kipling, dawson

[dawson leighton kipling]

DAWSON leighton KIPLING .
twenty, university student, the shy boy

- - oh hey there, i really like your name.

So way back before the show Dawson's Creek was even thought of, my parents fell in love with the name Dawson and for some weird reason that I still don't understand, Leighton. So when they had me that's what went down on the birth certificate: Dawson Leighton Kipling. I've always thought my name was kind of weird really, but I don't exactly dislike it either. The cool thing that my parents never realized and I figured out as a teenager is that the meaning of Dawson is son of David, which is what they called Jesus. And Jesus is my hero, so that's really cool in my opinion. One of the bad things about Dawson though is the lack of nicknames. In fact, there just plain aren't any.

- - hmm, you look like you're twenty-one. am i right?

I was born here in Utah, Provo, actually, so not all that far from here, on January 20th. I didn't grow up here though and only recently moved back so I wouldn't call myself a native exactly, even though I do have dual citizenship here. Apparently I didn't want to face the real world and my mom was in labor for over a day. My dad wasn't there for my birth though as he was in Zimbabwe at the time and couldn't leave because of security issues so I didn't get to meet him until I was about six months old. Not that I remember that or anything. I just have the pictures.

- - so i'm guessing you're in college then? or are you going the job route?

I just recently transferred to the University of Utah after spending the last couple of years at the University of Zimbabwe and living at home helping my parents. I haven't actually declared my major yet, but I think I want to go with something religion related and become a youth pastor. That's actually what I've been doing for the last couple of years back home. It's kind of nice having two more years before I have to enter the real world I guess. I'm still in major culture shock and I think it's going to take at least that long to adjust to America. Not that I've never been here; it's just different to actually be living here. I take my studies seriously, but I'm not a straight A student or anything. I don't really have much of a job right now, though I'm in a Christian band and I'm an unpaid intern at the church.

- - well that's good. if you don't mind me asking, how is your love life?

I'm straight. I know most people would say something about how they are ok with people that aren't, but I can't say that because I feel it is a sin. Not that I won't talk to gay people or make friends with them, but I'm honest about the fact that I don't agree with it. I genuinely feel that a husband and wife relationship is God's design. However, like I said, I'm not one of those idiots that is going to tell you you're going to hell or anything. Sin is sin, regardless of what it is and none of us are perfect. Relationship wise I've always tried to keep my focus in the right place and not let some girl lead me down the wrong path. I'm very committed to my chastity and a lot of girls just plain don't respect that, so needless to say what few relationships I've been in have been flops. As far as my definition of attractive I'm one for dark hair and a sweet face, though a body doesn't hurt, I can't lie about that. And of course it's important to me that a girl shares my faith and dresses modestly. I would like some things to be left to my imagination, thank you.

- - ah, i see. i hope i'm not getting too personal, but are you particularly religious?

I think by now I've definitely already answered this, but yes, I'm a total Jesus freak.

- - you know, i just noticed, but you really are quite attractive.

Let's see. I have blond hair that I keep quite short. My parents always frowned upon long hair and now I just don't bother. Sometimes I do let it curl out a bit, but I never let it get shaggy looking. My eyes are hazel, though they tend to lean more towards being green than brown. I'm really pretty tall, six foot one and a half inches to be exact. I have a long mark down the side of my stomach from where I was stabbed when I was fifteen by a mugger. As far as clothes I already dress a lot like a pastor, polos, Dockers, jeans. Like I said my parents preferred for us to dress as simply but as nicely as possible and it's just what I'm used to now. Also, I always where a little cross around my neck and a purity ring. The cross is a public profession and the purity ring is a promise to myself and to God.

- - so what kind of things just brighten your day?

Jesus, of course, if I haven't made that clear. I'm also big into music. I love writing it, playing it, listening to it, everything really. I even considered that as a career, but I don't think I'd be very good at the whole famous thing. It gives me something to do with my hands when I'm bored so I guess that's why I like it. Every morning I go for a run and work out for at least half an hour, something I've done since I was a teenager. I used to see elephants when I was out running, now I just see buildings. It's sort of depressing really. Let's see, I also like kids quite a bit. I used to volunteer at an AIDS center in Harare and the kids there always brought a smile to my face, and vice versa actually. I used to play rugby a lot too and it's easily my favorite sport. It's not really that popular here so I rarely see it on tv, but in Africa it's a huge deal. My best friend Jabulani got me into it though he's a lot better than me. Don't laugh but I really like to shop. It was always sort of a novelty before I moved here, but even now I like it. Oh, and I really like to read. The Bible is of course my favorite book, but otherwise I'm not too picky, as long as it keeps me entertained.

- - anything that just makes you frown?

Reptiles and rodents are really gross to me, especially as pets. I don't get why anyone would want a snake as a pet. I mean really, it's not like they can love you back, just stick their little tongue out. And rodents just smell. I really don't like the cold either, more because I'm not used to it. Maybe if I'd been raised in Iceland. As I don't like cold, winter and snow also fall into this category as far as things I don't like. Something that I think is really weird is putting ice in drinks. It has nothing to do with not liking cold, but more because we just don't do that in Africa. Then I come over here and they put ice in everything but milk. Sorry, but it's strange. I'm not much of a salad eater. No reason for it, other than that I just plain don't like it. I also don't like onions. Or apples. Yeah, I'm kind of a picky eater. Well sort of. I can down a plate of mopane caterpillars though any day, so I guess you can't exactly call me picky. I really wish I had some right about now... Oh and the last thing on my list of things I dislike would have to be cynics. I really don't get how people can be so cynical.

- - now, tell me a bit about you. your personality and such.

I expect a lot out of people and I can be way too harsh when someone screws up, myself included. It's something I know I really need to work on so I'm not like tearing kids apart when I become a pastor. I can't exactly be roaring 'well would Jesus have done that?!' at everyone, which I do to myself as well. I can't be perfect, no one can, except Him. I can be quite the nervous wreck at times because I tend to let it get the best of me. I also have a bit of a temper that I've learned to control for the most part. Oh yes, and I'm late a lot. Just warning you. Punctuality isn't one of those things I was raised with and I still don't get what the big deal is. You can show up hours late to things and Africa and no one would care. I'm a nice guy though, very compassionate and quick to put myself last. I am quiet and come off as a bit too serious until you get to know me well because I'm not one of those people that smiles for no reason. Smiles happen, you can't just make them occur. That's just a pretty common belief where I'm from. Really though, I'm not so bad.

- - huh, sounds like we should hang out some time. so what are you looking forward to in life?

I can't wait until I get out of college and get to take over a youth group again. I have so many ideas I want to use, so many sermons I'm just waiting to preach. It's like torture at times. Otherwise I guess my dreams are pretty basic; meet the perfect girl and marry her, have a family. I want a big family, just like mine.

- - oh that's neat. so i'm sure there's something that makes you a bit paranoid, right?

I hate those people in costumes where you can't see their face. Mascots, I guess. It really creeps me out that people hug them and stuff. Some real weirdo could be in there. On a more serious note, I pray for my family a lot, that no harm comes to them. It's dangerous over there.

- - are you hiding anything? it won't leave this room, i promise.

I don't like living here yet. I've only been to the US a few times over the years, but never for a long period of time, and everything is so strange to me and a part of me is so completely uncomfortable and homesick. Oh, and I hate driving here. You're supposed to drive on the left side of the road, people. I don't know who told you guys otherwise, but really, this is screwed up. It scares me at times because I think I'm on the wrong side of the road, but really I'm not or whatever.

- - wow, that is juicy. so your family, what are they like?

I'm really close with my dad, Tilden Kipling. He's one of my heroes and I think the world of him. He's in his late forties and pastors a church in Zimbabwe, as we've already covered. I also have a pretty strong bond with my mom, Addison Kipling. There's a pretty big age gap between her and my dad. She's in her early forties still. Aside from being a pastor's wife she spends a lot of time at an HIV center in the city where we lived. I used to go with her a lot. It's not an easy thing to see, that's for sure.

Now, I think I said earlier I have a big family. Yeah, I do. My older sister is Brooklynn and she's twenty-three. Right now she's working as a journalist in New York, which I think is sort of funny since her name is Brooklynn and all. Ministry just isn't her calling, and that's ok. She's really good at what she does and I'm proud of her. Brooklynn has a twin as well, our brother Aaron. Aaron's sort of bumming around, not sure what to do with his life yet. He's still in Africa with the rest of my family. I have a younger sister as well, Madison. She's seventeen and in her last year of high school. We're tight, I guess you could say. I also have a little brother, Andrew, who's nine, and a little sister, Daya, who's eleven. Daya isn't my biological sister, she was given up by one of the women around where we lived because she had HIV. Daya has HIV as well and it's tough because even with modern treatments, it's never going to go away and seeing someone you love and especially someone so young have to live with that is just hard.

- - i guess that's about it. before you go though, could you tell me a bit about your life thus far?

Well, as we've already covered I was born in Provo in January and lived there for the first six months of my life with my mom, brother, and sister. There was some pretty vicious guerilla warfare going on over politics so my dad wanted his pregnant wife and kids out of the mess. But when I was six months old the tension eased and we were free to come back.

I guess most people think it's pretty strange that I grew up there. It's really not though. I had a close family growing up, which I've always thought was a blessing. I'm really close with my big sister more than anyone else, though I love all my siblings. We were and weren't spoiled. By Zimbabwe standards we were rich, but most people here would consider the way I grew up to be poverty. We had TV and internet and a phone, at least in the last ten or so years. Even so, there were times when things were tough because missionaries have to live off the generosity of others. There were times when we had to eat stuff like peanut butter soup. Always though we were taught to not act like we were better or different than anyone else. We wore regular clothes and hung out with other kids near where we lived. My best friend Jabulani lived in the slums, actually. We met when we were five and his mom started working as our maid. Well, she's sort of his mom. She's actually his dad's wife and Jabulani is from an affair, but she is raising him because that's sort of how things work there, however, I won't get into that. Things are just different over there. Oh, and by the way, having a maid is very common there. In fact, not having one is considered taboo because it provides a job for a person that otherwise wouldn't have one. So don't think I'm some sort of snob or anything.

Anyway, that's how I grew up. I was home schooled until age fourteen when I started going to a private school in the city, St. John's College. It's probably the best school in Zimbabwe so I was lucky to get to go there. I played on the rugby team and ran cross-country, dabbled with squash my first year and sang in the English choir as well as being really active with Scripture Union. It was a great experience because I really got to be around other kids and developed a lot of great friendships that I'll never forget. I think a lot of people are surprised to learn that even half way across the world I had the same high school experience as everyone else. Though that's not to say everything was quite the same. Actually, I nearly lost my life when I was fifteen to a mugger, who stabbed me in the stomach and left me for dead after taking my coat and my cell phone when I was walking to school. It took me weeks to recover from that because he got me in the spleen which they actually had to remove. I should have died, everyone says so, but I figure God just wasn't ready for me yet. That's when I decided to go into ministry, youth ministry in particular. After high school I enrolled at the University of Zimbabwe where I went for two years while helping my dad with the church. One of my professors who I grew quite close to and really respect, Dr. Ncube, was the one who urged me to move here to the states. He said an American degree would take me a lot farther than one with Zimbabwe printed on it. Naturally I picked Utah, where I have family. My grandparents are here, on both sides, as well as some cousins and aunts and uncles. I've not adjusted to life here yet, nor have I made a lot of friends, but I trust it'll happen soon enough. I'm not just here for the degree, I'm here to really start my adult life.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

hola! it's me, larkie. i've been making people smile for twenty years, though i only started pulling the puppet strings two years ago. oh, and did i mention i'm a big fan of hayden christiensen? yep, i am. well, that's enough about me. oh, wait, one last thing: SPRINGFIELD!