sisterhood of the traveling habits

ok, let's talk about a whole 'nother type of sisterhood.

am i the only one who is intrigued by the nun lifestyle?

as a non-religious person, i have a shocking confession to make:
curious about many aspects of nuns' lives and the inner-workings of convents, there was a short time when i considered becoming a nun. i can't clearly put into words why it appealed to me, but i guess there was just something interesting about what extreme lives nuns live (more so than priests because sisters generally seem to have less interaction w/ the public). alas, i lack both the religious conviction (like i said earlier) and the penchant for self-denial necessary for the job. i'd never be able to pull it off!

i had forgotten about it all until my mom, my special friend (to quote nitoito noelle), and i recently went to a holiday boutique at a nearby convent, and i found myself totally fascinated by the world of nuns all over again. although the catholic church is mostly geared toward worship of male gods (e.g. the holy trinity of god the father, god the son (jesus), and the vaguely male holy spirit), convents seem to be such unique female-centric communities. they're one-of-a-kind, female-positive environments, or so i'd like to believe.

i'd like to start an oral history project interviewing nuns. i want to engage in some candid discussions with these sisters. i'm dying to know:
where they're from
when they got religious/if they always wanted to be nuns
what they like about their lifestyle
what they hate about their lifestyle
what they do for fun
what kind of music they like
what their political views are
what they think about feminism
if they think the church is sexist in any way(s)
what they really think about priests
what their families and friends think about their vocation
what the biggest misconception about nuns is

i wonder if i'd be surprised by their answers. i'd really like to hear more from them in their own words-- maybe i should advertise women's writes at the convent.