S3 - E13 - Lisa - Stay in touch and keep moving

I'm not the one to claim the benefit of social media but I will admit this time around it is Instagram that brought Lisa and me together. Well, Insta and a common friend. We quickly connected through what seemed to be a never-ending list of shared interests. Lisa in her own words: I just turned 27 years and was born and raised in Berlin to parents from East Berlin. I left the city several times. Until now, I always returned but never felt like settling or being able to commit to this city. I was too driven and curious to explore the unknown. It refreshes my sense of self. Talking about CV milestones and community experiences, I did a corporate BA in Economics & Real Estate during which I worked at a big, international real estate firm, Jones Lang LaSalle. On an Erasmus exchange semester in The Hague, The Netherlands, I studied Sustainable Urban Engineering and loved it! It gave me a sense of purpose, motivation and belonging. Afterwards, I worked in a private airline. It paid the bills and gave me time for orientation. In that period I hiked along the coast of Portugal and visited a friend’s off-grid hut in Aljezur. I felt free :) In 2019, I got accepted to the program 4CITIES, a MSc in Urban Studies. This Euromaster takes place in four different cities. With 40 selected international students, I spent each semester in a different city: Brussels, Vienna, Copenhagen and Madrid. Here, I noticed that being an individual in a community is never easy yet very fulfilling. Two of my semester breaks I spent at Masseria Cultura in the Zona di Trulli, Puglia, an art residency project of two friends. A magical place, where I could get my hands dirty restoring the trulli while gardening! I graduated from 4CITIES in September 2021. Since the beginning of 2022 I was employed at Gründerinnenzentrale. During this time I hosted two online networking events for my Master program, realizing how much valuable knowledge and experience we as alumni carry and can share. During one of my vacations, I worked at a small, woman-led vineyard in Provence, France. Looking back, I realize I was (and still am) actively searching for community experiences, which reflects my search for a home and my big curiosity for self-organized, architecturally interesting projects. My recent discovery is the vacation village Borgo Batone in Tuscany, Italy. I quit my job as a project manager at Gründerinnenzentrale (Female Founders Office) in Berlin this April. Since 2006, the project supports women in running their own businesses through knowledge sharing, networking events, and target group-specific consultancy. I'm currently reaching out to people and exploring projects/businesses to find out what's dear to my heart. The stories of people inspire and encourage me to navigate my own path and philosophy of life. I'm searching for an occupation and physical surrounding that is simpler, more tangible, and "soul-filling“. I do love fast-paced, high-energy environments like Berlin. I love to discover urban areas, the unpredictable nature of them, the people and to be taken away by their rhythms. However, cities do overwhelm me as well and I’m mindful of the impact of e.g. anonymity and noises on the individual. So, I’ve got that very opposite side in me, which calls for silence and grounding. Being back in Berlin makes me feel like missing out on something more pure and to be building something larger for me. What’s calling and inspiring me? Vernacular architecture, the production of food, smaller communities & more reliable connections, and places nearby the sea. Keep up with Lisa: https://www.instagram.com/theycallher.lisa Explore Borgo Battone: https://www.borgo-batone.com/