I’m very close to my siblings. Actually, I’m an only child. My parents would’ve liked to have more children, but my mother was already 39 when she had me, and that was it. I would’ve loved to have siblings, especially as most of our family lives far away. My father is from Morocco, and my mother is from Scotland. They moved to Brussels to study and work and never left.
You can cheer me up by… distracting me, cracking jokes and, when I’m ready to talk about it, lending me an ear. I’ve never been afraid to talk about my feelings. I think being open helps not only you but also those around you. If you bottle up your sadness, you’ll only sink deeper into it.
Dream trip? I would really love to go to Costa Rica someday. The flora and fauna there are so diverse; it seems beautiful and very interesting to see the forests, beaches, waterfalls, and animals. I used to always answer Thailand to this question, but I actually made that trip two years ago. It was amazing.
"I was so stressed I couldn't sleep or eat"
What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever made? Quitting swimming. I started young and joined a competitive team when I was twelve. We trained five to six times per week and also participated in competitions. Our coach was awful – very mean and even a bit racist. I was the only girl of colour on the team. The pressure to perform was intense; if you missed training or didn’t swim a good time, you got penalty points. If you had too many penalty points, you’d be kicked out of the team. They also weighed us in front of everyone. I was taller and therefore heavier than my teammates, but the coach was always telling me to lose weight. Before competitions, I was so stressed I couldn’t sleep or eat. Even so, it was hard to quit. I’d made such close friends there, and it had been such a big part of my life. I worried I’d feel lost without it. But at some point, I started to hate swimming, which I’d always loved so much, and that’s what made the decision for me. It was the right choice. Last year, I went swimming again for the first time while training for a triathlon. I’m thinking about joining a swim club. I miss going to the pool.
What’s your guilty pleasure? Right now, the biscuits at the Mensa – I eat two a day. I also love bad TV, as in, objectively poorly written and acted series or films and reality shows. It’s relaxing because you can just switch off your mind.
What fascinates you about the human brain? So much! There’s so much going on in there. Some aspects, like personality, are unique to individuals, while other things, like task execution, work the same for everyone. I’m particularly interested in the emotional side of the brain and in diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia that don’t just affect cognitive functioning but also change a patient’s personality and impact the people around them.
"Children are just so innocent, fun and cute, such a positve force"
I can’t wait to have children. Absolutely. Becoming a mother has been my biggest dream since I was young. My first jobs were babysitting and teaching swimming to young children. Maybe it’s because I’m an only child…? Children are just so innocent, fun and cute, such a positive force. I always used to imagine I’d get married at 21 and have my first child at 22. That timeline has shifted a bit; I want to finish my studies first. I’d love to have a big family. My cousin has seven children – amazing! For financial reasons, I’ll probably have to settle for three. Or four.
Favourite food? A burger with fries. Even when it’s bad, it’s good – especially with truffle mayonnaise. I’m obsessed with truffles. If I see something on the menu with truffles, I order it. Sushi is a close second. At home, my dad does the cooking, and my mom does the baking. When I moved out, my mom made me a little recipe book. I enjoy trying things out, but I mostly like cooking when I have the time for it. During the week, I make quick one-pot meals. Nothing fancy, just decent.
"Sometimes it feels like the world is moving backwards instead of forwards"
What news makes you angry? What news doesn’t? Lately, it’s been the US elections, but also the rise of far-right politicians in Europe and all the news from Israel. I’ve always been strongly pro-Palestinian. Sometimes it feels like the world is moving backwards instead of forwards, even though we have access to more information than ever before. Then again, maybe that’s exactly the problem – misinformation is just as readily available.
What’s your greatest weakness? Overthinking things, especially in social situations. If a friend seems a bit short with me, I’ll replay and analyse the entire conversation in my head. When I catch myself doing this, I try to stop. It’s uncomfortable and can even create problems if you start seeing things that aren’t there. Thankfully, I’m getting better at doing it less often.