What ties a young Californian of Japanese descent to Croatia? Well, water polo, of course. Alyssa Isogawa is anything but typical. This charming Californian from Huntington Beach spends her days working on her e-commerce brand Deep End she started at the age of 19. Her brand sells clothing, among other things, for water polo players. She also enjoys playing her guitar, dancing, and revelling in all things tied to the sea and water. She is a proud vegan and loves to meet new people.
Why did Alyssa Apply?
An interesting detail about Alyssa’s introduction video is her love of water polo. Many think of this sport as exotic or uncommon. Not Croatians and certainly Dubrovnik locals. Water polo is a beautiful, albeit physically demanding sport enjoyed by many around the world. It is especially popular around the Mediterranean and in some central European countries. Croatia is one of the most successful countries in the history of the sport and Dubrovnik is one of the most important European water polo centres. It comes as no surprise Alyssa knew about Dubrovnik way before the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program. As an aspiring digital nomad, she wasted no time applying to the program. After the initial selection process, Alyssa Isogawa is now enjoying her time in Dubrovnik, exploring the city and learning about local culture.
Her experiences will be a valuable asset to the program as DNiR is all about envisioning ways in which Dubrovnik could improve its offer for people like her. It was designed by Saltwater Nomads in partnership with Total Croatia News. The program is a collaboration between the City of Dubrovnik and the global digital nomad community it hosts, all done with great help from the Dubrovnik Tourist Board as well. The DNiR program is bound to produce interesting and valuable results that could have a real impact on the local community.
This is one of the things high on Alyssa’s list as well. She enjoys the connection with the new culture and is looking forward to making new friends. In our interview below she states:
“Everyone here has been super friendly. I just walk down the street and people want to talk to me, which is so weird coming from LA…”
“Everyone here is just so willing to help you, wants to talk to you… and make sure to let you know that Croatia is an amazing place.”
Of course, not everything is perfect. There are areas that need improvement.
“I love Croatia so much, I love the people, and the only thing that has been super difficult is being a vegan here. Yeah, I would have to say I’ve had to ease up on my vegan-ness…”
Check out our video interview below and find out what Alyssa likes and dislikes about her Dubrovnik experience.
Learn more about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program.
Saltwater Nomads’ Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Program
Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season
For the latest digital nomad news from Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.
The winner announcement video:
