What’s in a Name?

At 42 letters long my name is a little longer than the average name in North America. To make it a bit easier for anyone having to say it or type it, I publish under Paula Nunez de Villavicencio (Noon-yes de Vee-ya-vee-sen-see-o) — yes, that is a single name — instead of the full “Paula Catalina Sanchez Nuñez de Villavicencio.” If my second last name still seems too long, you can refer to me as just Sanchez, just Nunez, or just V. I could probably shorten my name to Paula Sanchez, but it would mean giving up part of my culture which is not something I want to do.

Hobbies

Creative Writing — I’m currently working on a children’s fantasy trilogy, that was inspired by my qualifying exams. I was trying to think of a way to explain to my niece what the fields of Communication, Media History, and Epistemology offer, and a story was the best way I could think to translate heavy academic theories. By the time the trilogy is done, it will be a primer for Foucault and the field of Communication for ages 8 and up.

Cross-Country Skiing (Classic) — Winter is long here, and the best way to take advantage of the outdoors is with a cardio-heavy activity that let’s you enjoy the crisp, cool air for hours. The hot tea at the end may or may not be the best part.

Gardening — From February to October you can usually find me elbow-deep in dirt. I enjoy growing an assortment of fruits and vegetables but mostly giant zucchinis and butternut squash. I haven’t figured out how to work with flowers yet, but as I don’t eat them I’m not too concerned. In full honesty, I started gardening because of my mild obsession with Stardew Valley. You can’t click your way to full sized pumpkins in real life, but you can use spreadsheets and you get to eat the final product, so it’s a win-win situation.