Chapter 01
At Home in the World
At Home in the World
I didn't grow up in one country.
I grew up between Portugal, Brazil and Germany, with another part of my family living in Angola.
The rest of my family speaks Portuguese — each in their own way.
Portuguese in Portugal.
Portuguese in Brazil.
Portuguese in Angola.
The language may be shared.
The culture never is.
Travelling wasn't something extraordinary.
It was simply how family worked.
Seeing my grandmother meant boarding one plane.
Visiting an uncle often meant taking another.
Home was never a fixed place.
It was something spread across countries, languages and people.
Long before I studied tourism or worked in hospitality, I had already learned something far more valuable.
People rarely experience the world in exactly the same way.
Even when they speak the same language.
Looking back, I realise that growing up between cultures wasn't simply my childhood.
It became the foundation of everything I do.
Marginalia
Notes in the margin of a life lived between countries.
- GermanyN° 01N° 01
Structure creates freedom.
Clear communication allows people to trust one another.
- SwitzerlandN° 02N° 02
Precision is another form of respect.
Small details create confidence.
- FranceN° 03N° 03
Beauty shapes emotion.
Presentation is part of the experience.
- PortugalN° 04N° 04
Hospitality begins long before service.
People remember how they felt.
- BrazilN° 05N° 05
Joy connects people before words do.
- AngolaN° 06N° 06
Community is generosity in action.
People welcome people before places do.
- United StatesN° 07N° 07
Big ideas become possible when different worlds meet.
Diversity creates opportunity.
Together these places taught me that culture is not something we overcome. It is something we learn from.
Growing up between cultures taught me how people see the world. Creativity became my way of responding to it.
