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The name of my blog takes inspiration from a trip to Greece and what I learned about Greek Mythology. Hermes is an Olympian god, and he is known as the protector of roads and travelers. I am an amateur photographer and I love taking pictures of landscapes, nature, scenic views and wildlife. My quest of shooting pictures has encouraged me to visit places and be always on the go looking for adventures!

Who’s this Girl?

My  name is Maria Valeria Diaz.

My first trip was a family one. I was 11 years old and we went to Germany. On our return back home to Nicaragua I knew that my life was not going to be an ordinary one. I can say that was  the moment my passion and curiosity to  travel and learned about other countries arose.

I started by learning languages, I’m native in Spanish and the second language to learn was English, then I learned  French, Italian and German. My undergrad and graduate school were in English and I studied French for 5 years, I even hold some French Certificates like Diplome de langue, among others,  and I was able to practice a lot when I was living in Europe. So technically I can say I fully speak three languages. I studied Italian and German for one year so I can say that I have knowledge of both languages. However, I can  understand and read Italian very well, I would say!

I can say that through learning languages, I was getting acquainted with such countries, I learned about food, literature, local festivities, life styles and so it was my way to savor a country’s culture.

The second step was to go abroad and “live” the language and that sort of shaped my life path for better or worse…!

My non-traveler side:

Academically, I hold a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Management from University of Mobile, and I have two Master Degrees. I hold an MBA from Maastricht School of Management, the Netherlands, and the  MSF (Master of Science in Finance) from George Washington University, Washington DC, USA. I currently worked in the Finance & banking sector, well yes as boring as it may sound, Finance is my other passion.

I have been quite versatile in my careers path as well. I worked in the energy sector in the UK  and I  worked in the international development area in LAC countries.

Fun Facts:

  • I have taken photography lessons, so I would say I have a good foundation, BUT there is always room for improvement! I use Lynda.com as I have a free access through my local library.
  • I have participated in photo contest, I have sent some pictures to the annual National Geography, the Cape Cod Life, and Flamingo Gardens photo contest. I have not won yet…!
  • Lavender is my favorite smell.
  • My favorite magazines are the Economist, Travel+Leisure and National Geography.
  • I participated in a contest to write an essay in Italian about what motivated me to study it, and I was a runner up.
  • I like hiking, riding my bike and camping especially I like to hike in places with ponds and waterfalls around. I always say hiking+photography=Fun!
  • So far, my favorite places in New England are Mount Greylock, in the Berkshires MA; Mount Tom in Holyoke, MA; Blue Hills in Quincy, MA; and Acadia Park in Maine.
  • I am a soccer fan, I follow the World Cup, and the Euro Cup.
  • My favorite season is Autumn (great season for photography.) However, I also like winter, I like snow storms ONLY if I am home. I enjoy the day after when everything is covered in a white blanket and the city looks like a Christmas post card.
  • In high school I captained a Volley Ball Team.
  • I’m fan of Peanuts Gang, Snoopy and Lucy. Lucy is bossy and reminds me of someone…
  • Also, I DON’T dislikes Mondays. I see it as a key day to set up the tone of the weekly agenda, it’s like a new opportunity to do something new.
  • I worked in a project with indigenous community and I led the development of  marketing material like a video, I contributed to a  “One Tree” book and wrote an article on lesson learned on this project. The article was later on published  in my employer website (the article is in my LinkedIn profile)
  • As I child I wanted to be a professor, and I would play with other kids the classroom game, where they will be my students…
  • My favorite color are  blue navy, turquoise, green and plain blue. Colors that resemble nature like water and forest.