Answers to this week’s questions at thefridayfive@DW

1. Have you ever been the president of anything?

Nope.

2. What do you think is the most important leadership trait?

Well, the current far-right goverment is giving us a master class example of what politics look like when “there is no place for empathy in politics”. So, I’m saying empathy.

3. What time period did you find the most interesting to learn about in history class?

I can’t choose. I loved learning about Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Mayans, Incas, the Aztecs… really, about the only thing I didn’t love learning history about was anything after the year 1900. Some of after-1900 I also found interesting but didn’t love it. I hated school but history was probably my most least hated subject at school and I loved learning pretty much all that we were taught.

4. What’s something you think about doing, but you haven’t gotten back into in several years?

Biking. I keep thinking how quickly I could bike to places like the grocery or my Mom’s. Also it’d be easier to carry heavy shopping bags and so could take the bike instead of the bus. The bags are usually too heavy to carry and the walk home just too long with them. I’d probably have re-learn how to bike though because I haven’t even tried biking in 20+ years and don’t own one.

5. If you could add one more random holiday to February, what would it be?

To be honest: I wouldn’t. There’s already Runebergin päivä (Runeberg’s day, not a holiday from work/school but special day and special cakes in shops), laskiainen (um, Shrovetide? also not a holiday from work/school, but a special day with laskiaispulla (sweet bun with traditionally raspberry jam or almond paste filling and whipped cream filling) possibly with hot chocolate and sledding if enough snow on the ground) and then at the end of the month, the winter holiday from schools. So February is already busy enough with specialness!