INGRID ZOTTER lives in Elmwood
Township, is a native of New Zealand,
and works as an aide at St. Mary School.

Name: Ingrid Zotter.

Town or township of residence: Elmwood Township. “I met my husband in Mexico. We got married and he lived here.”

Resident of county since: 1985.

Age and place of birth: She’s 49 and was born in Hartley, New Zealand. “Hartley is a little town on the North Island, about the size of Kalkaska.”

Occupation: Aide at St. Mary School. “I do a little bit of everything at St. Mary. I work in the office, I do recess duty, help out in the classrooms. I’ve worked here seven years.”

Marital status: Married to Greg Zotter since 1985. “We have a daughter, Toni, who is 15.”

You live in Leelanau County because: “It’s where my husband lives. I didn’t know anything about Leelanau County before I moved here. It’s lovely.”

Last good movie you saw: Juno. “It dealt with a serious issue in a sensible yet fun manner. It wasn’t preachy.”

Last good book you read: “My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult. It’s about a 13-year-old girl who was conceived by her parents to be a kidney donor for her older sister who has leukemia. After a lifetime of being poked and prodded to make sure she stays healthy, the younger sister decides she doesn’t want to donate a kidney and hires a lawyer to defend her. “It was recommended to my daughter and I just loved it.”

If you could trade places with one person for a day, who would that be: “Anyone who doesn’t have elderly parents or a teenager.”

Things important to you that you have accomplished so far: “I’m a master knitter, there are only a few hundred of us in America. I’ve bicycled all around New Zealand, around the coast, up and down, basically a big figure-eight.”

What you hope to be doing in 10 years: “Probably the same thing I’m doing now, assuming I still have this job. That’s an inside joke.”

Things you lose sleep over: “I’m a bad sleeper, so I don’t sleep well to start with. I generally don’t worry when I’m ready to go to sleep, but last week I lost sleep when someone stole my daughter’s iPod. She was very upset and that made me upset. Who would do such a thing?”

If you could change one thing in Leelanau County, it would be: “Talking with my New Zealand friend who lives in the county, we both miss the salt water that surrounds our country. So I would like to change Lake Michigan into salt water. No, just kidding. There really isn’t anything that I would change.”

Favorite dessert: Pavlova. “It’s a mixture of meringue, whipped cream and fruit and is my absolute favorite, very popular in New Zealand.”

Are you a coffee drinker: “No, but I drink tea all the time. My favorite is Red Rose Tea, you get little china animals in it. And, of course, Light of the Day tea. Vanilla is my favorite.”

Favorite place in Leelanau County: Good Harbor Beach. “My friend from New Zealand, Jill MacLellan, and I try to walk the Good Harbor Beach each Sunday morning year round. Leelanau County reminds me so much of my home, it’s very beautiful.”

If you have more time, you would: Knitting and gardening. “Knitting is my favorite pastime. I’ve been doing it since I was a kid.”

The words that best describe you are: (With a little help from some co-workers and students at St. Mary) “Flexible, observant, especially on the playground; caring, helpful, follows through on stuff, and energetic.”