In December 2007, I left Portugal and moved to New Zealand.
It was an important change that brought personal and professional challenges. Starting a life in another country requires a willingness to learn again, adapt and accept that things do not always happen as planned.
New Zealand offered experiences very different from those I had known until then.
It was also a period of immerson and resumption of studies in an English-speaking culture. At the same time, living with the visual artist Maurício Benega, who had invited me to stay with him, opened up space for a closer involvement with the arts and a renewed engagement with painting. I returned to working with acrylic paint and exploring new possibilities for visual expression.
Surfing and contact with nature also became part of this new routine. The landscapes, beaches and outdoor life broadened my experiences and brought new references into my everyday life.
Alongside these experiences, I returned to my professional work in communication at Easy Study & Travel, where I worked in marketing and creative direction. This allowed me to resume activities related to design and communication within a different cultural context.
My first jobs included working in restaurants as a chef's assistant. It was an experience that introduced me to a different professional environment, requiring adaptability, a willingness to learn and direct involvement in the daily work of the kitchen.
Later, after approximately one year in the country, I also took part in rural activities, including kiwi fruit harvesting. This experience brought me closer to another kind of working life and to an even more direct relationship with the natural environment.
New Zealand taught me a great deal about adaptation.
I learned that a journey does not need to be linear to be meaningful. There are moments when we need to leave behind familiar structures, accept uncertainty and discover new possibilities.
Nature also acquired a different dimension. Being surrounded by landscapes, beaches and open spaces offered a sense of observation and presence unlike the one I had experienced in large cities.
I do not romanticize the difficulties of that period. There were challenges and situations that demanded persistence. But I recognize that these experiences were valuable to my personal development.
In 2010, I returned to Brazil. I brought back another collection of lessons, memories and references.
Life continues to be this movement of experiencing, losing some certainties, discovering others and moving forward.