BIANCA REGINA: Dreams, Youth and Possibilities

1. When you were young what did you envision your future to be? And as a follow up, how does it compare to where you eventually arrived?
At first, I wanted to become a doctor like my mother. Then, I wanted to become a singer. By and by, I realised that both of these paths required more devotion than I was prepared (or able?) to invest in them. Now I'm a psychotherapist which is sort of like a doctor. I don't sing enough, though.

2. If you could go back and become yourself at a certain time in life which time would you choose and why? And if you could only take one bit of knowledge or one trait you’ve gained as you’ve grown older (but not too old!), what would it be? And why again?
I have no desire to go back in my life. I sometimes go through memories of living in London, or travelling, or lovers, but I am also always aware that I was never as happy then as I am now. I hope that this will continue into the future!
Patients often mention that as a goal they have in therapy: I want to be the person I was 5 (10, 15) years ago! Apart from this being impossible, I have a hard time understanding this notion - although of course, I can relate to what they mean from their point of view. But really, why go back to a past you already know instead of working to shape a future you will like?
Maybe I've just been lucky, though, and my present is so good that I have little interest in the past. That, I'm aware, might well change in the future.

3. Were you a reader as a youth? If so, what kind of books did you read? Who were some of your favorite authors at the time?
I read a lot. In primary school, my friend and me had a contest to see who could get through the Leatherstocking Tales (including The Last Mohican) by J.F. Cooper. I have forgotten who won, but I do remember that I was thoroughly bored with all the descriptions of sunsets. But I did stick it out! Other than that, I was a huge fan of an Austrian author called Christine Nöstlinger - I still love her books and read them when I feel low.
I still make my way through difficult books and don't give up easily. My next project is to read Infinite Jest.

4. I’m wondering if there are any dreams you had which you did not achieve but are still working on, or hoping to achieve?
To have children with my husband - like I mentioned earlier, we have entered the adoption process and I am fairly confident that this dream will come true.
To write: a book, or a thesis, or maybe just an article. You can tell that's not a very thought-out dream...
To live in an English-speaking country with my family. I've made English a part of our lives: the husband and me watch Mad Men together, he has become interested in some of my books in English, we are members of SERVAS and have English-speaking visitors several times a year - but still, moving abroad doesn't appeal to him. Oh well.

5. Please share a book that has meant something to you, and tell us why.
Just one book? That's hard. One book that comes to mind is Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? We read it in school in the wonderful English course I had for the last three years before graduation. I thought the book was so funny and well-constructed, and I thoroughly enjoyed discussings its structure and the way the characters are set up with my teacher. It means something to me because not only was it fun, it was also the vehicle for thinking about literature in a different, more analytical way. So it wasn't just the book,it was all the talking we did about it in school that has changed the way I read to this day.