PAULA, the multicultural social activist
4/5 committed to her flexlife
7/10 feels confident she is living the lifestyle she wants everyday
3 years and running
Works from her office in Paris and remotely while abroad
Inspired by @wanderlikeanegyptian @thecatchmeifyoucan
Paula was born in Cairo to an Egyptian mother and Finnish father. She grew up in Finland, but visited Egypt every year, and she loves both cultures and countries. She’s always been very curious about different cultures and languages, and always felt the need to move around and explore. When she was 19, she decided that her path was going to be unique and she wouldn't care what people thought about her decisions; good or bad, the decisions would be all hers. ✨
First, her studies took her to the Netherlands. It was perfect for her growth and becoming independent - she was based in Central Europe, and could travel easily to many countries by train to discover the diversity of Europe. She ended up also studying in South Africa, which still remains one of the most impactful experiences of her life. After school, her path took her back to Central Europe, to France, and she’s been living in Paris for 3 years now. She finds meaning not only from traveling around but more in her work towards more inclusive societies and enhanced intercultural dialogue. She’s found a way to combine work that she’s passionate about, living in her current home in Paris, but also working remotely from Finland and/or Egypt. This way, she gets her healthy dose of Finnish nature and nurtures herself with delicious Middle Eastern food.
Paula was a consultant for a UN agency for a couple of years, and now, she works for an organization where she can work on social inclusion in a multicultural setting. Through her work, she gets to visit different countries, countries she never thought she would even visit and this has helped her see the world from a completely different perspective. She says:
“I think it's important to stay open-minded, to exchange with people with different opinions, and laugh with people who don't share the same language. In the end, we are all human beings, individuals, and we all have a different story to tell - we just need to listen and learn from each other.”
Paula’s priority is working on things she’s passionate about; this includes social issues like gender equality, education, youth civic engagement, and inclusion of people with disabilities. She’s a communications specialist, so she gets to be also creative in her work. For her, it's important that her work gives her the opportunity to learn and travel, and work remotely when needed.
Paula’s flexlife is interesting because it is a combination of many different things. She has an office in Paris, which is important, since she likes working in an office, meeting colleagues and discussing face-to-face. But she also travels a lot for work and works remotely from Egypt and Finland when she can.
She’s currently dreaming about more adventures and photographing more for her personal projects.
#MASTERTIPS Be confident and courageous - in the end, it's YOUR life, and you should live it as you want, not how the society pressures you to live it!