Meet the Locals #12 – Claudia, 30, astrophysicist and science writer

Claudia è un’altra delle persone che ho incontrato per caso, ma che, se abitassimo nella stessa città e avessimo età più simili, probabilmente sarebbe diventata molto amica. Innanzitutto ci siamo incontrate in una libreria. In secondo luogo eravamo due italiane ad Amsterdam. E infine, entrambe scriviamo e amiamo seguire la scena dello storytelling. Ve la presento. Ladies and Gentlemen, please meet Claudia.

Your name, age and job?

Claudia, 30, astrophysicist and science writer

Where are you from?

Salerno, Italy

What would you be if you were not an astrophysicist/science writer? / What do you want to be when you grow up?

It’s difficult to answer, since I wanted to be a scientists – an astrophysicist – ever since I can remember. Then, towards the end of my graduate studies I realised that something was missing, that research had become too focussed for my taste and that I needed a new perspective to look at science and fall in love with it again. So I discovered public outreach and science writing, and that’s what led me here. By doing this, though, I also (re)discovered writing… So maybe that’s where I’ll end up when I grow up – we’ll see.

How long have you lived in Amsterdam and why did you first come?

Almost two years. I found a job as a science writer and moved here. I didn’t know the city too much before moving, I had only visited a couple of times, but it was definitely a good choice.

What is the best thing to do (what do you like doing ) in Amsterdam?

Walk or bike around when the sun shines. The city changes spirit entirely, and the people with it.

Is there something you don’t like about Amsterdam?

Not sure… Maybe I haven’t yet gotten used to the tempo in the city, I must be way too southern European for this. At times it feels like everybody’s hectic and in a hurry, although at the same time there are many times and places where things flow at a much more leisurely pace. I guess I’m still waiting to sync in.

Where would you live if not in Amsterdam?

Probably somewhere below the 40-th parallel.

Have you ever been to Tyrol / South Tyrol / Bolzano / Trento – Italy?

Yes, I’ve been several times to Suedtirol ever since I was a little kid, either hiking in the summer or skiing in winter. And I’ve been few times to Bolzano/Bozen in the past few years, visiting a friend who was studying at the Zelig school for documentary, television and new media.

What did you like / did not like about it?

I love the landscape of the Dolomites and the connection with nature that people still seem to have (and here’s another thing I miss since I moved to Amsterdam: mountains – even the sight of them!). I also liked how certain aspects of a more authentic lifestyle seem to have remained more alive than elsewhere in Italy/Europe.