"Before we left for the summer, we chose our rooms, and because I'd lived there before, I was given first dibs. I picked a room in the back of the house, the second-largest one with a view of the garden. ... Kissy, as Christiane was called, got the master bedroom with the huge walk-in closet. John ended up in the smallest room, which had just enough space for a desk and a bed, with the proviso that he and Kissy would switch the next year after the rest of us had graduated.

It was an interesting mix. Chris, a staunch Republican, was clearly headed for the financial sector, but ... he took voice lessons. Christiane, a few years older, was passionate and informed. .... No slave to fashion, she knew what suited her and stuck with it. ... Kissy made sure the chores were done. ... Kissy's specialty was crispy Persian rice with dill and yogurt."

(From "Come to the Edge," by Christina Haag, pp. 62-63.)