Cristina Rubiano

From early age I had an interest in global peace and poverty reduction, which prompted me to study sociology and law.

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Two years after starting my studies, the fear of living the “normal adult life” hit me. I was mortified by the idea that I was born only to work, get married, buy a house, have children, a dog and wait for retirement.

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Trying to scape my destiny, I decided to apply for a scholarship to study international law in Russia. Although it sounded like a crazy idea–I didn't speak the language and had to start over my studies–I was excited to go to a place so different from my culture. Six months later, I moved to Moscow and those five years completely changed my perception of the world.

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From Moscow I went to Switzerland to pursue a master's degree and there, my student life ended. In the following years, I worked at a law firm and at an international organization on international trade governance issues.

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As you may have guessed, very quickly my life became that of a "normal adult" and I felt that I had checked off all the boxes typically consider indicative of success and fulfillment. But, despite the external achievements, I felt void and unfulfilled. Something was missing, but couldn’t guess what. I thought the problem was my job, my colleagues, my family, my ex-partner, my friends, etc. I didn't know who to blame for my emotional state, so I blamed them all!