UO on You: Buenos Aires with Sophia and Sofia
To escape the cold weather, we flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina — where they celebrate the new year at a temp of 100 degrees. We escaped the city heat and spent a day in the country, where Argentine photographer Fausto Elizalde shot model Sophia Santa Maria and musician/model Sofia Klimkowski. Here, we discuss beginning a new year, taking care of yourself in order to take care of others, and what makes Argentina so special.
Talk about how you feel about the New Year — what energy does it have to you? Is there anything you are going to change or any goals you have?
Sofia: For me, the new year is is always a moment to consider all of the possibilities it presents to you. And all of the possibilities you have to be a better person, to listen to yourself more, to listen to others more, to continue to learn how to appreciate all of our differences more than you already have. It's also a good moment to look back and recognize all of the things you have accomplished, appreciate them, and realize that the moments of pain were moments of growth. So for me, it’s an opportunity to breathe and say to myself “Okay, I’m here, I’m happy, and I’ve achieved all of this that has brought me to where I am.”
Sophia: Every new year is a moment when I celebrate but I also reflect. I reflect on what I've lived through, what I've learned, how I’ve grown and embrace all of what has happened – in the good moments and bad. It’s a moment of introspection to see how I feel, and to see the things I have achieved. It’s been a year of a lot of change, a lot of personal growth. We’ve had to adapt to a series of change that have caused us some challenges, and I think it's good to reflect on that – to be able to say to yourself that you want to continue, that you want to give the best of yourself so that you can continue to grow and continue to enjoy the possibilities that life brings you. To continue setting goals and achieving them.
Speaking of happiness... how do you define it?
Sophia: Happiness, to me, is a feeling in your chest. It’s when you feel full, and surrounded by people that love you and appreciate you. What a difficult question. It’s hard to say not only what it is but to learn how to recognize when you are happy. It’s indescribable! It’s something that you feel in your body.
Sofia: In your soul!
Sophia: In butterflies in your stomach, I don’t know. (laughs)
Sofia: It really is difficult to describe. I think happiness is the people you love, and the moments – your private moments – that are moments to connect with who you really are. It’s the people who really show you who you are. Who you can really be with – where there are no limits, only freedom to express yourself, to move, to sing, to dance, to be moved – if you need to cry, cry. For me that’s happiness, when I feel free to be who I am.
And probably an equally difficult question - how do you strive to achieve it?
Sophia: Working makes me happy. Modeling is something I’ve only started recently, so I’m still polishing my abilities (laughs) but it makes me really happy. It makes me happy to spend time with my friends, to meet new people, to travel, to know new places and enrich myself, to fill myself with knowledge and become a more cultured person. But you know, I think it's also important to highlight that you’re not always going to be happy, and that’s okay. It's good to learn how to listen to yourself in that sense, to listen to your body and what it's asking of you, who it's asking you to be around… to be able to have moments alone or moments with others, being able to listen to myself makes me really happy.
Sofia: It makes me happy to read a book, to take a walk, to have time to watch my favorite movies or go have a coffee with the people I care about. And you know, that’s what makes me happy – to be able to recognize what is happening around me and what I’m sharing with others in that moment. When you stray from that, you lose the ability to really enjoy. When you stray from who you are, or the people who are good for you… I think it's really the simple things that feed your soul.
What is it that makes Buenos Aires so special in the summer?
Sofia: Because the night is beautiful and there are a million things to do! Every night! I love to be able to be on the street and run into someone. There's just a happiness in the air, and a desire to celebrate. The holidays are approaching, the new year is approaching, and everyone has that energy where they want to let go and spend time with others.
Sophia: It’s the little heat that hugs my body! Like Sofi said there's always something to do and a special energy in the air.
If you had to describe Buenos Aires in a few words, what would they be?