🇨🇴 Paula, from Colombia
Paula is an actress originally from Colombia. She has been living in New York since 2021. She lives in Queens.
This interview was originally conducted in Spanish and later translated into English.
What brought you to New York?
I studied theater in Colombia, at a university called the Universidad Distrital, at the Academia Superior de Arte of Bogotá. I was rehearsing all the time. Dance, yoga, singing, rehearsal, and theater were my life. Then the pandemic hit when I was in the 6th semester. Sometime later, my grandmother passed away, and my university went into receivership.
I was desperate. I started to wonder what I was doing in Colombia. One day I met my boyfriend at his house, and he said, "Pau, I have an incredible idea. Let's move to the United States." So I replied, “Let’s go!”
So we made the necessary arrangements to buy the tickets and landed in Miami. My boyfriend’s aunt lives in Miami, and she let us stay a month at her house to look for work and save money. But Miami felt like being on a vacation, unlike Bogota, which is a city that feels more like New York. I had no clue, but my boyfriend had been thinking the same thing. One day he said to me, "Hey, I have another idea. Let's go to New York”. And I replied, “Let’s go!
Who or what inspired you to move to New York?
Since New York is the world's capital, I thought there was a reason to come here. I thought I could understand how the game is played here.
I'm a go-getter; I throw myself into the void. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm still going.
“I’m a go-getter; I throw myself into the void. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m still going.”
How do you stay in touch with family or friends living back home?
I talk to my friends and parents every day. My mom calls me three times a day. I’ll even talk to her while I’m cooking.
Even though we feel very close now, I know it must be hard for my mom. It is always harder for those who stay than for those who leave.
Did you create an alternative family in the city?
No, we are alone here. I mean, it's very curious because sometimes we think about it, and we think we must be crazy. In other words, who comes to a place where there is no one? Because family always supports you, right?
What keeps you up at night?
The fear of not achieving what I want. I mean, I know I'm not going to starve to death here. I know I can do a thousand things, but I don't know if I can do what I like to do. What's stopping me from going out and singing? What is it that's keeping me from performing? These thoughts keep me up at night.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
A little project, an idea we thought about in New York: we bought an apartment in Colombia. My dream has always been to have a home or a house. I am not talking about family or children. I'm talking about a space where I can have my things and know that this space is my own.
Another thing that motivates me is the thought of becoming independent. I want to do so many things. I want to start my own tattoo business with my boyfriend; I want to create a podcast and do interviews. I want to make my own music and play my characters. I want to bring to New York everything I’ve built in my life so far.
“I want to do so many things. I want to start my own tattoo business with my boyfriend; I want to create a podcast and do interviews too. I want to create my own music and play my characters. I want to bring to New York everything I’ve built in my life so far.”
What is something you’re thankful for about your time in New York?
Everything, although right now I don't have a job.
Tomorrow is my last day of work. It was hilarious because the doors were closed for me. I was working in a cafe, but the cafe decided to close last week for good, and they let us know on Monday. I also work as a doorwoman at a building, but management informed me that I would need to work the night shift if I wanted to keep my job. So, I'm going to be out of a job. But I still appreciate that it's an accessible city and people aren't shitty.
I feel like people around me are asking me to stay here and that this is my place. Even the tiny flowers, the carnations. My grandmother loved those flowers. It is very curious: I never saw carnations anywhere in Bogota, only at her house. In New York, I see them everywhere. So it's a bit mystical, a bit romanticized. Still, I say, well, yes, spring brought me carnations, which reminds me of my grandmother. I think I'm where I need to be.
What’s your future vision for yourself in New York?
No. I want to travel. I want to go to Malta. I want to go to Portugal. I want to go to Germany, to France, to Serbia. I want to go to Asia and then return to Colombia. There is land in Colombia. You eat what you harvest. I don't need anything else.