Who am I?

Hi everyone!

My name is Marlene, I am 18 years old and I'm originally from Linz in Upper Austria. I moved to Graz last September to study Transcultural Communication at the Department of Translation. The languages I'm studying are English and Russian. I chose English because I've been learning English since I was three and while I feel somewhat familiar with the language by now, I think there's still a lot that I can improve on. Russian has always kind of interested me because it's just so different from every other languages I've learned before. Also, my dad knows a little bit of Russian and he taught me a couple of words when I was little, so I guess he's essentially the one to blame for my choice of language...

The three most important things in my life are probably my family, my friends and chewing gum. When I'm in Graz I usually call and/or text at least one member of my family every day, I take the bus home about every second weekend and when I'm home I make sure to see as many of my friends as I possibly can. I don't tend to get homesick per se, but I do miss all the people from home. And now for the third essential part of my life: Chewing gum! If you empty any pocket, purse or bag of mine, there's a rather good chance you'll find at least one packet of gum inside. I'm not entirely sure why, it's not like I have bad breath or whatever, but for some reason I chew gum all. The. Time. To the point where I get really, really annoyed when, once in a blue moon, I happen to run out. God, that makes me sound like an addict now, doesn't it? It's not THAT bad... I just really like me some chewing gum.

I've always found it quite hard to describe myself character wise, because I feel like a lot of the time the way I act depends on the situation I'm in and the people I'm with. Around strangers or people who I'm not yet comfortable with I'm usually rather quiet, sometimes downright awkward, but I regularly talk my friends' ears off and I can be quite quick-witted from time to time. I tend to be a bit lazy and chaotic and I procrastinate a lot, but I can also be organised and (more or less) disciplined if the situation calls for it. Well, I guess that kind of just makes me lazy all the time, because I just don't do things unless there's absolutely no way around them anymore... Sorry?

What else can I tell you about myself... I like to read, but I often lack the time and patience to read actual books, so I resort to short stories. I love music. Unfortunately I don't play any instruments or sing, but I do listen to music a LOT. Mostly with my headphones in, which has earned me more than one lecture on how severely headphones can damage your ears. I enjoy the odd day of skiing, swimming or hiking, but overall I'm not a very sporty person. I'm definitely not a morning person either, getting up early just isn't my forte. I can get really grumpy and/or whiny when I'm hungry or tired. I often doodle on things while I'm on the phone or in lectures (not necessarily because I'm bored!). I have a penchant for overanalysing any- and everything and I usually find it a lot easier to express myself in writing than verbally. I tend to be quite sarcastic and I've been told I have a rather dry sense of humour. I really like travelling and I've been to quite a few places already. I'm fascinated with different cultures and I love languages (well, obviously! I wouldn't be studying Transcultural Communication if I didn't...), I really like puns, especially the bad ones, and I have a weird obsession with fancy words and expressions.

One more thing about me: You might not have noticed, but whenever I write something, say a blog post, it tends to turn out really lengthy...

I hope I could tell you a few somewhat interesting things about myself. If there is anything else you would like to know about me, don't hesitate to ask and I will gladly answer your questions! :)