Choosing the Path Less Travelled: An Interview with Franceska Suarez, Class of 2015

Interviewed by Nita Davanzo
August 31, 2017

Franceska Suarez, alumna of class 2015, attended Shining Mountain Waldorf School from 3rd through 12th grade. After she graduated, Franceska took a gap year in which she traveled and performed community service. She visited the Bahamas, India, Ecuador and Europe, and then went on attend the University of Arts in London, studying fashion design. She then transferred to a school in Florence, Italy before finally coming to clarity that the study of fashion design no longer called to her. In February 2017, Franceska went to Thailand on a personal health holiday and ended up staying on at PhuketCleanse as an intern and then as a staff member. She now works as a chef in their kitchen, and develops the cookbook and online blog for PhuketCleanse. She loves living in Phuket, and may stay there a long time, or not. She remains open to seeing what opportunities come her way!

When you graduated from SMWHS, how did you feel? And in comparing and contrasting that to now, how do you feel you have grown, changed, and/or developed as a person?

When I graduated I felt a little apprehensive, but mostly excited. Even before school officially ended I felt ready to start exploring the possibilities outside of high school. I feel like a completely different person now, and when I think about how I was then, I understand that though I may have been mature for my age I was also naïve. The daring and naïveté I felt then brought me to where I am now, living in Thailand as a chef in a wonderful community full of daily surprises, and I’m grateful for it.

You note that you have been living in Phuket, Thailand. What brought you to Thailand originally? Did you know you would stay? What is your daily rhythm like?

I originally came to Thailand in February 2017 to visit two top health retreats. I was struggling with health issues and needed some time to heal. I ended up falling in love with the second resort I visited, PhuketCleanse, so much so that I stayed on as an intern, and then a staff member. It was an incredible, unexpected blessing.

I now have a full time job here, five days a week. I work in the kitchen making the meals as well as some “office” work, supporting the creation of cookbooks, blogs, social media and anything else my managers ask me to do. The retreat highly encourages activity so I attend the fitness classes when I can. I have been training with a professional Muay Thai boxing fighter for a few months, and I suspect sometime in the future I may even fight locally to see what that is like! I get to the beach whenever I have extra free time. My days are somewhat scheduled but also unpredictable as beautiful life here is always shifting.

Share with us some of your highlights in working and living in Thailand. For some of us who have never been, how is it (people, land, culture) different from life in the States?

As with anything, there are pros and cons to living halfway around the world in a very foreign country! But I love it anyway. The culture is very different, the Thai people are friendly and the land is gorgeous. Things work differently here, like organized chaos. But it is a simpler, more authentic lifestyle, which is something I missed when I was living in a giant city like London or even a the bubble of Boulder. I feel like a total foreigner here, but am surrounded by a loving community of locals and expats. I love meeting people from all over the world who are guests here; it’s an amazing mix of cultures, languages, ages and lifestyles.

What brought you to your current job as a sous chef and your interest in health and wellness?

It was not at all my “plan” to end up working as a chef, especially not in Thailand! It happened somewhat spontaneously as I tried to find a way to stay here, but I also realize now that my “becoming a chef” had been happening for some time. Two years ago I worked as a chef in the Bahamas at another retreat, even though I was planning on studying fashion design at university in London. I also studied yoga and yogic nutrition during this time. Then I took a course in raw vegan cooking while I was on vacation from university. When I left London, I felt lost and wandered over to where I am now. I have always been interested in health and wellness, I just never planned on pursuing it as a career. I became vegan a few years ago and developed an interest in fitness around at age 14, as my mom and dad both have careers in this field. Though I did not intend to be a chef, I was really lucky because I have a knack for cooking vegan food, which is something PhuketCleanse was looking for, so I was able to intern unexpectedly with them.

In looking back at your time at SMWS, might you have envisioned being exactly where you are now? (i.e. Were there interests, passions, lessons, stories that inspired you to move along the path that you are now on?)

No, I had always planned on attending university in London for Fashion Design! But once there, I realized that I had changed, and I really questioned whether I wanted to pursue fashion at all. During my gap year I was looking for answers to big questions that I had about my life, but I didn’t find them until after I had (unsuccessfully) tried university. I realized that life does not go as planned and I am not bound by having to “do only one thing”. I found a lot of freedom in letting go of the ideas and expectations I had about my career. The biggest lesson I learned from school was to be brave and push the boundaries of my comfort zone and perceived limits. Because of this I am where I am now.

If you were to be asked to return to SMWHS to teach a class or give a presentation, what would you seek to share with the students currently there and why?

I would encourage students to take a gap year, as well as talk about what it is like to take a path less “accepted” in our society. It can be frowned upon not to immediately attend college after high school. I’ve certainly experienced such lectures from others, who disagree with what I’ve chosen. I’d want the students to hear my perspective and understand it doesn’t mean I am less intelligent or “going nowhere” because I didn’t attend traditional college. I think university can be amazing and perfect for students after high school, but it is certainly not the only option.

Lastly, as you are forging your life path, what next steps might you foresee yourself taking? Or are you riding the wave and simply being ready for what is next to come?

I’m absolutely “riding the wave” and seeing what comes with open arms! It took me a while to learn how to do this. How to let go of expectations and trust that amazing opportunities will come my way when I find the courage to jump and work sincerely in pursuit of what I truly want.