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Tarot card of the month: The Moon
Are you really behind in life? Or are you under the illusion of society’s standards? During retrograde season the Moon card can help you
Text: Stefanie Ponca
Photos: René Fitzek
Styling: Jenni Tschugmell
Hair + Make-up: Sophia Singh
When I laugh so hard my stomach hurts. That moment when the laughter slowly fades and you’re completely exhausted from it – that’s when I feel most beautiful.
It wasn’t always easy. I didn’t always feel fully accepted by either side. Today, I love looking Tamil and being Tamil, but it wasn’t always like that. When I was younger, all I wanted was to fit in. I didn’t want to feel different all the time. There were moments when I wished I looked more like the people around me.
Eventually, I realised there’s no right way to look or be. That changed a lot for me. Today I’m proud of where I come from. I love speaking Tamil, listening to Tamil music, celebrating Tamil festivals and wearing Tamil jewellery. I want people to know that’s part of who I am.
Definitely sweets – and not even the fancy kind. The more artificial, the better. I’d choose the packaged croissant wrapped in plastic over the fresh one from the bakery any day, even if the ingredients list is impossible to pronounce.
I’m a qualified nurse – it’s a profession I chose early on and have never regretted. Modelling, on the other hand, was never part of the plan. It simply found me. Over time, both became part of my life, and today the two sit quite naturally alongside each other.
People are often surprised by that and sometimes even put me on a pedestal because of it. I actually find that a little unfair. My colleagues who work in nursing every single day deserve just as much recognition. If anything, they deserve more. But yes, it does sometimes feel a bit like Hannah Montana – two completely different worlds, both of which feel equally like me.
Nursing has taught me that life rarely unfolds the way you expect it to, and that everything can change in a moment. Caring for people at very different stages of life has made me realise how important our relationships are – with family, friends and the people closest to us. That has stayed with me. It’s one of the reasons I value my own friendships and relationships so deeply today.
I hope that in ten years I’ll still have the ability to consciously celebrate and appreciate everyday things. Small routines and simple moments in daily life give me a sense of wellbeing and calm, and I hope I never lose sight of the beauty in them.
