Wow, it’s been a while since I had to put the essence of me into a few paragraphs. I’ll do my best, but I can’t guarantee anything. So, fasten your seat belt for a wild and bumpy ride into the dark abyss that is my soul...

I believe in balance. Balance between work and fun, spending and saving, sitting in the office and physical activity/exercise. That’s, for example, why you’ll be able to find me in the Tae Kwon Do studio, the tennis court, or the local jogging trail most days of the week.

For anyone who doesn’t already know, I admit to being anal. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I keep things neat and clean. And I am punctual and on time - guaranteed. (In Germany, if you’re early, you’re on time; if you’re on time, you’re late; if you’re late, you’re screwed.) I reason that as a project manager you have to be anal. So, it’s not really my fault, right!?

Rumor has it, I’m addicted to caffeine. So what’s wrong with that? Some people get a headache if they have caffeine. Not me - I get a headache without it. BTW: I tried sleep and it didn’t work. I love me my Diet Pepsi and me my coffee/latte/mocha/espresso/you name it. It keeps me alert and working at the highest level of productivity. And it’s cheap. I never have problems sleeping, no matter how much caffeine I’ve had. So I don’t see any problem here, do you?

I am proud to be an American now. It’s been a long journey for me. Only after having navigated the perilous waters of immigration, after dealing with uncertainty and being an “alien”,  can one really appreciate the privilege of being a citizen of the US, of belonging here, of being part of this country. I remember my very first conversation with an immigration official at the US embassy in Germany (via phone). He basically laughed at me for wanting to come to the US. I’m here to stay now. Who’s laughing now, punk!?

Last not least, I believe in goals in life, be it moving to a different country, a relationship, your career, retirement, or a big screen TV (just kidding), it’s good to know where you’re going and to keep making course corrections where needed.