21 Questions with... Khameer Kidia '11

ZIMBABWEAN RHODES SCHOLAR KHAM KIDIA '11 REFLECTS ON DISEASE, AFRICAN HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS, AND THE INHERENT DANGERS OF PRINCETON REUNIONS.Name: Khameer Kishore Kidia Age: 22 Major: French and Italian Hometown: Harare, Zimabwe Eating Club/Residential College/Affiliation: Tower/ForbesWhat was your initial reaction when you found out about the scholarship? I felt a little dazed but deeply privileged and honored. The Zimbabwean Committee is a little more humane than the American one. They send you home and wait five to six hours, during which your family sits in silence with you in a room (as though there has been a death), and then they call.Who’s your favorite Princetonian, living or dead, real or fictional? Jack DonaghyWhat’s the best meal you’ve eaten in Princeton? Two words: Tomo. Sushi.In one sentence, what do you actually do all day? I think probably more than anything, I listen to people repeat the things I say to them; either in what they assume is a correct imitation of my voice or in a purposefully melodramatic affectation that sounds something akin to a cross between a dying old lady and a mule.What is your greatest guilty pleasure? Whatever I happen to walk out of the Wa with after 3am.What are your plans for the Rhodes? To read for an M.Phil in Medical Anthropology for two years at Oxford, likely focusing on the institution of systems of health care and medical education in Zimbabwe.Do you know all the words to Old Nassau? No, but I vow to learn them before I graduate.What is your biggest fear? Catheterization. Don’t ask.What do you hate most about Princeton? I am consistently underwhelmed by Dean’s Date morning.What’s your drink? Gin & tonic.What makes you laugh? Stefon and Penelope of Saturday Night Live.What makes you cry? Laundry. I get stressed out even thinking about it.Where do you do your best thinking? On the loo and Patton basement. Possibly also, the loo in Patton basement.When’s bedtime? 2 AM if I’m lucky and normal. Not at all if times are tough.What’s your personal anthem? United State of Pop 2009 – DJ EarwormWhat's the worst place on campus? Sherrard Hall.Who is your mortal enemy? Disease.What’s the most dangerous thing you’ve done in the past year? Reunions.In 25 years, you will be … a doctor, teacher and mentor. I want to be able to treat my patients with every ounce of respect and humanity that they deserve and to leave a resonating message with the students that I will teach.What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned at Princeton? Statistics. Just kidding.What makes someone a Princetonian? A passionate and ferocious sense of pride coupled with a strong appreciation for tradition. Also, you can spot orange-black tiger stripes from a mile away in throng of crimson and blue.