About Mariah
It all started on a train ride through the Czech Republic. My friends always told me to write, that I had so many stories to share. So one day I pulled out my laptop and just wrote it all out. Ever since, writing has not only become something that I admire, but something that has become an outlet for expression, art, and release.
My life has been fueled between purpose, passion and love. I love my passions and I strive to pursue as many as life lets me, no matter where I go. I am a lover, a dreamer, an adventurer. I am thankful for my family, my friends who have always been by my side, the communities I’ve created from Seattle to Barcelona, Croatia, and all the other places I’ve found along the way.
I’ve created this site to express my art in writing and with hopes to let my stories inspire others.
—
From the sky
to the sea
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THE STORY OF
ELLA VIAJA
In 2015 I studied abroad and left the country for the first time at 20 years old. I was in the middle of finishing my associate degree and close to dropping out. It was at a challenging point in my life where I was losing direction and had no idea what I was even doing being a student in college.
I lived in Barcelona for 10-weeks on a student exchange program. I lived in a traditional Catalan home outside the center about 30 minutes in a small barrio called Sant Andreau. Living abroad at such a pivotal time of my youth taught me many things. Most importantly, it taught me what dreams actually meant. I learned what I wanted to do, and most importantly, I learned what kind of life I wanted to build for myself.
During my last few weeks studying I decided to get my first tattoo to recognize and always remember the experience that changed my life forever. It may sound cheesy, but I could not imagine where my life would have ended up or who I would be if it wasn’t for taking the risk and jumping into the unknown when I was so young.
ELLA VIAJA is the year where I discovered my love for travel, for culture, to learn and speak Spanish. It was one of the most transformative times of my life. An experience that has shaped the past 7 years of my life and made me who I am today. It only took 10-weeks for me to fall in love with a place that now will be a part of my soul for a lifetime. With love, passion, curiosity, fear and adventure; “She Travels” which in Spanish translation gives you “ELLA VIAJA”.