“I am a dreamer who thinks too much, a planner just to throw everything over bord when something exciting comes up. I’m easy-going, open-minded and always eager to learn something new.
And every year there’s a day or two when I’m really bad-tempered for no obvious reason, lock myself up in my apartment and don’t want to talk to anyone. But I guess that’s alright :)”

That’s how I described myself in my profile on Couchsurfing some time in late 2004.  And while my days as a CS host and “city ambassador” for Vienna and Canberra are long gone, this is still pretty much how I see myself.

I’m more introvert than extrovert and will prefer some quiet time with a book over a wild night out most days. I am not afraid of being by myself and will often actively seek solitude to get that crazy razzmatazz of thoughts in order. Or out of my head entirely. Yoga helps me to calm down inside and to let go of what keeps me from being a more relaxed and focussed person. Walking fills me up with oxygen (for more grand ideas), clears my head and  allows me to appreciate my surroundings even more – be it during a hike in the mountains or a simple stroll along the streets of Vienna.

Lately, I have come to adopt a mostly plant-based diet. I’ve also learned that mushrooms are technically not plants, therefore the “mostly”. To me, it’s the healthiest and most sustainable way to eat at this point in my life and it has not yet felt like abstinence in any way. Quite to the contrary I have adopted new food items and learned to use well-known fruit and veggies in new ways to avoid boredom.

So far, only one of my friends and aquaintances has screamed at me for being batshit crazy. And she calmed down after a couple of minutes, allowing me to explain my reasons which she had to admit weren’t so stupid at all.

Mr A and I moved into a wonderful apartment in early 2013 and enjoy our quiet evenings and nights there. While he has his own room to work on his photos (he’s a genius photographer), I will sit on the much-loved balcony right in the middle of my little garden or (if the weather doesn’t permit) on the couch – that is, whenever I’m not cooking up a storm in the kitchen.