Cathy Mo, Claire Tang
NADIA MARIA, born in New York, United States to Greek and Russian parents, came to work in Shenzhen four years ago to fulfill her childhood dream to explore the world.
When Maria was a teenager she was curious about different parts of the world, especially the seven wonders of the world. “In my childhood bedroom, there were pictures of different sites around the world and the Great Wall of China was one of them. Every morning when I got ready I would look at the Great Wall and dream about going there. Growing up, I was always fascinated by Chinese culture. I often made comparisons between the three countries; China and Greece were both rich in their ancestry, ancient philosophy, culture, and art while the United States was still a young country with a short history, ” Maria said.
Maria started her university studies in Michigan, the United States, received scholarships to continue her studies in Japan and Greece. She eventually started her career in international business.
“During my days in Japan I was so absorbed and intrigued by the history, manner, creativity, architecture, literature and festivals there.
I loved calligraphy, which I spent some time practising; and paper cutting, which I thought was a beautiful art form with only a piece of thin paper a fascinating scene came to life,” said Maria.
“After working for over 10 years in international business and traveling to many ancient civilizations, I still have China in my heart. In my thirties I had a chance to re-evaluate my life. I read a number of biographies such as Desmond Tutu and Mahatma Gandhi. I grew a strong interest in social endeavors, humanitarianism, and spiritual type of leaders and one that really resonated with me was Nobel peace prize winner Mother Teresa. Her mission was to help the poorest of the poor and make people feel loved before they passed away. Her dream included China but she never had an opportunity to come,” she said.
Maria felt China must be misunderstood by the rest of the world especially the West as people had a lot of misconceptions about China.
“Since I always thought about China, I made a decision that I would go when I got a chance to apply for positions. I changed my career from competitive international business to education, which was something I’ believe is meaningful,” she said.
“Before I came I had limited information about China from the media and many misconceptions in my mind. But after being exposed to different parts of China and its culture, I saw a different picture: a safe, intriguing, amazingly fast-growing place with friendly people.”
“I felt privileged and humble to be in China and call Shenzhen home,” she said.
“Here I also saw the origins for Chinese and Japanese calligraphy, martial arts, paper cutting and even the traditional characters. I saw so much beauty, so much culture and so much richness in those things and I think they are so essential to pass onto future generations. Chinese ancestors had such beautiful stories and lessons passed down through even Chinese calligraphy and characters. I understand the point of simplified characters, however the traditional characters carry so much meaning and this is a tradition, a culture which should be kept intact.”
Maria did not forget Mother Teresa’s mission. Being versed in English, Japanese, Greek, Russian and Chinese, also learning Arabic, she has traveled to more than 45 countries and been involved in philanthropic activities in China, Pakistan, Egypt, Qatar, Japan and continues to do so in other countries.
Currently working in education in Nanshan District, Maria is such a multi-talented woman that designs jewelry, and educational tools such as the World Wheel, writes, sails, and plays tennis. She also supports charity groups including A Heart for China, GreenFoot, Make-A-Wish and FixIt Karachi, and acts as a representative for the United Nation’s MMUN Cultural Ambassadors Program for children around the world.
Despite her already tight schedule, Maria keeps practising and learning calligraphy from a Shenzhen artist regularly. Her diligence won her a third prize at a Chinese calligraphy contest for expats in Guangdong last August.
