Here are some random factoids about me, in no particular order.
- I’m husband to Carolina, and father to Annabella. We live in Northeast D.C.
- I’m Swiss by birth and Dutch by blood, but I speak none of the languages of either of those countries. (It makes visiting those countries a little awkward, to say the least.) I do speak Spanish fluently, though.
- I’ve lived in Switzerland, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela.
- I’ve lived through significant earthquakes (Mexico in 1985) and coup attempts (Venezuela in 1992). In both cases, I was mostly interested if I’d get the day off of school. (Answer: yes.)
- I attended Penn State University, where I got my B.A. in political science. I later got an M.A. in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University. But when it comes to sports, I don’t particularly care for the Nittany Lions or Hoyas.
- The most Washington thing I’ve ever done is get to ride into town from Andrews Air Force Base in a presidential motorcade. It was awesome.
- I spent a number of years working for foreign embassies in D.C. No, I am not, nor was I ever, a spy. I merely helped foreign diplomats work with and understand the U.S. media.
- My favorite all-time book is likely “1984.”
- My first tape was Guns N’ Roses’s “Appetite for Destruction” and my first CD Kris Kross’s “Totally Krossed Out.” (Can’t justify that one.) My favorite all-time album may be Smashing Pumpkins’s “Siamese Dream.” My first concert was Veruca Salt.
- If I had to eat only one thing in life to be happy, it would be chocolate.
- I love riding bikes. My most epic bike ride (so far) was the 335-mile trek from Pittsburgh to D.C. along the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O.
- I always imagined I’d become a diplomat. In high school, I took part in Model United Nations, representing countries as different and diverse as Iran and the U.S.
Martin Austermuhle 