When the client doesn't have a say - The Paypal nightmare

I am a frequent online buyer. I have bought in department stores, and several designers websites always paying with my credit cards and having no problems doing so. (HSBC has a great anti fraud prevention service for credit cards).

One day a friend told me about a supposedly good service provided by paypal where I wouldn't need to share my personal details when making a payment, it seemed great at first. I used it several times while living in the UK and then I moved abroad where the nightmare started.

I made a transaction (don't even know which one) which seemed risky to paypal leading them to put my account under a limitation. Given that I now live abroad and have a different address, the postal address I had registered in paypal was not valid anymore and the system was not able to recognize a foreign address.

After several international calls and failures in their system in submitting documentation, I decided to spent a good amount of money to fax documentation abroad (everything and more of what they initially requested). To my surprise, the decision of the company was not only not to clear the limitation, but to restrict it for 6 months. No explanation was provided to what the reasons were.

I was not only astonished for the resolution, but I was upset given the little consideration the company gave to my efforts; the investment of time and money I made to deal with them; 5 international calls of approximately 10 minutes each worth 200 USD (Patrick and Tomas were some of the names I encountered in customer useless service), an international fax worth 80 USD and several hours of time looking for the right documentation required.

The funny thing about this situation is that not only I am the actual owner of the cards and the account, but also that all I wanted was to close the account which did not make sense to keep since I moved abroad.

Lesson learned; review the implications of dealing with the so call wonder online services, research in internet about other users experiences and complaints. You might be surprised about what you find about dealing with poor services such as paypal.co.uk.

Live to work or work to live?

I want to believe that you work to live. But because 5 days out 7 are those when you normally do it, it needs to be something that is meaningful to your life; that makes you a better human being in any aspect you consider relevant as a person

Whether it is the interaction with bright people, the relationship with your boss, the challenges or your role, or even the cultural appreciation of the company. Any might fit as long as it is relevant to you as an individual and you are able to identify what is that you got out of it.

Of course it is easy to see it when you are working for an non profit organization because the impact to society is more tangible, but the purpose I refer exceeds the organizational world and focus on the single growth.

The year I stopped saying "I would have"



2008 was certainly one of the most significant years of my life not only because of the obvious changes but also what they represented to me as a person and how they influenced my own of life. This year I stopped saying I would have because I lived every minute at the fullest, and when this happens there is nothing you miss.


New Job - It is for sure the right place for me at the moment. Challenged with a more senior role and with a diverse team, I am happy to find an enviorment where I can create, build while having the support of a strong international network.


New country - Joost and I moved to Dubai in an attempt to discover new horizons and keep the exciting component of "adventure" alive. Dubai, a place we were certainly not familiar with, had become our home. Being populated by 80% foreigners, it's certainly a city easy to adapt. We got new places and new flavours, and new faces and a common constant everywhere we go; AIESEC alumni.

New stage - My testomy of love. The public confirmation of my commitment to the person I will spend the rest of my life with in my very own country, Peru! Sorrounded by the most important people to us and in an enviorment of joy, October 11th was the happiest day of my life. The day I stopped saying "I would have", and that is probably because nothing could have made it for us more perfect than it was, and I feel very fortunate for it. We danced, we sang, we cried, we hugged and we enjoyed every single minute of it.


I have realized a new aspect of me, a more reflective person who feels more free to start seeking for the support I can give to the society in a more significant way...Ideas welcome!

"Saudades" of rain

A friend of mine sent me an email a couple of days ago which took me back to the beautiful times we spent in Brazil. He said "The other day it was raining a lot, and I pictured you … next to the window looking at how the sky was falling down and the rivers were running through the streets"

Given that in Lima (where I come from) it hardly rains, and when it does it is almost unnoticeable, I used to be / still am so amazed by the rain and the strength of the storms. I remember Johi asking me if I ever used the window cleaners of a car, or if I ever handled an umbrella… which I never did till then.

Rain here is different. I don’t see rivers, but I see lakes. The sky turns grey instead of spark with lights.

Enjoying the moment

Over the last month, my life seems to have gone on a rollercoaster which keeps in high speed.
I love being busy, and I am currently enjoying what I am doing. I started my job on employer branding at this well-known financial institution in London and for the ones that know me well, this is the mix I was looking for, and the experience is quite rich from all perspectives.

On another note, the wedding is closer and closer. We are very excited to see how it will be like and try to spread the excitement about it. I never imagined you need to plan so much in advance and that weddings nowadays are such a big business (at least in US, UK and Peru). Believe me, its handy!

I am looking forward to show my dearest friends my country and of course the unique moment of the celebration... its true that along my path in AIESEC, i have met people who became quite important in the different stages of my personal life, and I want to see them there!

Memoirs of a special time

I always wanted to share with my parents my life abroad. Pictures and videos can always help, but experimenting my same feeling is different. I used to close my eyes to enjoy the street music in Amsterdam and call my mother so she could hear. I used to remember every detail to to recreate them with a clear description.

My parents were used to travel quite a lot in Latin America when we were young but Europe represents more than a touristic attraction to them, it's a piece of who I am now.

Trying to go to Peru at the Harry Potter Style

After London, we went to The Netherlands where everything was covered by snow. We were warmly received by J's family who ensure we had wonderful days. We met with my sisters who arrived directly to The Netherlands, and with some friends, we were everywhere, or better said:

Amsterdam, Rotterdam (where I lived for more than a year), Den Haag, and Maastricht

We spent wonderful Xmas like at home.

My sisters and me

Once back in the UK, my dad learnt that as typical British you should drink a lot of tea but also a lot Guinness

Latest news

Lots of things happening lately, which make me feel London already as home :)

J and I threw a triple celebration party for our November birthdays and our recent engagement. Toasts, speeches, drinks, dancing, Latin dancing, and even AIESEC dancing... good friends which made the night memorable!

Sightseeing in England; visiting the tremendous and luxurious Windsor Casttle led by a local (yee!), a friend called Oli and Coysi
Salsa classes thanks to the thoughtful invitation of Taco. Even though, as latin you might believe you know the moves, it all makes sense putting it together with the story of the twists. And it ends up to be very useful, fun, sexy and even romantic.

Finnally, we got a tree ;)

Soon, the Moon family coming to Uk and The Netherlands for Christmas!! Cant wait for them to be here!