An International Artist Who Somehow Keeps Surviving Airports, Borders, and Life

Hi, I’m Catherine Nunez.

A Filipina international visual artist based between the Middle East and EU… and apparently a professional at getting lost around the world 🙃

I work in live arts — sand animation, murals, caricatures, wedding painting, speed painting, fashion illustration, face painting, and pretty much anything creative that allows me to connect with people emotionally through art.

People usually see the glamorous side online:

the travels, events, luxury venues, beautiful places, and artistic performances.

What they don’t see is that behind all those passport stamps is one exhausted but curious human being trying to survive life while carrying emotional damage, art materials, and sometimes missing luggage 😭

I’ve traveled across Europe, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, East Africa, and the Middle East. Some trips were for work, some for emergency, some for healing, and some honestly happened because I randomly booked flights without fully thinking things through.

And somehow… I’m still alive 😌

Never been jailed, by the way 😭

But I did get accidentally locked up for 3 hours before my flight years ago in Armenia 🇦🇲

I’m actually a careful traveler. Believe it or not, I’m an organized person.

But somehow I still managed to:

- lose my passport in Uganda 🇺🇬 and Malaysia 🇲🇾

- miss around 5 flights in different countries

- almost drown once

- almost get into an accident near the cliffs and cemetery area in Tbilisi, Georgia 🇬🇪 while hearing howling dogs in the background like some horror movie

- get stopped by police in Kenya 🇰🇪 because my friend’s license expired while we were casually drinking in the car 🙃

- get stopped again in Oman 🇴🇲 because of visa complications connected to UAE border crossing

But honestly? That Oman trip became one of the coolest accidental adventures because I ended up discovering Madha — this tiny Omani territory geographically located inside UAE. My brain still can’t process it 😭

Bosnia 🇧🇦 was another story.

I missed my flight there once and somehow ended up partying with a local Bosnian family from three different generations. That’s honestly the kind of random life experience I’ll probably remember forever.

Western Europe has actually been kind to me despite my chaotic existence 😭

On my way to Germany 🇩🇪, I lost my bag at the airport.

In Scotland 🏴, I missed another flight.

In Switzerland 🇨🇭, I accidentally stained the bed sheets during my “monthly battle” and woke up early trying to secretly wash everything like a criminal 😭 thankfully my friend in Basel still accepted me.

And then somehow Basel led me to Paris 🇫🇷 for FREE — accommodation free, food free, travel free — because of artwork I made for a family I met there.

That’s the weird thing about my life.

I lose things… but I also gain unexpected human connections everywhere.

Central Asia 2022 was probably one of my wildest adventures.

I booked the trip almost one day before departure and everything was last minute. No proper planning. Just vibes and stress 😭

Then Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 happened in 2023.

Border control didn’t let me enter. Long story 😭

So I got stuck in Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬 instead… and somehow ended up partying with locals again.

A few months later, June 2023, I finally crossed Kazakhstan successfully 😌

Fast forward to 2025–2026…

People think I travel monthly for leisure.

Truth is, most of it was because of work, emergency situations, emotional breakdowns, or trying to rebuild my life after heartbreak.

December 2025:

Dubai 🇦🇪 → Milan 🇮🇹

January 2026:

Italy 🇮🇹 → Bosnia 🇧🇦 → Serbia 🇷🇸 → Germany 🇩🇪

February:

Germany 🇩🇪 → Dubai 🇦🇪 → Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 → Philippines 🇵🇭

March:

Stranded in Thailand 🇹🇭 😭

April:

Back to Dubai 🇦🇪

Next stop: May:

Bali Indonesia 🇮🇩 — HERE I COME 🙃

June: Somewhere in Europe

And honestly? At this point I don’t even ask life for smooth journeys anymore. I just ask for survival and good stories.

Outside of art and traveling, I love:

✔️ Videography & Photography

✔️ Documentaries & News

✔️ Symphonic & Deep Focus Music

✔️ Nature & Outdoor Adventures

✔️ Languages & Culture

✔️ Getting lost while pretending I know where I’m going 😭

My work as an international visual artist has allowed me to meet people from different backgrounds, cultures, religions, and lifestyles. It taught me that the world is both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.

And maybe that’s why I create art the way I do.

Because every painting, every sand animation, every performance carries pieces of places I’ve been, people I’ve met, heartbreaks I survived, and versions of myself I had to leave behind.

I’ve never been to the United States 🇺🇸 though.

Not sure if they’ll welcome me with this travel history 😭

But don’t worry.

I’m a normal human being 😌

Just slightly emotionally damaged, sleep deprived, carrying art supplies internationally, and somehow surviving airports one country at a time.

And who knows…

Maybe somewhere between flights, border controls, random strangers, and unexpected countries… I might eventually find the missing part of me too.