We recently connected with Camila Rivera and have shared our conversation below.
Camila, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?
Living and working in five countries across two continents has been a significant adaptation challenge. Adjusting to new cultures, customs, and social norms can be quite bewildering, especially when you stand out be the only one that looks like you in a room.
My experience living and working in Germany and Switzerland was particularly challenging in this regard. Not only did I not speak the language (German), but I also looked very different (I am not blond at all), and my working style and cultural background were almost the opposite of the German way and style (Latino versus German working and personal styles).
I was part of a project team of 20 Germans and myself being the only Colombian. This dynamic could have easily led to failure, but it ultimately became a formula for success. Both parties had to adapt in numerous ways. First, we established English as our primary communication language. Second, I took the time to understand my new environment and the German approach to work and productivity. Third, our work culture emphasized listening and withholding judgment, welcoming new perspectives on problem-solving with an open mind.
Once both parties were open and flexible enough to listen and understand our differences, our synergies and collaborations significantly improved the project’s outcomes.
Today, despite being the only one in the room who looks like me, I consider this experience the most enriching thus far, both personally and professionally. Like everything in life, it’s all a matter of perspective. You can either view being different as a weakness or see it as an opportunity for growth, exchange, and self-improvement, both as a person and a professional.
Today I believe that the more diverse the environment and the more you feel like the odd one out, the greater the opportunity for growth
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Since I was a little girl I always dreamed of seeing the world, I was always attracted by all those places I saw in books. However, I also always felt that my purpose was to help and that is why I decided to study law in Colombia, my home country. Normally we think that when we are lawyers the profession will tie you to the country where you are licensed but I think that like everything in life it always depends on you.
Once I graduated, I felt it was time to start my life as I wanted, out of the traditional steps that society invites you to follow (go to college, study a career and look for a job for the rest of your life). I decided pack my bags and follow my dream as a child.
Today, 8 years later, I have been living and working outside of Colombia for more than 8 years. I have lived in different countries such as Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland, and the United States. I have worked in 500 fortune companies such as Siemens, Citi Bank and early stage startups. I have traveled the world, I have had incredible experiences but also very big challenges. Deciding to start your life in another country requires a lot of strength, courage and determination. It is not an easy path, nor is it as you see it on social media.
The challenges have been enormous. In Spain I experienced firsthand what discrimination and a complex labor market are like for immigrants. In Germany I found a country full of opportunities but a very high culture shock. In Switzerland I lived through the pandemic and it was difficult to live it without even understanding the language. In France, the country with which I have connected the most, I lost my visa due to covid and from one day to another I had to return to Colombia after having a very established life in Europe.
This affected my mental health in a very strong way. For the first time I felt that depression is a real issue. I also understood that the impact of a migration in many ways in life which is not only legal part, but emotional, financial, and health.
Here I understood that my purpose was to help people. To help people not to go through what I have gone through. To help make their migratory path simpler and easier. To be their guide.
That’s why I created The Visas Girl. The Visas Girl is a consultancy that guides anyone who wants to start a process abroad and guide them in each of the main stages of this journey: legal, moving, choosing housing, health insurance and emotional support. We seek to be a safe space for this type of process and to be a guide. We dont want to be a traditional law firm or consultancy, we want to have a very human approach to this topic. We work through a partnership model with the best in each of these areas and overall we understand that moving abroad is a long and extensive process.
Today I feel very grateful to finally discover my purpose and keep doing what I love them most that is discovering new cultures and countries. For many years I felt that the corporate world gave me financial stability and structure but not a purpose. Today I believe that all the difficulties that I have gone through during these years abroad happended to understand my purpose and help those who decide to start their life in another country because moving abroad will change your perspetive and the way of seeing the world forever.
I invite you to discover the world.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Listening: when you decide to navigate in a new world, especially new cultures, it is essential to have very high listening skills. Listening requires presence, attention and detachment from stereotypes. For example, if you enter a conversation with a German person thinking that they are hermetic and closed because the stereotype says so, you are going to listen to their ideas with a pre establish concept in your mind that will change the idea their are trying to communicate. To have a high listening capacity is to free yourself from the stereotypes that society has imposed on us. The key is not what you think but the idea they are transmitting to you.
2. Versatility / adaptation: This is the ability to adapt quickly and easily to different functions, cultures or situations. If I had believed the statement that lawyers can only work in their country of origin, I would not have dared to leave Colombia for fear of affecting my professional career. I left and the opposite happened: I found a world full of opportunities. But I would not have taken advantage of those opportunities if I had not developed the ability to be versatile and adapt to different challenges and cultures. Being versatile for me is like discovering many versions of yourself, trying out what you like and what you don’t like. Like trying different desserts: find out if you like chocolate more than lemon. Only through experimentation and adaptation will you discover your true self, your qualities, your weaknesses. Unfortunately I believe that society invites us to the opposite: you must choose a career. role or position and do that for the rest of your life to guarantee success. I believe that success is ALL the opposite: it is being versatile enough to adapt yourself and your career in many ways and discover new universes along the way.
3. Perseverance / tenacity: Leaving your country and your culture, packing your life in two 23 kilos suitcases with dreams is one of the most difficult challenges any human could ever live. Especially because this path will not be easy. You are left in an eternal nostalgia between your future dreams and your past. Starting from scratch in a place where you often don’t understand the language, don’t connect with the food and the weather is to enter a new life within your own life.
I have always said that we immigrants have many lives, one before and one after migrating. In the other country, we must never give up because the truth is that invisibly we must make double efforts than the locals to find an opportunity. You will receive infinite NO’s and that should not make you give up. You must be perseverant and trust that within those many no’s, someone will one day give you a yes and believe in you. Both in Europe and here I got used to wake up with an email stating “We decided to move on to different candidates…” and I learned not to take it personally. But I especially I learned to to create my own opportunities and never stop give up.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
I am a firm believer that doing things on your own will never be the best way to go, although this was not always the case.
When I lived in Spain I imposed on myself that everything had to come from me: looking for a house, my visa, work and I never asked for help. Of course, the result of this turned out to be negative. I ended up sick. This changed my vision and from there I asked for help or to be surrender with people that are better than me in other area.
For example, In Germany I was open with the many bureaucratic barriers that I encountered as a Colombian in Germany and they always guided me and helped me even with simple things: translating my bills, explaining me how to go to the doctor and giving me the time to fill out the multiple forms that the German goverment request you when you move there.
The same logic of seeking reliable experts and partners is now applied under my business model and forms its core essence. Currently, I work with expert partners in each area of the immigration process to ensure that the end-to-end process is handled by the best in each field. I believe that only through these synergies we can deliver valuable results to our clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thevisasgirl.com
- Instagram: thevisasgirl
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thevisasgirl/
Image Credits
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