Lesson 17: Growing up with a Travel Mindset with Mariana Somaza
Growing up in Caracas, Venezuela, Mariana Somaza was raised with a travel mindset, tagging along with her travel-obsessed family to almost every one of Venezuela’s 23 states. As part of Venezuela’s national swim team, she saw even more of her own country and soon found herself following in her mother’s footsteps and moving to Barbados to study English. Then, she discovered her love for Paris while learning to take care of children for the first time as an au pair. Her travel mindset served her well when deciding that her own country was no longer a place that she and her family could call home—at least for now. This is her story. We hope you enjoy it!
What we cover in this episode:
- Growing up in a family obsessed with travel and how it can shape your future
- Learning English in Barbados
- Working as an au pair in Bordeaux, France as a shortcut to improving French
- Mariana’s favorite places including the town of Santiago de Compostela, click here for a movie based on hiking the Santiago de Compostela, “The Way” (official 2012 trailer here)
- How Mariana is now able to work from home in Buenos Aires
Meet Mariana:
@marianasomaza (Instagram)
The AIESEC Exchange Program—the student program that Mariana used for volunteering in Brazil
For some information on finding out more about becoming an au pair, please click here
