Mia and Pam and Journalism

Vienna, August 2021

An Interview for the austrian national broadcasting company ORF brought me to Vienna. Of course, I took advantage and spend a couple of days with my old friend Mia. Her and I met 23 years ago, during an internship at the newspaper Die Zeit in Berlin. We immediately became friends and soon were sharing a flat together. These were great times of exploring Berlin and inviting lots of people to our tiny flat were we held never ending parties. On one of those, a gay couple ( maybe not a couple? Can’t remember) broke Mia’s bed into pieces although she was already 8 month pregnant with Maria and needed to sleep in the bits and pieces when everyone had finally left the house.

These times were also the beginning of my career in journalism which I am so happy about, because the only profession or vocation I could think of as a teenager and young adult was to become a journalist. No matter if as a writer, photographer or photo editor. As long as I could smell the printed newspaper or magazine, dig deep into extended research or participate at conferences with colleagues to talk about the topics of the following issues. Create news and stories, both the small and quite ones but also the big and loud ones. Yes, I learned all this in the past 23 years. Mia and I did homeoffice together in her flat and it felt so familiar, working and living together side by side, although she chose an awkward corner to sit and type in her kitchen in Vienna. Actually, her flat reflects her personality. For instance the living room is filled with books in huge top-to-bottom-shelfs, well selected and curated art hanging on the walls, a cosy and wide sofa to sit and read on, by the open window to allow the bird‘s songs enter from the green and lush backyard.

Later on, the lady from the asian restaurants serving us the meal, asks if we were sisters cause we look so much alike! We both laugh and say yes. After three days in Vienna, Mia drives me to the airport as I go on to Portugal.

Behind stays the idea of wanting to go and live there for a month or two next summer. I would like to go and search for these roots on my father‘s side, who grew up and died there. The jewish austro-hungarian roots that gave me that blond look, as I am the only blondy in my entire family.

A big hurray to Blonde ambition!