Raik's Page

Can one realistically describe oneself? Well, let's start with some simple geographic facts:
Your best chance of finding me right now is at KAUST, on the shores of the Red Sea (or sometimes in the deserts and canyons around). Before Saudi Arabia, I was dwelling in the snow of Montreal and before that near the beach in in Barcelona. Before Barcelona, I spent a little time in Heidelberg, and before that, I had been bi-cycling through Paris, where I did my PhD in a venerable research institute, which had been founded on the science of properly cooking milk, among other things. Before Paris, I already spent some months in Heidelberg. Before that, I performed my biochemistry studies in Leipzig.

My cradle cradled in the little-known town of Riesa on the river Elbe, not that far from Leipzig, actually.

• swimming and trekking
• reading
• travelling and some photography
• some politics

And here are some pictures.

That should be enough for now. Instead of studying other people's self-image, I suggest you rather have a look at this (out of date) reading list:

If you are interested in just everything, get the right questions to ask in:
J.-W. Goethe: "Faust"
... and read this to get all the answers:
Douglas Adams: "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

You try living patriotic? Read this:
Graham Greene: "The Human Factor"
Or want to become the next James Bond? Get some hints in:
Graham Greene: "Our Man in Havanna"

However, the best book I've read in a long time is still...
Arundathi Roy: "The God of small things"
This lady deserves the noble price of literature! (and also the one for peace, which brings us back to politics. Anyway, go and get this book!).