unicorn94

I have been a passionate letter & postcard writer for a long time, even though I rediscovered my love for it just a couple years ago - and am constantly widening my scope :D first it was mainly holiday postcards, then simple letters, postcrossing, then getting more and more creative in decorating letters, putting in little gifts, ... So that's how I ended up on swap-bot.

I live in Berlin, the capital of Germany - a big, growing, ever-changing city. I dislike the rising rents, the political developments, the inequalities you can see everyday on the streets. But I love it for the mix of very different people coexisting or even coming together here, the vivid athmosphere day and night, the many parks and lakes in and around the city, ... :)

Besides sending mail...

• ...I work full-time in research - I always love learning new things about a huge variety of topics. My current field of research is healthcare/ health services (a broad field in itself), which I am often trying to combine with questions about equality, diversity - in order to make healthcare accessible for all.
• ...I am also a very active person and enjoy doing sports a lot - especially (long-distance) swimming and running. I also did a triathlon recently. It's always difficult to find the right balance between sports and other duties, also between activity and rest :D If you have any advice to share on that, I'll be happy to hear about it.
• I enjoy a good cup of tea - always black in the morning; green, herbal or fruity the rest of the day. A fresh ginger or lemon tea is also great, especially in the cold seasons.

I am very curious and like to get to know different perspectives through the exchange with people from all around the world - so I look forward to hearing from you!

I read all sorts of books, both fiction and non-fiction.

Some of my all-time favorites:

• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Swimming Studies by Leanne Shapton
• The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka (in fact, I collect books around the swimming topic!)
• The Other Side of Paradise by Staceyann Chin (and many others with queer characters)
• Airborn/ Skybreaker/ Starclimber by Kenneth Oppel (it somehow awakened a fascination with zeppelins/ airships in me I didn't know I have :D My goal is to visit the zeppelin museum in the south of Germany one day.)

When I was younger, I also really enjoyed these classical detective stories by Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle (and I still enjoy watching the old movies of these stories).

The most important thing for me in letters are the words - there's nothing better than some words that inspire, make me question, give me a new idea, or are just a good story of an everyday situation.

In letter writing, I enjoy writing with a fountain pen on nicely textured or designed paper. I do love to decorate with stickers or include them in my letters, also sometimes washi tape. I'd like to be more creative, but unfortunately I often don't find the time and calm to do it. If so, I enjoy making collages though, and also some origami from time to time :)

In terms of receiving mail, I am not picky at all. I am happy if what you are sending me relates to anything on my profile or if there's a meaning for you in it. I don't have strong likes or dislikes - surprise me!