In this series you will have a small peek into the lives of people who work or study at VU Amsterdam.
In this article: Alexandra: Student in Marketing Master's programme
Place of birth
Hialeah, Florida, US, 1994
Nationality US (mother from Argentina, dad from Brazil) Studies – Marketing Master Colour Green Favourite movie / Book Film: 10 things I hate about you. Book: Hocus Pocus - kids movie I have loved since I was a kid and still watch on a regular basis
The Interview
What’s your favourite spot in the place you grew up in and, did you find a ‘new’ favourite place in the Netherlands yet? In Fort Lauderdale there’s this beach which officially is a private reserved beach but everyone walks past the sign that says 'Do not enter'. It’s a bunch of rocks along the water. Florida is pretty much flat land and this is the one place where it feels a little more like Brazil. It's a nice and quiet place where you can relax and avoid the popular beaches of South Beach and Fort Lauderdale Beach. I would go there by myself or with my sister. She just likes to stay out on the rocks and I would go out into the water with my feet. I like quiet places and relax. Now I live in Utrecht and there is this one park bench where I like stop by once in awhile, and take it all in. It's just a nice way take a break from the world and from my Master’s.
What is your perfect day like? Oh there's multiple versions of that in my world. It would probably snowing and I would be eating, not necessarily snow although there's a place in Argentina where they have pink coloured snow (we have to look this up). Because of the state I am in now the perfect day would be staying at home with my mum, two sisters and ‘the baby’ (big sister’s baby called Emma). Best day is pretty much x-mas morning. When we make croissants, mamosa’s, hang out in our pyjama's and we have our Christmas ritual where we take turns wrapping presents and really take in how this person thought of this present and show each other our appreciation.
What were you like in high-school? I was so motivated and driven. I would get up at 5:15 in the morning to make it to morning swim practice at 5:30, go to school at 7, after school go to my marketing club deca, work on our assignments then go to work or the gym and then back to swim practice in the afternoon. In Florida everyone I knew was very driven with sports, we were all very committed. I thrived of being busy and feeling like I was accomplishing things. I loved a full day of activities and that someone always needed me to be somewhere! I do miss this.
Now do have a more select group of friends that I give my trust to. I left home when I was 18. Moved to Vienna because I needed a change and then decided to move to Paris. Before I did me and a friend flew to Amsterdam where I met my current boyfriend Wessel. But it's hard to keep up with all connections when you're all over the place.
Can you share a goal that you would like to achieve within the next 5 years? If you would’ve asked me this question a year ago I would have given a very different answer. Now my goal is mainly that within 5 years I need to figure out what it is that I would like to be doing. Work for a company that doesn't limit me to the 9 to 5 and lets met travel. Not in Amsterdam as I would like to be back home, at least for a few years. I miss home.
I think everyone at our age is still trying to figure out what to do, what field exactly we would like to be in. If I could I would love to own an incentive travel company. I used to run a travel company with a friend ‘Wander About’ which organized 'destination unknown trips' for people. If I could bring that back, that would be wonderful as I would be able to bring together everything that I know and love.
What would you do if nothing was holding you back (e.g: money, responsibilities, time). In Paris I lived a very rich life while I only made around 400 euro’s a month. The credit card debt is now keeping me from doing things. If I had some more money to spend I would travel the Netherlands a little bit more and have a better balance in life. We live and learn.