Sandra was born and raised in Vienna, Austria, but – brought up by a Japanese mother and having spent summers in the mountains of Okayama – Japan has always been part of her life. She graduated in Social Work, following her passion to work with and for people, and started to gain professional experience working with the elderly and people with mental health issues. She also worked as a probation officer and at the airport with detained asylum seekers.

In 2005 Sandra decided to fulfill her dream of experiencing Japan’s “four distinct seasons” and moved to Tokyo, where she worked for the Suginami Education Board with Japanese returnees and school dropouts. Now she lives in Kyoto, which she calls “maybe the most beautiful city in the world”, and where she enjoys eating wagashi, studying traditional Chinese medicine and practicing Tai Chi.