A bloggers dozen

There are many memes making the rounds at the moment. Only recently I have started “Hooray for boobies – The Breastfeeding Meme” to find out more about the breastfeeding stories of mummy bloggers. This week I have been tagged by the lovely Mari over at Mari’s World, who has come up with a dozen questions that will uncover our darkest secrets. Well, maybe not our darkest secrets but it will help her and of course you to get to know us all a bit better. So here we go :

If you could live in any other country where would it be and why?

When I started learning English at school, it was a clear thing for me: When I grow up, I want to live in England. Forward a couple of years and this is where I am. From a really young age I was fascinated with the English language, culture and history. Although life in England might not seem very different from life in Germany, it really is. Ok, every day life might not be but the mentality of British people is different and that is what I really like about living here. I am a bit of a globetrotter though, so if I had the money, I would travel around the world and live in a couple of different countries just to enjoy and experience different ways of living. On top of my list are Italy, Sweden and New Zealand.

Which celebrities would you invite to a dinner party and why?

I would invite David Beckham for some eye candy, Alan Carr for funny stories, Greg James because he is my favourite radio presenter with a great sense of humour and cheekiness, my favourite biathlete Magdalena Neuner and James Martin, so that he can jump in, if my food is burning or tasting absolutely horrible.

Which book have you read that touched you most profoundly?

This question had me thinking for hours and I am not even exaggerating here. I have read thousands of books in my life and there were so many inspirational ones amongst them. I am a big fan of biographies and I have read numerous biographies but people such as Empress Elisabeth of Austria or Waris Dirie have truly touched me. They have lived totally different lives but they are/were strong women who had stood up for themselves. Another book that had a massive impact on me is “Lowest of the low” by Günter Wallraff. The book documented Wallraff’s posing as a Turkish guest worker, and the mistreatment he received in that role at the hands of employers, landlords and the German government. It’s a journalistic masterpiece and inspired me to work in journalism. Getting to interview Wallraff at a congress that I organised with other young journalists was one of the highlights of my working life.

Are you going to have any/any more children?

I would love to have another baby in a couple of years but for now, I want to fully concentrate on Amy. There are so many things that I would like to do with her and for me it’s important that she has my full attention for the next 4 or 5 years.

What’s your All Time Favourite Chocolate recipe?

This sounds so bad, but I really don’t have one. I am the biggest chocoholic in the world, so everything with chocolate in it goes. I love chocolate mousse, chocolate cheesecake, black forest gateau, chocolate ice-cream or rich chocolate pralines.

What scares you most about our world as we live it today?

There are lots of things that scare me: crime, ignorance, selfishness, violence. I could go on for awhile. Before being a parent, I was a lot less scared of all those things. They seemed too far away to actually effect me, but since Amy is in my life, I think a lot about the world she will grow up in and that all I want to do is protect her from everything evil that is out there. I guess that’s typical for parents.

What would you first visit in your Tardis?

I would visit the Hungro-Austrian Empire. I have a massive interest in everything that has to do with the house of Habsburg and am especially interested in Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Sisi. She is such a fascinating personality and intelligent woman that I would love to meet her.

Who would you come dressed up as to my fancy dress party?

I hate fancy dress parties as having to dress up always makes me feel absolutely ridiculous and overly self-concious, so I’d pull a sickie, I think 🙂

Who’s your favourite cartoon character?

My favourite was Kozue Ayuhara or Mila as she was called in the German translation of the series Attack No. 1, a girl who moves in with her auntie and uncle and tries out for the school volleyball team of her new school Fujimi High. She becomes great friends with another girl from the team, Midori, and it doesn’t take long for coach Hongo to discover her amazing talent. Soon Mila becomes the team captain and goes on to become the best volleyball player in her school, Japan and eventually the world – but it’s not all about being succesful. The series offers plenty of drama, love, friendship and fun. I loved it so much, I ended up in my school’s volleyball team but that’s about as far as it got for me and yes, I do have the box set…

What’s your all time favourite meal?

I like experimenting with new foods but my all time favourite meal is a dish called “Himmel und Erde” (Sky and Earth). It’s a dish which you will traditionally come across in the North of Germany and it basically is mashed potato with apple sauce mixed into it. You serve it with a boiled pork sausage. I know, it doesn’t really sound nice but it really is – believe me!

What 3 songs are the soundtrack to your life?

Don’t Worry, Be Happy – Bobby McFerrin
Your Song – Elton John
It’s My Life – Bon Jovi

What is your superhuman power?

Ben says “the grasping of knowledge and the so-called sponge effect” are my superhuman power. By that he means that I soak up information really quickly and throw it at people when they least expect it. I can tell you when you said a certain thing, what you were wearing that day and what you had for breakfast. I don’t regard it as a particularly useful superhuman power, but I really remember every useless bit of information that I come across and when I mention it I get some really random looks.

But it doesn’t end here. The fun thing about memes is that you get to find out more about the people you tweet with or whose blogs you read by simply tagging them. So here we go

Jess, Adele, Ella, Sarah and Wendy – I can’t wait to find out more about you. Here are my questions, ladies!

1. If you had to listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
2. What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done/said in public?
3. Do you play a musical instrument and if so what?
4. If you could book your dream-holiday, where would you go?
5. What’s your most hated household chore?
6. What is the one thing you make sure your child/children learn/s from you?
7. If you could jump into a children’s book, which one would it be?
8. What’s your most annoying habit?
9. What new skill would you like to learn and why?
10. Who would play you in a movie?
11. What would you like to be famous for?
12. What is the one meal that you always pull off?