Meet Marieneir, an inspiring expat working girl!
We met Marieneir when she arrived at Absolutely French. She impressed us with her dynamism and her sweetness but also with her experience and her unique background.
She is a real inspiring expat working girl!
That’s why she answers our questions today as our talent of the month.
– Hello Marieineir, can you present yourself?
Sure, my name is Marieineir Acedevo, I’m Venezuelan. I’m a civil engineer and I used to work for oil, gas, and energy companies, more specifically as a reliability engineer. I’ve been working outside of Venezuela for the past 15 years through Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and recently Europe.
– In what country have you lived before coming to France and which one have you preferred?
Before moving to Paris I lived in Venezuela in Latin America, Qatar in the Middle East, Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, Mexico in Central America, and Kazakhstan in Asia.
I think every country made me feel a certain way. It also depends on the personal and professional experiences you have in that country.
Professionally speaking I really enjoyed my time in Qatar because I was able to develop my career, work in different areas, I was able to travel to a lot of facilities onshore and offshore. Moreover, the working environment in Qatar is very diverse and perfect for my profession.
Personally, I liked my time in Central America and the Caribbean because I felt closer to home. The culture is similar to mine, I could visit my family often which made it easier to find a personal balance.
I’m looking forward to my time in France because I kind of see it as a middle ground.
– What’s your background? Is the career you pursued the one you planned?
Originally I wanted to be an interior designer but when I graduated from high school, that type of career didn’t exist yet in Venezuela and I couldn’t afford to study abroad.
The closest studies I could do were architecture and civil engineering.
I decided to pick civil engineering because it offered me a wide spectrum of opportunities. In the end, it turned out to be great since countries like Venezuela are known for having political and social issues, therefore you must be flexible and adapt yourself to the job market.
After that, I decided to specialize in reliability engineering, since it allows you to move transversally within a company. I also have a master’s degree in business and finance as a complement to my studies.
In addition to that, I did a couple of special training sessions to keep myself updated and studied some new languages.
A Must read article : Expat Partners are Talented
– How many languages do you speak?
Four: Spanish, English, Russian, and French.
– When and why did you move to Paris?
I just arrived one month ago and my husband’s mission lasts 3 years.
There’s a special dynamic in our couple since we both have been the “expat spouse”. He followed me on my missions and that’s what I’m doing right now. Since we both have experienced that role we’re very supportive of each other.
– What’s the biggest cultural difference you noticed?
The lifestyle itself. In all my assignments I’m used to cultures that wake up very early. Here the day starts later and life continues on very late. Paris is kind of a city that never sleeps.
However I’m still observing, but I think that Paris is beauty. You can see it through the food, and the art. I love how people dress. Everyone looks so cool in their own way. I enjoy the individuality and diversity of the city. For me, Paris is a city without rules.
– What’s your expatriation project?
My immediate goal is to improve my French. My first weeks in Paris were very tough because I couldn’t communicate at all. I want to feel comfortable interacting with people, receiving phone calls, and working.
In parallel, I’m starting to look for a job. Even if it’s not my priority at the moment, I know that I want to go back to work eventually.
– What did your multiple expatriations bring you?
It enriches you from every aspect. First, it helps you develop a lot of great qualities like empathy and open-mindedness. And it also improves your language skills. You also meet what I call family away from home. Each time I leave a country my family gets bigger.
It also made me closer to my husband since he’s the only thing stable in my life.
Overall you’re more sensitive, patient, and aware that you are just a little piece of this world.
– What quality defines you the most?
I would say that I’m very empathic. The other one is that I always put myself in other people’s shoes. So, I try to understand what others need, how they feel, why they feel this type of way, and what I can do to help them out.
Bonus
? 3 words to describe Paris:
Beauty, freedom, and self-expression
? 3 magic places in Paris:
Pont de Neuilly, the Louvres, the images you see every day in the metro: the fast life.
? Favorite french word:
Mon amour
? Favorite quote:
Perfect is the enemy of the good – Voltaire
Marieneir is an International Talent, as many expat partners, she is a reliability engineer, project manager with risk assesment : discover her linkedin profile here
Absolutely French is the first French school ??dedicated to integrate expat spouses.
Our main mission is to promote dual careers among expatriate couples ?
With our fun, friendly and innovative French training courses,
we guarantee you a successful integration!
Want to learn with us? Enroll an expatriate spouse?
Contact us!
E-mail : contact@absolutely-french.eu
Phone : 01 83 73 98 49
Address : 15 rue du Colonel Moll, 75017, Paris.
Also read : The expatriation of Elenice, an opportunity to learn.