Who are You?

My name is Kimberley Rosanne Horn, I am a fairly excitable, opinionated gal (in a good way, I think) who was raised on Vancouver Island – currently living in Victoria.  I work in immigration policy for the Government of BC.  I like the outdoors, and I have freckles.  Also, my cat hates me.

What do you do for fun?

In my spare time, I  like to ride bikes, camp, hike, have picnics on the beach, cook new things in the kitchen, and, now that I have a BBQ, have garden parties.  I also like to drink wine, and am currently enjoying trying my hand at triathlon (which includes learning how to spell triathlon).  I’m getting married this summer to my fiancee, Ian, and so wedding planning is also fun (sort of).

What is your favourite community? Why?

I don’t think that I really have a favourite community, per se, but I have experienced many wonderful communities around the globe  (as well as some not so wonderful ones).  Allow me to explain – I really enjoy communities which have a few key traits:

1) a nucleas or gathering point of some kind, where people can come from all over to meet, eat, drink, play, chat, learn, do business, etc.etc.  I like being a part of a bustling little area, because it makes me realize that I’m connected to something much bigger than myself.

2) good, fair trade, organic coffee – because I am a little bit pretentious when it comes to my coffee, and I’m okay with that.

3) you don’t necessarily need a vehicle to live your life – you can get to work, school, the gym, grocery stores, etc. on foot or with a bike.

4) emphasis on the local – I don’t like the big boxy stores or franchises; rather, like to support local businesses by buying things that are grown or made locally – it’s more special and sustainable that way.

5) parks – there have to be parks, because in parks you find things like flowers, lovers, puppies, and children laughing…these things can always put the trials and troubles of life into perspective.  Parks also happen to be great places for picnics...which I happen to fancy.

7) friendly people – these days it seems folks would rather listed to their ipods or talk on their cellphones and wander down the street in their own little bubble, as opposed to engaging with those around them.

Favourite communities include – Copenhagen (maybe the coolest city ever), Fernwood, Cook St. Village, and James Bay in Victoria (minus the freezingness of James Bay), Commercial Drive, the uptown part of Amsterdam, Sorata (Bolivia), Korcula (Dalmatian coast in Croatia), la Condesa (Mexico City).

Least favourite communities include – Langford, Orleans, Kanata, basically anything suburbia, where everything and everyone are generic and there is no spice or sass to life (also, you can’t do anything fun without a car…which is just sad).

What is your superpower?

I feel that my superpower changes depending on where I’m at in my life.  Currently, I have two 1) making spreadsheets, and 2) finding tasty foods that are wheat and/or gluten-free!

How do you use it to build community?

I use my first superpower to organize things, which is important in any community, large or small.  I use my second superpower to make me feel better about having to reduce my wheat and gluten intake!

My Three Favourite Things About Kim Horn Are:

1. Brother-Sister-Connection. Those who know us will say that the Horn Children are super-connected-to-each-other, hilarious, talkative, performers, helpers, competitors, athletes, and good looking. Most of these traits come from Kimberley.This being said, like the Sedin Brothers, my sister and I have an unspoken, almost psychic, connection that allows us to seamlessly navigate conversations, events, dinners, and to know what the other is thinking and feeling at all time. We’re not even twins. Or Swedish. This supwerawesome connection has seen Kim and I deliver over a dozen high-quality, family-oriented skits, songs, roasts, speeches, and extended improvised toasts. Our performances have become a staple of Horn Family Celebrations – Mama Horn’s 60th Birthday is going to be epic. And being epic is always a possibility when you have talent like Kim Horn in the mix.

2. Sense of Adventure. Hiking through uncharted Bolivian mountains. Taking her allergic to the Sun brother on the Nootka Trail. Backcountry skiing in avalanche-riddled mountains. Marathon running. Iron Man racing. Possibly being slipped a Geoffrey at a music festival. Exchange and solo-traveling experiences through Downtown Europe. You name it, Kim Horn has done it and done it well. Her sense of adventure is the stuff of inspiration and the stories that she’s collected during her treks through the remote locales of BC’s West Coast as well as following her near-death-experiences on the salt flats of Bolivia are truly the stuff of legend.

3. Professional Awesomeness. “Kim is your older sister, yes?” This is the question that I am often ask after introducing Kim to my colleagues or after she presents to my students. And, fair enough. My younger sister has accumulated more professional currency than many other Canadian women her age – the responsibilities she’s been given and the projects and portfolios that she has managed reflect someone who is as intelligent as she is responsible as she is mature. Kim’s drive towards her vision of success is inspirational and impressive and really, really makes my heart smile. She will be a leader of positive change on the provincial and federal bureaucratic circuit for years to come.

Special bonus reasons! Kim Horn is a really, really good photographer. She’s also really, really stylish (we used to sit next to each other in English classes at Bishop’s and I’d be wearing pajamas and my toque while she’d be wearing Montreal’s finest universite-chique outfits, and it was a hilarious juxtaposition). Kim’s a really good cook, too, and her Thai Green Curries are delicious. Finally, her athletic prowess is outstanding. For example, during the 2010 Merville Cup Championship run of Team Horn, Lamb, Horn, it was impressive to see my sister, who doesn’t actually play soccer, take to the field and absolutely dominate the competition by running them down and, maybe, hip-checking them into the garden fence every now and then. Amazing.

– As told by John Horn…