Soda Citizen: Ony Ratsimbaharison

Ony - Fall - 2016 — Photo and interview by Sean Rayford

Sean: If you were in the winter Olympics, what sport would you want to compete in?

Ony: Bobsledding looks fun and ice skating would be cool. Or snowboarding.

If you could add polar bears to any event in said Olympics, what event would that be - what would be most interesting?

Definitely ice skating. I think that would be cute, if they could ice skate. Figure Skating, yeah. It would be a duet.

So they are the ones competing?

Yes... If that's what they wanted to do.

I wasn't even thinking about that route, I was thinking of adding them to events to make it more difficult on the competitors, but yes that would be interesting. Would you rather have, and maybe you have one already, a boat or a motorcycle?

A motorcycle. I've never ridden a motorcycle. I had a teacher, a professor, who told me she had this vision of me riding a motorcycle through California, so I wanna make that come true.

Tell me about some type of fantastical technology might you be looking forward to in twenty years...

Some type of VR things. I just wanna see what happens.

When you stop at the gas station and have the munchies, what are you most likely to come out with?

A bag of barbecue chips. And I've been getting Polar Pops, the huge cups that they have at Circle K. A big ass soda.

Beavis or Butthead?

I really don't know… (long pause) Butthead.

That's fine, some people have a strong opinion on that one. I don't.

I know more about Daria. I pick Daria.

What time frame from history, at least 100 years ago would you like to live in and what occupation would you like? We'll have to ignore some limiting realities.

I guess being around during Shakespeare's time would be awesome. I'd definitely want to be in one of his plays. Actually, I'd like to be Shakespeare.

Do you eat eggs and how do you eat them?

I'm vegan now, so...

How did you used to eat them?

I used to get them scrambled, or over medium.

In eighth grade I once had a substitute teacher mispronounce my first name as "Semen." Do you have an absurd mispronunciation of your name that sticks out in your memory?

When I was in class growing up, I always knew when it was my turn. When it was a substitute or the first day of class, because they would get to it, and just stop. And they'd be like, 'I'm not even going to try, and I'd be like, 'that's me." It still happens. I'm taking classes right now at Midlands Tech and it still happens. People don't even try with my last name.

*Edited for clarity and brevity

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