Biography

Sao Paulo-SP, Brazil 1978, this is when it all started. I grew up there in a middle class district, in a condo with several other children my age and a big swimming pool. Life was good and I had always a nice dark tan. I visited several private schools – Santos Anjos, Augusto Laranja, Objetivo, Benjamin Constant and Moema -, and on the last year I went to Sussex, Wisconsin (USA) as an exchange student. There I finished high school and got my diploma, which was later recognized in Brasil as being valid there as well.

I started working at the age of 18 as an English teacher, working at several private language schools. At the age of 23 I began studying International Relations at Faculdades Tancredo Neves in Sao Paulo. I really enjoyed it, specially my classes of sociology. Unfortunatly I had to quit before finishing it, for personal reasons. Of the four years, I’ve been there for two. I learned a lot and was certain to continue my studies when possible.

With 24 I started working at Banco do Brasil in the agency at Rua Clélia. I liked my colleagues a lot, but this was not the kind of work I wanted to do all my life. Later I changed agencies and started at the agency Saúde. My colleagues were once again very nice, the work was nevertheless of the same kind. It was a good choice though; as it took me much less time to get to work as before. Sao Paulo is a huge city, and Rua Clélia was a one-and-a-half-hour trip from my house. Saúde was only 10 minutes away.

When I was 26 something happened that made my life change: I finally received the German citizenship, which I had applied for 3 years earlier. My mother was born in Germany, this is why I could have it as well. I had always wanted to live abroad, and this was the best opportunity ever! I left everything behind and went to Germany, where I was also given the chance to start over.

I first stayed in Bad Krozingen, a small town near Freiburg. It took me one and a half year to learn the German language to a degree in which I could write the required test in order to enter University. I applied than for Düsseldorf and Siegen. Düsseldorf ignored me completely. Siegen was friendly and took interest on me. I felt very welcome, so I happily packed my things once again to start my studies of Social Sciences and Media Studies there. In six semesters, as foreseen, I finished my studies in the German language there and graduated, earning a Bachelor of Arts’ degree. The last year of my studies I also worked as an intern and later on on royalty basis for the Verein für soziale Arbeit und Kultur/Eine-Welt-Netz.

With my degree in hand I started applying for a job and was called to go to Amsterdam. I’ve been working since January as a research intern at the Institute of Network Cultures (at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam) in the project Critical Point of View (CPoV). This has been a wonderful experience so far, and I am very happy to have had this opportunity.

I am currently taking part in the Research Master’s Sociology of Culture, Media and the Arts at Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam. It started in September 2010 and I will officially graduate in the end of August 2012. My goals are now to learn how to be a great researcher and eventually work in the field. I would love to work as a university lecturer as well. So there you go, let’s see how life turns out.