“Dreams must never perish”
Natalia Laura Rojas Bilbao is a young Argentinian woman from Buenos Aires with an important professional background and artistic roots, a woman who encourages all women to follow their dreams. La Semana recently sat down with Natalia to talk about her experiences and her book, “The Mate Collection.”
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Natalia came to Tulsa 23 years ago with a suitcase full of dreams, wishing to settle in a city that might give her the much-needed stability to follow her professional goals. While in Tulsa she decided to study Graphic Design Technology at Oklahoma State University, Okmulgee.
“Studying at university allowed me to forge great friendships,” said Natalia, remembering one of the best times of her life.
But it wasn’t all roses for her - while in college Natalia had to overcome the challenge of being a foreigner in America, and above all a Hispanic woman who had to deal with the language barrier. She tried hard and eventually learned English, and during the process she met her husband, who was from Switzerland. And so she moved again, to a new country that she had never dreamed of.
“You need to imagine how it would be to live in a country that is completely different from yours, where the traditions and uses are at the odds and where you do not even speak your mother language and feel that your family is far far away,” explained Natalia, trying to portray a description of her cultural clash.
When her first child was born, Natalia saw that Swiss society was not ready to welcome working mothers, and nobody wanted to hire a mom trying to get back on track. Paying a nanny was very expensive in comparison to the USA and there were no summer activities for the kids, so there was really only one option.
“If you go to work it is only to pay for all the expenses that your job brings along, so you stay home,” said Natalia.
Still she did not lose her temper and kept on searching, trying to find a job that allowed her to be the professional she was and the mother she would always be, and finally she found it. Natalia secured a job at a local bilingual school where still today she works as a Spanish teacher. But even after two kids the job was not enough for her curious mind, so she begged God to grant her more opportunities.
Some months later Natalia had the chance to fly back to Tulsa and while here decided that she would go back to school when she returned to Switzerland. She enrolled in a program and believed her prayers had been finally answered.
“In that moment I thought I could see God´s hands everywhere -- He was giving me the answers I needed at the right time,” she recalled.
Natalia is now finishing her Master’s degree and even though it has been difficult, the path has also been rewarding, so much so that a book came out of the process. The original project was intended to be a class essay but ended up being a soon to be published book called “The Mate Collection Book,” a compilation of Argentine values, traditions and culture expressed through a collection of photographs, poems and phrases that illustrate the Argentinian essence.
“I believe that as women we face endless obstacles that limit our professional careers, but when we keep our dreams alive, when we keep on searching and trusting God´s will, things happen, and that´s why dreams must never perish,” Natalia said. (La Semana)