FM profile

Name: Farah "Flail" Stockman '96

Home: Kirkland House and East Lansing, Michigan

Concentration: Social Studies

How she got the nickname "Flail": On FOP, I was nicknamed Flail. I was told by the person who nicknamed me that it means goddess in his language, but he's from Long Island. He told me it was the sheer essence of the soul. Flail is fine: I've accepted it now into my faith. I called him Lousy and he called me flail, and no one calls him Lousy.

Why she packed up for Africa: I think I wanted a rest from Harvard. Africa is one of the least Harvardly places on earth, and so I went. I told Harvard I wanted to do Social Studies research. I did a lot of studying of the effects of UV rays on my skin.

On the similarities between Harvard classrooms and African classrooms: I did a lot of studying on my own, but the program was not intellectual. School was conducted basically in bars. It was lax, let's just say.

On African safari: We went for three days. It was during rainy season. We spent a lot of time pushing the truck out of the mud. We hired our own driver. We were dirt poor there, and it was a really nice place; we got this resident rate. All the other people were these rich Europeans who flew in just for this safari. The staff really loved us because we hung out with them, instead of these other people.

How the safari reminded her of Harvard: Rugby is in the spring and the fall. Actually, I went through withdrawal while I was in Africa. But, when we pushed the trucks out of the mud, I felt extreme joy because it reminded me of rugby.

How Harvard reminds her of safari: I actually have a picture of what Professor DeVore talks about [in "Sex".] He always shows the pictures of the lions in their stages of courtship.

It's very disturbing though, because there are 50 people there watching lions during their most intimate moments. The lions don't even care; they are very indiscreet.

On safari housing: On the safari, we lived in a tent. It was supposed to be a tent, but it was a mahogany tent with silken mosquito netting. Like Eliot in tent form.

On an African near-death experience: Our bus very nearly got attacked by Somali Mafia members. We were riding up the coast on this little island. The whole time, I'd been in Kenya, I'd been reading about how these Somali warrior gunmen were hiding to attack this certain bus route. Lo and behold, we ended up going on that bus route. The next day, after we got off the bus, it was attacked.

On a Harvard near-death experience: Well, you know, once the shuttle was attacked by Somali gunmen, because there was no police escort around Currier.

On African transport: When you want a cab, you call a pay phone in the town, which is far away, and you have to ask the person who randomly picks up the pay phone to find you a cab. So, we were often stranded.

On African animals: The African people don't go on safaris. They don't really care about seeing the animals like we do. There were giraffes on the way from the airport to our school. Taxi drivers pointed them out.

On Harvard animals:I am going to give you the name of an animal. You are going to have to tell me how this animal relates to Harvard.

Lion: There are no lions at Harvard.

Elephant: Republicans

Tiger: Sex

Goat: Sex

Ant: Harvard Faculty. there are so many of them.

Newt: World leader.

Did you see any newts?: No, but I saw a lot of lizards.

Zebra: We think of zebras as really cool animals, but in Africa they're everywhere, like dogs. At first, it's like, "Ooh! Cool! Zebra!," and everyone jumps out and runs five miles to take a picture. By the end you're saying, "Good, another zebra." Like squirrels here.

Offering insight into the wildlife of Harvard: Squirrels at home are not half as domestic as Harvard Square squirrels. People from other countries love to take pictures of them. [I want to say] "You're stopping traffic." I guess even the squirrels here are exceptional.