Where it all began and the struggle of where to start.

“No tiene ni pies ni cabeza” is a very particular phrase my mom used to say when something did not make sense. If you put it into Google, it will describe it as something “absurd, confusing, or lacking sense.” Well, that is sort of the struggle at the moment. I have an idea of what I would like to do, and I guess it sort of connects with what my younger self would have liked to do with her life. Her dream was to study and get a very high-paying job that would allow her to be wealthy enough so that when she was old, she could spend her money and time doing what she really wanted: photography, traveling, and writing about all the cultures and stories she encountered.

Well, I guess my idea is to do exactly that, just that, if possible, I would skip over the “getting a high-paying job and waiting until retirement” part. I have always liked photography, but not exactly commercial photography. First, I do not like to make people pose, and second, I never tried to learn. There is something about it that I dislike. It does not feel real. So I was always more fond of photographing animals, elders, and kids because I felt that with them as subjects, there was so much to tell. Through the portrait of an elder or a kid—no pose, no action, just their face and just looking into their eyes—there is so much you can get. So many stories to be told.

Last year, I started a travel blog, and although my initial idea was to tell the stories about my trips, I fell into the same pile as every other travel blogger—offering recommendations on what to do, where to eat, etc. And that is not what I wanted. I want to immerse myself in the different cultures of the places I visit and get to know the locals. Get to know their stories, and then be able to put them out there so more people can learn about them. I do not wish to only get to know the pretty and the popular; I want to know all sides and all the struggles. I guess if I think about it, what I want to do is a sort of journalism, but I do not like to give it that name, as the term is so broad and not exactly associated with what I would like to do.

The name Tales Across Borders is a provisional name, inspired by my very favorite Netflix show called “Tales by Light,” because although I can’t explain very well what it is that I want to do, the show does it perfectly.