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When introducing myself, my nationality is always a topic of conversation, which is one of the reasons why I really like my name. However, I’ve always liked more my middle name, Alexandra, only because my nickname could be Alex and I think it adds edginess and some secrecy to my personality. I don’t think I’ll ever legally change my name, but I might consider calling my daughter Alexandra, so that she can make use of this cool nickname. And if it’s a boy, he’ll have to settle with just Alex.

When picturing a flute this is certainly not the first image that comes to your mind. It’s not the typical golden shiny flute used in orchestras to play Mozart or Bach, but an indigenous flute made from carved stone, common in some tribes in the Amazons. I bought it 4 years ago in a garage sell in Venezuela from an old indigenous lady. The lady explained to me that this flute belonged to her mother who lived in the Amazons in a tribe called “Yanomamis”. The Yanomamis made their own instruments, which they played during festivities such as the beginning of the raining season, when they knew that agriculture would be prosperous. Through music and dancing the Yanomamis expressed their gratitude to the gods. As a musician I was fascinated by this strange looking flute, and amazed by all the authenticity and traditions that it held, so I bought it without thinking it twice. The flute itself wasn’t worth more than a single dollar but for me its value is tremendous. It has so much history behind it, and it represents a culture that to me is unknown, even though it lives within miles from my home in Venezuela. When I had time to sit down and actually contemplate the flute, I realized there were some figures hidden in it: animals. The flute is carved into 4 different animal figures. If you pay close attention you can distinguish a toucan, a bird, some type of rodent and a giraffe. Every time I played it I discovered a new animal and with it new sounds. I’m not a flutist, which is why I would like to share this flute with someone who might find even a greater value to it. It can be yours for the same price I got it: 1$. It’s really easy to play and hopefully it’ll bring you as much joy as it brought to me, and hey, you might discover some new animals that my imagination didn’t let me see!

Glasses. The first thing people think of when dressing up as nerds for Halloween. For decades, glasses have been associated with geeks and math lovers, but in reality, glasses are one of the coolest accessories a person could wear. My 12 year old me used to go through school not seeing a single thing. My vision was so bad, but I refused to tell my mom since I didn’t want to be bullied by my classmates if I wore glasses. As any other teenager I just wanted to be cool, but my way of doing so ended up gaining me a few scars from tripping over unseen objects. Contact lenses weren’t an option since I’m utterly freaked out about my finger being that close to my face, so after a few scars, I decided to try on some glasses and I’ve never regretted it ever since. Glasses are so cool. They basically cover half your face, which let’s be honest, being a college student, has turned out to be really useful (thanks to the all-nighters for all those bags under my eyes). Wearing glasses also makes you look like you know stuff. And who doesn’t want to look like they know what they’re talking about 100% of the time? Especially when you’re trying to bluff your way through a discussion. However, as a glasses wearer, I can confirm that this is also a big responsibility… No opportunity to mess up on that trivia game. Another cool feature about glasses is that they let you change your look just by choosing a different size or color of frames, allowing you to play with your everyday-look, going from sophisticated to hipster. How do people still think that glasses are uncool? It’s a fact that as soon as you put a pair of glasses on, your IQ goes from 80 to 180. You basically become Albert Einstein… and who wouldn’t want that?

In Venezuela, my home country, there was a time when wearing tons of bracelets was the trendiest thing ever! You would see both girls and guys in the playground at my school counting each other’s bracelets to find out who had the most, since whoever owned more bracelets was considered the coolest one, and therefore got to sit in the popular table. However, as any other fashion trend, this one got to an end, but apparently I didn’t get the memo. I’ve been wearing these bracelets for as long as I can remember. Everyday at school I was the perfect target for jokes: “OMG! That is so 2008 Daniela, have you been living under a rock?” was a question I got used to hearing, but I couldn’t care less, I thought they made me look so cool. I had been collecting them for many years, each having its own story and meaning, which made them even cooler. Everywhere I travelled to I’d try to find a crazy new bracelet to add to my collection. I got used to listening my friends from home talk about how antiquated and totally old-fashioned my bracelets were, but since I got to Miami I’ve gotten stopped by a lot of people asking me about them, which was a total surprise for me. People are fascinated by the stories behind them, and the places I’ve bought them at. I think this is what makes my bracelets so cool, the fact that I can carry a piece of the Caribbean islands, Europe and Asia all in one wrist; they connect me to memories, while connecting me to people too. Even though they are not the most fashionable ones, and are definitely not easy to match with my outfits, you’ll see me wearing them, regardless if I’m at a fancy Gala or at a job interview.