Staying Curious: a Sabbatical to Patagonia
By: Daniel Spadaro, Senior Qualitative Research Director
Talk Shoppe recognizes the value of investing in its employees’ personal growth and understands that taking time away from work can be instrumental in fostering creativity, promoting work-life balance, and enhancing overall job satisfaction. After five years of employment, Talk Shoppe offers the benefit of four weeks paid sabbatical leave. Daniel Spadaro, Senior Research Director reached his five year mark during the apex of the pandemic lock down. After delaying his sabbatical for almost two years, Daniel was finally able to take full advantage of his sabbatical to fill his soul with travel, hiking, connecting with people and checking off a bucket list goal. Read his full story here.
Nothing excites me more than striking up a conversation, especially with people I don’t know. It’s what drew me to market research. Getting paid to talk to strangers? Sign me up. Everyone has a story and I am always so curious to hear what that story is. Even as a toddler I wanted to hear them, so much so that instead of napping like a typical two year-old I recited who I met that afternoon and what we talked about.
During the pandemic my biggest struggle, like many, was being isolated. Not only from friends and family, but from making connections with new people. I found that to be one of the biggest voids. I craved the random bar banter, the small talk with a server, and the brief encounters running errands that we so easily took for granted.
The moment of reprieve I was most looking forward to was my upcoming sabbatical. Once an employee hits five years at Talk Shoppe they are eligible for a one month paid sabbatical! I’ve been with this amazing company for almost 7 years and had delayed my sabbatical due the pandemic, and was finally ready to press go.
2023 was my year. I was finally ready to be set free,back into the wild. I wanted an adventure, something to push me out of my comfort zone. It needed to be solo, a chance to reconnect with myself and give me what I was missing most, the chance to meet and connect with new people from all walks of life. The mission was clear, the time off approved, but where to go?
Sicily maybe, connect with my Italian roots? Nah too cold in the winter. New Zealand? They speak English, needs to be more of a challenge. I thought, what about Patagonia? It's been on my bucket list, it's the perfect time of year to go, my Spanish is decent enough, but is it too wild? Suddenly Reese Witherspoon and that gruesome foot scene in Wild flashed in my head…yikes. Despite my fears, I found myself in REI a week before the trip going over a detailed checklist anxiously awaiting my departure. Little did I know what was in store for me.
Patagonia is the most southern region in South America, spanning Argentina and Chile. I only clarify because I admit, like many people I know there is some uncertainty about what actually consists of this wild region. I spent two weeks traversing both countries, trekking (really just a fancy term for hiking), eating my weight in red meat, drinking all the red wine, horseback riding, canoeing, seeing glaciers, walking with penguins, turning into a real explorer. BUT my favorite activity of the two weeks? You might’ve guessed, was talking!
Each day I was paired with a different group of people from all over the world. Some of the most meaningful and impactful encounters were brief, others were long and meandering, but all lit a fire inside, one that I had forgotten existed. I learned so many wonderful things from the amazing people I had the pleasure of meeting.
A gay couple from DC taught me about how to love and how to let go through their story. An older Argentinian woman on a bumpy bus ride shared tales in Spanglish of Argentina’s rise and fall, and despite it all she still loved her country. An old hippie from California told me the secret to getting older is to simply stay on the horse. My shaman aka hiking guide (no psychedelics were involved in this part of the story) informed me that fear doesn’t exist, it's false evidence appearing real. Put that on a bumper sticker! I even learned what it’s like to date as a gaucho on the oldest ranch in Patagonia. Let’s just say the tourists keep him busy.
My trip truly exceeded my expectations and I feel humbled and privileged to have had this once in a lifetime experience. Actually, scratch that last part. Over lunch, someone kindly corrected me that it’s not a once in a lifetime experience; I’ll have more trips like this in my lifetime. If I can leave you with anything, it’s stay open to what others have to say and above all, stay curious.