Who said it’s too late to follow what makes you happy? Claudia, a lawyer from Peru, doesn’t agree with that at all. She appears as a 34-years-old woman on the surface but if you dig deeper, you will find a brave, energetic and young girl who is curious enough to see what the world holds. Life is a roller-coaster but happiness can hide in tiny spaces, even in a delicious Peruvian dish. That is why ‘Carpe Diem’ is definitely her motto!
Inspiring Quote: “Being happy doesn’t mean everything is perfect. It means you’ve decided to see beyond the imperfections” – Unknown.
Name: Claudia Sevillano
Major & Year of Study: Master in Global Political Economy
Country of origin: Peru
Relationship status: In love with life
Claudia, although you are already a lawyer you decided to go back to university and to study a very different subject. Why? I needed to reinvent myself. I really enjoyed studying law and working on that, but after some years I felt there was something missing. I realised I wanted to spread my vision and knowledge about what is going on in the world and understand how my country can be affected. I used to have many questions, now I am trying to figure out the answers.
Peru is an amazing country, full of history and culture. Why did you pick London as your first choice to start over? I came to London three years ago for the first time. It might sound like a “cliché”, but I fell in love with this city. I love walking in the streets and meeting people from everywhere, sharing their daily lives and respecting each other. That’s the way the world should work. Peru is an incredible country with a bright future, but I needed to take a break… Just for a while!
Have you ticked every blank space off your ‘to-do-list’? Absolutely not! There are so many things I still would like to do and so many places I’d love to visit (Travelling is my priority!). A lifetime would not be enough!
What is your concept of happiness? It’s exactly what my inspirational quote says! Happiness is a choice. Everyone needs to find the way to be happy even in the toughest times. Life is too short to worry about silly things. We just have to make the most of it.
What do you enjoy most? I love being with my family, especially with my niece and nephews. They are my interminable source of love.
Tricky question! What would you choose between love and money? Like the Beatles’ song: “All you need is love!” Money pay the bills and my trips… But it doesn’t buy a smile, a hug or a kiss.
Christmas is getting closer. Can you tell us something about Christmas Peruvian traditions? We don’t have any special Peruvian traditions for Christmas time. We usually eat turkey, pork or chicken and drink hot chocolate. I’m still quite confused about it because it will be summer over there! I will never understand this custom!
Tea or hot chocolate girl? None of them! I’m a coffee addicted.
I know that secretly you’re also a good chef! Any good Peruvian dish to share with our readers? Peruvian food is absolutely delicious! You can find a large number of dishes, depending on the region. Also, if you visit Peru, you will probably be astonished by the variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and more than 2,000 varieties of native potatoes that grow in the Andean highlands. For me, the best Peruvian dish is “Ceviche”, a mix of fresh fish, lime, Peruvian chilli, sweet potatoes and a special corn called “choclo”. I’m looking forward to come back home and eat ceviche every day!