Paula is graviting inside the Space Station |
Paula Bond. Astronaut.
Greece.
I was born in Ithaca,
Ulysses hometown in Greece. Living in an island, offers you a micro vision of life
because you live isolated and your daily routines are very limited. This is the
reason because of I decided to have a macro vision of the world and I became an
astronaut. When you're in the space you feel like an ant and realize the
magnitude of the universe. I like reading biographies and photography.
-Good morning, Paula Bond,
and thanks to attend us.
-Good morning. Welcome to
my country, the cradle of Mediterranean civilization.
-Thanks. It's always a
pleasure being here. Well, to start this interview I would like to know how you
define yourself.
-I'm an astronaut, a
person who travels in space and tries to search answers to thousands of human
questions.
-The most part of people,
when they were children wanted to be an astronaut. How can you explain them to
them?
-Yes, it's true. An
astronaut or a firefighter. I don't know but perhaps an explanation could be
that children are honest and maybe they perceive astronauts and firefighters
like modern heroes. Everybody wants to be a superhero when he/she is a child
because a superhero represents good things and because of they are still
innocent, they have the superheroes like someone to imitate. A child always
imitates the things that he/she sees. It's normal. They're under an age of
knowledge and learning.
-Then, do you believe in
heroes?
-Yes, of course. I was
born in Ithaca, Ulysses and Penelope’s island and for the Greek culture heroes
and gods have been something very important that has influenced our
personality. Everybody can be a hero, because a hero isn't a superhero. A
superhero is a modern creation, a person who has incredible powers but a hero
is a person who resists adversity and fight against it. Then, in our society,
we can find millions of examples of heroes.
-How do you feel being a
member of The Bond's family?
-It's a good experience.
The family is a group of fantastic people and I'm very proud of being a part of
them. It has been a great experience to open happiness.
-How is a normal day with
The Bonds?
-It's difficult to talk
about a normal day with The Bonds because we're a family full of energy and
creativity and then all is possible and they can change all things in a second
but I must accept that I've improved my English with them.
-How long have you been
studying English?
-English has been always
very important in Greece, especially since the arrival of the massive tourism
but I didn't study English at school, I studied Russian.
-Russian? It's not
possible!
-Yes. Greece has a lot of
things in common with the Russian culture. Both of us are orthodox and we
haven't latin alphabets.
-Then, you speak two
languages? Is it very difficult to do it?
-No it isn't. In fact, as
many languages you speak is easier to learn the next. I have learnt this from
The Bonds. All of them speak, at least, two languages and this is very
important because a language is a powerful tool of communication and, in my
case, two languages mean two alphabets, too.
-What can you explain
about your life with The Bonds?
-It's a great experience.
I spend my life up, in the sky and it's good to stay with your feet on the land
and pay attention about the reality from another point of view. I've spent good
moments with them.
-And after?
-When we started as a
family, we arrived with different ideas, knowledge and perspectives. During our
experience as a Bond's member, we have been working together and we've created
a good team. This is something that we won't lose although every member of our
family is going to take a different path but I'm sure that we're going to open
happiness wherever we stay.
-Which is your best
memory with the family?
It's very difficult to
choose one but I remember two special moments: the day that King Kong took me
and the family rescued me and the day I could explain to my family my opinion
about the education in a closer future. It was a very interesting discussing.
-You like photography, don’t
you?
-Yes, I do.
-What's your own
favourite photo?
-When I was in NASA,
training and being fit were two important things. We were in Arecibo, Puerto
Rico. We swam a lot in the Caribbean Sea and I remember when I discovered a
whale shark swimming next to me. I was astonished. Imagine! It lives in oceans
and rivers and finds its prey with its sense of smell and kills them with their
3,000 teeth and it was there swimming with me.
-You have also said that
you like reading biographies. Which is your favourite?
-Although I have read all
the biographies of the most important astronauts like Neil Armstrong or Yuri
Gagarin, my favourite biography is about Christopher Columbus, the man who
sailed from Spain to the west in 1492 and believed that the Earth was round.
After ten weeks, he found an island and he named it San Salvador. I like this
biography because I don’t believe anything. It’s an incredible fake.
-How can you be sure
about it?
-I don’t say this.
Science says this. There are a lot of evidences that indicates it. It’s the
same case than William Shakespeare or Miguel de Cervantes. It’s difficult to
separate the myth and the reality.
-Who is your favourite
character?
-I haven't got a special
one although I like Captain Ahab of Herman Melville's Moby Dick. I would like
to think that one day, in a closer future; someone will be able to read The
Bond's Biography because it will mean that we have contributed to do something
positive to our society.
-What title would you
choose for this biography?
-Open happiness, because
every day has been an open door to learn something new and to live
unforgettable experiences.
-Do you like this message?
-Yes I do. It's a
motivational message. It's the message that completes another one which I like
a lot: When God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.
-What will happen if it's
not possible to open this window?
-Demolish the wall. Don't
forget that if you don't find a way, you must create it.
-Thank you very much,
Paula Bond.
-Thanks to you.
C'mon and lift me up to a better way.
Open up a smile on another face,
Open up a smile on another face,
so I can feel something new.
Butch Walker
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