CP Abroad With David Onessimo

David Onessimo, Creative Director

The Result of Living Far Away? Getting Closer.

Why do we travel? Surely, not to snap instagram photos. We travel to grow as humans. Exposing ourselves to new sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and routines jumpstarts our hearts and minds. Travel isn’t an experience that exists solely within departure and return. It leaves lasting impressions. Endless conversations, memories, and sometimes has a direct impact on our daily lives. The best travels define us in more unexpected ways forever. Living in Dublin as part of the CP Abroad program was one of those times. 

My wife and I have traveled any chance we’ve had since the day we met, and we’ve carried this passion through to our family. So, when the opportunity came to relocate for one month to Ireland, we knew exactly what to expect. We’ve taken loads of trips together, both domestically and internationally. Our kids (now 7 and 8) love to travel. They will see new places, eat new food, and try a new routine. Then, we’ll cherry pick bits and pieces of those experiences to bring home, and so will they. Treating travel like a mental souvenir shop. 

As a creative director, I love to collaborate with my peers, getting to know them as people. Nothing beats sitting in a room together and coming up with ideas to solve business challenges for our clients. I have been lucky enough to work with both our Boston and Dublin creative teams, but virtual meetings only go so far. To dream and laugh in the same room, to feel the energy firsthand with the team in person in Dublin, has changed our working relationship. 

Over the course of 4 weeks abroad, we racked up memories. We played cards in pubs for hours, pet cows in Ireland, ate chocolate in Belgium, and attended concerts in London. Photographing and journaling the whole journey like some evening news reporter for my future self. 

But after 3 weeks of being 3,000 miles away from our home, friends, and family, something unexpected happened. Something that had nothing to do with beautiful architecture and European lifestyle. We became closer to each other. My wife and I became better parents. My son became a kinder brother. My daughter became a more patient sister.

Beyond touring a 1,000 year old castle, eating fresh fish and chips off the boat, playing rugby with kids in the park, what we brought home from our CP Abroad was not a memory at all. We experienced a lot together. Experiences you’ll find listed on TripAdvisor. But the unexpected growth we saw as a family was far more satisfying than sipping a Guinness at dusk overlooking the Gap of Dunloe with an Irish fiddle in the background. That was, however, a close second.