Nomad, Attorney, Traveller, Explorer, Searcher, Todos Santos, Mexico

Nomad, a word that carries a romantic idea of living outside the rat race, being a wanderer. That is the initial feeling you get after meeting Ms. Camila Gregurincic. She is a free spirit who constantly dreams of new experiences. The underlying story is of course more intricate. Her example of continuous seeking and finding begs re-examining of our own priorities. She asked that tabu question we all inquired about at least once and usually in the privacy of our own psyche: “What if the path I chose is not for me? Do I do something about it or push the thought down and out, hoping it goes away?”

What makes Camila a WOW Woman to me is her bravery of not only asking, but taking matters into her own hands and doing something about her future. She has done herself a solid by exploring the world solo and challenged herself in every new place she visited. Some people may call that running away, but in my opinion Camila decided to learn more about herself through the interactions with the world, to show resilience and to prove to herself an ability to overcome hardship. I applaud her for the vulnerable details she revealed in this interview. It is my hope that others may relate to and also draw inspiration from Camila’s actions, understand her motivations and learn from the mistakes she so honestly outlines. Hats off to our fearless, talented and spirited nomad.

The following answers are written by Ms. Camila Gregurincic (with spelling/grammar tweaks from me). Please keep in mind that English is a second (or third/fourth) language and is not 100% perfect. Perfection is boring anyway!

1. Name

Camila Gregurincic.

2. Where is your hometown?

I was born in São Paulo and have been living in Florianopolis, in the south of Brazil, since 2008.

3. What is your profession/career/title/self-label/designation? What does your average day look like?

That’s is always a difficult question for me, as I don’t feel connected to any career label nowadays. I graduated with an International Relations degree and have a Post Graduate degree in Brazilian Customs Law. From 2011 until 2018 I stayed working with Import & Export companies as an Import Analyst and during 2018 as an Import Supervisor.

After eight months of backpacking around Asia and Australia, I went to the Maldives to work at a Seaside Finolhu Resort as a Guest Relations Officer. Currently I’m traveling and volunteering in hostels, where I work a few hours at the reception and in exchange I stay for free. I currently live in a little town called Todos Santos, in Baja California Sur, Mexico. I work at the reception mostly doing the coffee morning duties, check in, check out and spend time with the guests. It’s an easy and rewarding job!

4. What did you study in school?

I have degree in the International Relations and Post Graduate Degree in the Brazilian Customs Law.

5. What was the journey like to get where you are (in life and career-wise)? Write about some of the achievements that you are most proud of. What was the breakthrough moment for you (in your personal life and/or career?) that set you on the current path in life?

In 2018, at the age of 28, I started practicing yoga and went through that very cliché moment in my life, wondering which direction to move toward. At that moment in my life, I saw myself as disconnected and unhappy. With a post-graduate degree in Brazilian Customs Law, I was working as an Import Supervisor, owned a car and my own apartment. However, I wasn’t connected with that lifestyle. In a way, I had everything, but not what I wanted. I craved something simple, different and special. I wanted a different life!

In December 2018, right after I turned 29, I broke up my relationship, sold my car, resigned from my job and I bought a one-way ticket to Thailand. Believe me, just like this! The plan was to stay a year outside Brazil, spend one year solo backpacking to learn about another universe, different from the one I was living in.

I spent almost three months in Thailand, two months in Indonesia, two weeks in Myanmar, a week in Malaysia and three months in Australia. After eight months solo backpacking, my father got sick and I had to return to Brazil for two months. During this period, I decided to apply for a few job offers in the Maldives. Why there? While in Bali I met three girls working there and we discussed resort jobs. At that moment, I asked myself “why not just try? I was free and willing”. After three weeks of applications, I received an e-mail to schedule an interview. The job was for a position as Guest Relations Officer – English & Portuguese speaking at the Seaside Finolhu Resort. Two interviews later, I was hired. At that moment, the only thought I had was “the desire to travel and live outside Brazil is so strong that isolating myself on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean sounds pretty good right about now?”

It was after three months of working in the Maldives when the Covid-19 hit. As bad as it sounds, I was happy to leave the resort. I felt that I still hadn’t found my professional passion. Although I didn’t enjoy my stay there I felt very proud of myself for receiving an Award Certificate in recognition of the performance and quality work during February 2020 (mentioned six times in guest comments).

Maldives was such a mental experience for me, it was there that I realized I had to go back to therapy to deal with my insecurities and fears.

As I mentioned before, due to Covid, my contract was dissolved and I had to go back to Brazil, where I stayed eight months living with my parents. I have to be honest, it wasn’t easy to stay with them but it was extremely necessary. I had time to think, go back to therapy, practice yoga, read lots of books. It was a good time to focus on myself!

In September 2020 I saw my friend’s Instagram stories from Mexico. After asking him about immigration and tourist visa process I decided to buy a ticket. I told my parents that I wanted to celebrate my 31st birthday in Mexico. Once again, they were surprised with my fast/impulsive decisions, but this time more used to my “crazy” ideas.

The idea was to have a different trip and experience from 2019, with the pandemic. I thought about slow travel, a work exchange in a hostel, and Worldpackers platform helped me with this idea. I spent five weeks volunteering in a hostel in Mexico City, then travelled to Todos Santos, Mexico where I am volunteering currently.

In conclusion, I don’t know where I’ll be in the next month or what I’ll be doing in the future. However, I’m happy to be where I am currently, to be “another Camila” after these two years of changes and even more excited to keep traveling without plans.

6. How is your life different from what you pictured at 20?

At 20 I started my university studies without having any idea of what I was working toward. I used to talk to my friends and parents that I was lost, as I didn’t have any natural gifts toward anything. I wasn’t good at sports, arts or instruments and I never considered myself to be a very intelligent person. My father was always told me that everybody has a purpose in life and it was just too early for me to know mine. Funny enough, I’m still looking for it.

My life now is complete opposite of what I pictured at 20. Although back then I always dreamed of travelling as I am doing now, I also thought that I would be working in a good company, with financial independence, leading a traditional life. The only thing that I never pictured, and still don’t, was getting married or having kids. The thing I realize now, is that at 20 I was just envisioning a life my parents projected onto me. I feel that I’m now finally truly living the way I really wished to.

7. Was there a time when life knocked you down or out and how did you get back up on your feet?

Yes! At 28, I looked around and realized I was extremely unhappy, leading a lifestyle of 10-hour work days, studying for my post-graduate degree on weekends, always tired and complaining about my circumstances. I thought I was depressed and my ex-boyfriend did too. I experienced burnout and abruptly quit everything that was causing it. It did wonders for my mental health. I realized that a traditional life was definitely not for me. As soon as I changed my environment, everything inside me started to improve. I could shine again!

You will observe and deal with your insecurities, show bravery and resilience in a different and open way and, trust me, sometimes it can be scary to deal with the new feelings, but the sooner you will be able to put a name on them you will grow. It’s part of the journey!

Also you will deal with many different people and cultures, which is a good way to learn about the various lifestyles and traditions. Slowly but surely these experiences will give you a better idea of what you are seeking.

9. Knowing what we know now in a current political climate, can women be "all that we can be" in today's world? What is the way forward, as you see it, for "feminist values"?

To be honest, I never before saw myself as a real feminist but after years of therapy I realized that I have more feminist values than I thought.

Our first female reference in our childhood is usually the mother and for me personally, I never felt as close to mine as I did to my father. To be honest, I really believed that my feminine self was not so well developed. What do I mean by this? As far as I can remember, I was always trying to be different from my mom. I saw a woman who never worked, stayed at home carrying on with the same routine day after day. I witnessed her leading a “traditional” life, cooking for her daughter and her husband every single day, dependent on her husband, under his control. Sadly, I spent years judging her for this. Only therapy and looking inward showed me that what I was resenting was how women in my culture existed for ages: lacking a voice, power and ownership of their own personal space.

My home country claims open-mindedness, but Brazil has such a strong masculine culture in all aspects of its society. However, I believe that now more than ever women have the ability to make their voices heard. We are building this new culture and showing to the new generations that we can be much more than the history shows.  It’s a big fight, but I believe that we must never stop fighting it.

11. What extracurricular activities/hobbies are you most proud of? Why?

I don’t know if traveling could be considered a hobby, but to me it is definitely something I’m most proud of. I love that I’m curious about new and different experiences, and that I can do that solo, without fear.

I also love biking around new cities and areas when I arrive. It’s one of my favourite ways to explore and meet the locals. I also feel free on a bike.

12. What do you want to be when you grow up? Future goals/challenges?

I want to keep up with my huge desire and curiosity for learning new languages, visiting new countries and exploring diverse cultures. My goal is to keep traveling, discovering myself and leading a simple life. I don’t have any ambitions to have lots of money or own big properties. My biggest dream is to stay for a while in as many countries as I can and practice/learn as many languages as possible.

13. What fears are you still hoping to overcome?

My insecurities with myself. Since I was six or seven years old I’ve had a feeling of not being good enough, not intelligent enough. Even with therapy I never understood well why I had this feeling since such a young age. The more I travel the more I deal with my fears, in a good way, learning about how best to be different and positive. That’s why I will forever believe that travel is and will always be the best school for me.

14. Anything you'd do differently, if you had another go at life?

Yes, definitely! I would start training for and playing a professional sport such as surfing, tennis or gymnastics.

15. What inspires you? 

The unknown.

Different people/experiences and

My curiosity of visiting more and more countries.

16. What are you hopeful about?

I am hopeful for those who are struggling in a job or a hopeless seeming situation realize that they have an ability to do something to change their circumstances. You have to try. From my experience, change is good, even if it is toward something that is currently unknown. You may not know but this action can be later viewed as the best decision you have ever made and a reason behind your newfound happiness!

17. What are some ingredients to a good life? Has the global pandemic changed your perspective about the world, about your life, your goals and dreams?

Truthfully, I’m not worried about my future. I like living without plans and I feel that if in the future I need to change this lifestyle I will just change it. It’s working like this now and that is what I know and am comfortable with at the moment. Period.

18. What are (at least) three qualities you most love about yourself and why? What are your superpowers?

I change and adapt very fast and I am kind to people. You will never see me being disrespectful toward anyone.

I love my own company, that’s one of the things I’m most proud of about myself. Being comfortable in my own skin gives me the freedom to travel alone, go to bars and restaurants alone and enjoy my time, as I don’t feel uncomfortable being only with myself.

19. What advice would you give your 14-year-old self?

If you don’t know what to do for work or what to study, don’t panic or don’t feel like you’re alone in this. It is really hard to live in this pressure cooker of expectations that once we do university then we will be someone important. It’s not only this that defines you as a good or a worthy person.

Learn about the world and the various cultures. This is an amazing way to understand yourself as a person and learn about humans and our differences and similarities. The sooner you learn this, the sooner you will understand self-acceptance. Don’t judge those who are different from you, and don’t judge yourself for being different, just learn as much as you can.

20. What are you reading now? (what books do you gift most and what are your favourite reads?)

At this moment I’m not reading anything, however the last book I read was Ayurveda: The Science of Self Healing by Dr. Vasant Lad. It is an area I’ve been very curious about; it is full of good ideas. My favorite genres are thriller, drama and self-knowledge.

21. Who is a WOW WOMAN in your world who inspires you and why? Can you nominate three (or more) women you know who perfectly fit WOW WOMAN description? What would you tell them, if you had an opportunity, why you admire them?

Interesting thing about this question is that when I was answering it I realized that no one around me, family or friends that I used to talk to frequently, I feel inspired by. The people that mostly inspire me now are the female travelers, whom I feel related and connected to. I feel understood by them, like they are my family/community!

I have two WOW Women who have inspired me in the past three years. The first one is Brazillian/Australian Ana Paula Xavier* (@anapaulakx), she was one of the first female solo travelers I found on Instagram. Even though I’ve never met her in person, she inspires me to have a voice, to change my circumstance if I am unhappy and to have an amazing time while experiencing travelling solo! We chat all the time now and I appreciate her friendship.

Another one is Leticia Mello (@byleticiamello), who is a Brazilian traveler that I’ve also been following on social media for the past three years. I had the pleasure of meeting her in 2019 and now in 2021 in Mexico City. Leticia has a documentary out and a book about her volunteering trips around Asia. I respect that she walks the walk and backs her words with actions. But more so, I agree with her idea that we can live a simple life, create an environment we want and not be a follower of a traditional life: university, marriage, kids, etc. Leticia is an amazing writer who can define her feelings in such a beautiful and inspirational way.

22. Where can others find you/your work (links to websites, blogs, etc.)?

Website: foodtravelersoul.com

IG: @camilagregurincic

*Ms. Camila Gregurincic was nominated by Ms. Ana Paula Xavier, a WOW Woman I met in Greenland. Read her interview here.