedback about the great job they are doing.
I would have to say the admins and mods have always done a great job keeping the forums in tact it is very hard to manage a life outside the internet and also keep a forum clean... So bravo and kudos to the mods and admins!! Keep up the great work.


-What do you think of the following:
>Certain people picking on Born2drv although those very people host their pictures on his server
>Little_Shushu's constant use of LOL, LMAO and other forms of internet laughter
>BellMafia's semi-daily Vent
>Phenomenons frequent inclusion of his mom's stories in his posts.

Well I guess people just pick on Born because he may get a lil crazy at times :) But being thankful that he still allows us to use his site just means he isn't that bad a of a guy overall...kheena with lilshushu that's just how she is… she is just a smiley chick :) and bellamafia's daily vent is kewl because it gives most chatters a chance to let what's inside out and makes them feel better why bottle it up when you can find one of Bella's vent of the day and let it all out :) and phenomenon always cracks me up he is a hella funny guy! God bless you all...


-Out of the following three interactive sections, some of which are fairly new, which one do you favor the most and why:
Assyrian Voice Events, Assyrian Voice Interviews, Assyrian Voice Contests.
I would have to say the AVN interviews I have printed them all and read them all many times. It was a great idea to have a chatters interview because you really get to know the person and have an idea of who that chatter is.


-AVN fan base in Detroit is huge; in fact some of our most popular members hail from there. You guys are also in constant contact with AVNers from Chicago. Any advice to other AVNers from other places on how to organize their own AVN Gatherings?
Well all it takes is one person or more to spread the word and see how many people live close by and set up a little meeting it doesn't even have to be dinner it can be a simple cup of coffee. They are always a blast and you get to meet different people and even become close friends.



-Speaking of AVN Gatherings and as summer draws near, what would be the ultimate Assyrian Voice gathering and why:
>Going to Vegas for a week, in a big group, which is BellaMafia's idea
>Everyone coming to Toronto for a day at a picnic
>Meeting at the convention in Boston
>Meeting in a place that is in between all these cities, like Windsor, so that people from all the near places can come including Chicago, Toronto, Hamilton, Detroit etc.
I would have to say bellamafia's idea is GREAT idea and would be a blast but for people like me who are in school would be a lil hard to do something like that and it would be " hmm pay for Vegas" or pay for school. BUT something like everyone coming to Toronto for a weekend and day at a picnic would be great because people from Detroit, Chicago and Windsor can all drive there and it would be a blast since most of our chatters are from that area.


-Do you have any friends whom you got to know through AVN and now keep in touch with in person?
Yes I have met many friends from all over the world that I have met through AVN and I have met in person that I still keep on touch with.


-What comes to your mind when you first hear these three nicknames:
Daggo, Georgina, sydneydude:
Daggo was actually the first person I met on AVN and we have been friends ever since. Georgina is a sweet girl I met on text chat, and sydneydude also met in text chat before.

-Assyrian Voice is soon opening a new music section, which has the potential to be the biggest Assyrian music place on the web. Do you have any preference for types of Assyrian music you like to listen to?
I love all types of Assyrian music but I would have to say my fave Assyrian music is the really really old 1970's Assyrian music.

-What have been some of the most fun and most boring topics discussed on the forums lately?
The most boring ones would have to be "would you marry a non-virgin" and the fun topics are Assyrianprince’s AVN recaps.


-Is there any certain members on the forum that you think make it more fun and interesting?
There are many but the ones that stand out would be Bellamafia, Assyrian Prince, Phenomenal and ThirstyNenos.


-The addition of Assyros to the forums has made the forums a lot more interesting for some. Recently, Assyrian Voice has come up with a new idea to enable people to exchange their Assyros for real dollars, which made people love these Assyros even more. Having said that, what do you think of these Assyros?
I think that was a great idea. It gets the chatters more motivated to post and it gets a lil competitive and being that you can donate them is really kewl.



 

FAVORITES
 

-favorite sport:
tennis

-favorite Assyrian/foreign singer:
Ashur Sargis, Jermain Tamraz, Evin Agassi.

-favorite NBA,NFL,NHL teams:
do they sell designer shoes? I don’t think so!!

-favorite TV show:
America's Top Model 

-favorite country/city:
Barcelona, Spain

-favourite car:
For right now it would have to be the BMW 645Ci coupe

-favorite soccer/hockey/basketball player:
scroll up

-favourie number, and colour:
Number 27 and turquoise

-favorite food:
Dikhwa (the masta and the koobah sooreh)

-favorite nickname:
NeNu (that's what my dad calls me)
 

ASSYRIANS RELATED QUESTIONS
 

-As we speak, Iraq is getting its first Kurdish president in history: how odd or significant does this sound?
The significance is that the Kurdish-Assyrian history is very violent. It scares me to think of the Assyrians there sometimes.


-Do you see the situation in Iraq getting back to normal?
Right now it is very hard to see Iraq go back to normal, we don't have stability there and it's hard to see it getting any better. But of course we all are wishing for Iraq to get better in the near future.


-In the recent elections in Iraq, the number of Assyrians who showed up at the polls was embarrassingly low and small. Do you see that changing in the next elections, scheduled for this November?
I don't think Assyrians have seen enough proof that we will get our country back so being so not many people are excited about voting. There was always the fear factor. It’s pretty hard to go out and vote if you are afraid of getting your head chopped off.


-How active of an Assyrian are you, when it comes to our Assyrian events, news and happenings?
I would say I am very active; I attend all of the events that I can and try to help out the Assyrian community as much as I can.


-If you were put in charge of an Assyrian aid organization, whose responsibility is to help collect money to donate to needy Assyrians, how would you go about doing it?
I would put together a small group to be in charge of putting together events that would help raise money by throwing parties, holding auctions, having charity dinners and with that we can send the money to the needy.


-I think that every Assyrian should buy at least once from an Assyrian service/product, per month. In fact, I think you should feel guilty, if you don't do this. Do you share my feelings or at least some of it?
Yes I strongly agree with you on that. I think it would be really nice to give your money to help an Assyrian business grow rather than someone else.


-In a previous post on our forums, it was noted that a lot of Assyrians are going back to their villages to rebuild them. How positive of a step do you see this?
I think that is a very positive move, if we don't start know when will we ever have our country back.



-Do you see a lot of Assyrians going back to their homeland if everything settles down and things improve significantly?
I think if everything settles down people will eventually move back and relive the life that they have always dreamed of "getting there country back".


Do you think the new Iraqi president of Kurdish background, although with a ceremonial position, will listen more to Assyrians' demands?
No, I don't think any of Assyrian demands will be granted unless we have someone Assyrian high up there.


-Give us one last word about what we can do to help our nation at this time of need.
One thing that our nation needs is unity, people need to stick together and stop talking the talk and start walking the walk. Everyone talks but no one does anything about it. I think if we can start from doing something maybe we can get somewhere.

 

General and Miscellaneous Questions
 

-The most significant event at this time is the death of the Pope, which has rocked the entire world. What do you see in this death?
I see a scary change I don't think anyone can be like the pope. I don't think the next pope will be as caring and as loving as this new pope.


-Before the death of the Pope, another highly significant news item was the Tsunami disaster which claimed close to 250,000 deaths. But looking at TV and newspapers, you hardly hear anything about it anymore. Why is that? How fast can we forget about 250,000 lost lives?
There is so much going on in this world that a person doesn't know what to be happy for and what to mourn about. It's just been one event or tragedy after the other.



If you can own a franchise, what would you choose?
I would have to say Starbucks or Coffee bean. Those types of places will never run out of business everyone loves coffee and loves to read.


-What do you think of Canadians?
I think Canadians are cool people; it's always a blast going to Canada whether it's Windsor or Toronto.



-What three websites do you visit on a daily basis?
AVN, Google, and eluxury.com.



-How much money do you spend on shoes? Ever thought of opening your own shoe store?
hahahaha how did I know you would ask :) ummmm I spend a lot I would have to say 2 pairs a month ... I love shoes !!! ahhh I don't think I would open up a shoe store only cause I would buy them all for myself.


-What do you think of the following figures?
Pascal Warda, Prince Charles, Carmen Electra
Pascal Warda- Assyrian politician.
Prince Charles- Heir apparent to british throne.
Carmen Electra- Hollywood porn star.



-Last but not least: is it true that you like to sleep in, and till the afternoon, on your holidays?
hahahaha o wow how did you know that... Yes I am an irbah ka d'makha I love to sleep. I have the weekends off and I don't wake up til about 2 pm. I guess it's because I stay up really late on the weekdays and I have to be at work at 7 am so when the weekend rolls by I take advantage of sleep... kheena I make up :)

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

 

-What was the hardest question we asked you? or didn't like?
I didn't find any of the questions hard. I enjoyed answering all of them.
 

-This interview is missing something: if you get to guess it, you may answer it. If you guess it right, you win 500 Assyros!
I don't know what it's missing my head is hurting trying to figure out what it is, I am sure a good Samaritan will spare me the 500 Assyros hahahah!
 

-How long have you been waiting to get this interview done?
I actually didn't think I would get interviewed and when you mentioned my name I was anxious in getting it. But it came in good timing :)

-What do you think of it all?
It was great!!! I had a blast answering it.

-Any shoutouts to anyone out there?
heeeeeee there are many to list I would need a whole page for it! HELLO TO ALL MY dearest friends you know who you are!!! :)


-Have you read other interviews? which one did you like most?
Yes I have read them all. And they were all great

-Do you recommend any person to be interviewed in the future?
BellaMafia

-Any final comments or thoughts?
I would have to say thank you Ashour for taking the time to write up an interview for me. I had a great time answering it I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I would also like to tell you that the Assyrian community is very proud that you run such a great web site and you and your crew do such a great job in doing so. As for me I have learned a lot from your web site I have met a lot of great people through out the years and gotten to know different milats and also helped my Assyrianism grow stronger. So Kudos to you and your great job may this site be as old to where my kids will enjoy it and meet great people like how I did. God bless and prosper!!!

 

We thank you for the kind words, and for taking the time to do this interview. Good luck in everything you do!