Globetrotters Writer Spotlight — Paola F. Oliveira
It's almost the end of April, but we still have time to know a bit about each other. Let's go?
Hi Globetrotters. My name is…
Paola :)
I come from…
Brazil, but now I’m living in the Cayman Islands. It’s my first time living abroad, and also the accomplishment of a dream! Back in Brazil, I lived 29 years in the same city: Blumenau, a small city in the south of Brazil. But since I can remember, I was always curious about the world. I dreamed about traveling and living abroad, meeting new cultures and places.
I work as a…
A marketing professional. Nowadays I’m a freelancer, and I’m also stepping into freelance writing.
I love to travel because…
To know new places give me energy. I love to see different things and taste new flavors. I love to talk with people from all over the world and know their histories. Travel is about keeping me curious, it keeps me growing and expanding myself.
The best place I’ve been is…
New York City. I have been to many nice places, with natural beauty and nature’s power, but something about NYC makes me feel alive. The craziness of the city recharges me, somehow. I love to walk through NY streets and always discover new interesting things. It fuels my creativity and my mind in a crazy and unique way.
In my spare time, I like to…
Read, write and cook. These are my main hobbies and the basis of my mental health, although I also enjoy some physical activities such as jogging, yoga, and playing tennis.
My top travel tip is…
Try to reach the balance between research, planning, and spontaneity. I love to plan travels as much as the travel itself. It feels nice to search for the places to go, the best food in town, the secret attractions, and the tips from locals.
But even with all the planning, I like always to let room for spontaneity. To walk from point A to point B just because I feel like it, even knowing that it will take more time. To sit somewhere nice and contemplate my surroundings without hurry to go to the next place.
It’s the same balance I seek in life, and that I wrote about here:
If I could live somewhere else, I’d live in…
Italy! I feel like in some moment of my life I will live there. Not forever, maybe even not for long, but for some time.
My ancestors came from Italy to Brazil a long time ago, and I feel strongly connected with the country and the Italian culture. I want to learn the language, I want to live there and drink a cappuccino in the mornings. I would love to learn more about food and its power to connect people, to transcend generations.
My favorite way to travel is…
By car, I think. This one was a tough one for me, cause I love to have a road trip this is true, but also I had mostly only traveled by car or plane! I love how fast I can get to a faraway place by plane, but I struggle a little bit with flying.
I guess that when the opportunity comes, I’ll love to travel by train.
Three lessons I’ve learned from traveling are…
- Register a lot! Videos, photos. Record audios about what you feel, the things you saw. Write everything in a journal or your notepad. You need to enjoy the moment, but registering these moments is a way to keep the memories alive. To carry them, and even to share them.
- Embrace the unexpected. It will happen things that are out of your control. First time I traveled abroad I arrived in NYC and was supposed to catch a bus to head to DC, joining my cousin that lives there. The plane arrived a little late, the immigration line took forever and I lost the bus. I got sad, of course, cause I lost the tickets and needed to buy new ones, and besides, after a 9 hours trip from São Paulo to New York, I would need to find another bus leaving NY towards DC. So of course I was pissed, but after embracing this new reality, Fabio and I headed to Manhattan to catch our new bus and we had such a lovely time! We could explore briefly the Hudson Yards region, we got mesmerized by the sight of The Vessel and we eat our very first New York Hot Dog.
- Walk as much as you can. I believe that walking through a city or in the countryside is the best way to properly feel the place, meet the details, and feel the vibe. I love to take public transportation in the places I visit, but mostly, I love to walk observing everything around me.
My number one travel activity is…
To eat as many as I can! I love food, I love trying new flavors and I think that eating one place’s food is one of the best ways to keep the memory of the place alive, using more of your senses, seeing and feeling and listening, but also smelling and tasting. It comes all together.
It was a pleasure to talk a little about myself with you! Let me know a bit about yourself in the comments as well :)
