Paola Flores
B.M. Psychology, University of Sucre, Bolivia.
Paola was born in Potosí, Bolivia – one of the highest cities in the world, but her family moved to Sucre when she was still very young. Nevertheless, she maintained a proximity to Potosí through the stories she heard about the time her mother’s family lived in the countryside around the historic city, where everything they ate was harvested from the land themselves. Since then, Paola has always felt very close to the earth and very grateful for everything the land can give her. Something that she enjoys a lot is feeling small in front of the immensity of nature.
With a constant interest in human behavior, Paola was inspired to study Psychology, moved as she was by the desire to learn how unique each human being is. She’s passionate about discovering, knowing, trying to understand, and above all, accepting each person as unique.
Paola was part of BiblioWorks, a non-profit organization where she had the opportunity to do a research project to measure reading habits and proficiency. Through this work, she confirmed how important education is for developing countries like Bolivia.
Another important experience for Paola has been working with women and children who were victims of violence. She worked with a multidisciplinary team to counsel and give free psychological, social, and legal support, as well as promote and protect the rights of women and children against violence. Since then, she recognized the importance of intersectional feminism and began to think of herself as a feminist.
After finishing this work, Paola decided to embark on a trip through South America with the goal of leaving that with which she was familiar. She spent almost two years abroad on her continent, where she held a variety of jobs, many as a volunteer with Workaway and WWOOF. This opportunity to experience and learn from other contexts and realities was very eye-opening, and getting out of her comfort zone in this way is one of the decisions she’s most grateful for in retrospect.
Pau enjoys cooking and especially baking, as sharing food is one of her favorite love languages.. Finally it is important to mention that Paola has an obsession with felines and really loves cats!
Paola has been working with Dragons for the past five years in the areas of Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala and Mexico. Her time as an experiential educator has come with many joys and infinite learning. What Paola enjoys most about this work, among many things, is the possibility of sharing everything that Bolivia means to her: the importance of social struggles and the deep community and solidarity among its people. Because what makes a place special, even more than the geography itself, is the people that inhabit it, along with their stories, much like her own family’s connection to Potosi.