Amanda Campo Johnson – Our Friend of the Week
Your City: Basel, SwitzerlandAmanda or Campo as we still like to call her, used to sit next to us during our days at Joyus. She was a killer creative director and brightened every day with her radiant smile and all around good vibes. Two years ago her family relocated to Basel, Switzerland and she's finding her own path as a mom of two kids under four. She's fun, cool, humble, and has a great eye.Amanda's What – “My family’s expat lifestyle has us soaking up all the Europe we can (safely) handle … and all this travel with small kids can be brutal in the packing department, not to mention, close-quarters in a small hotel room. When planning our next adventure, I usually begin here: Kid and Coe … Family-ready curated rentals with toy-filled rooms! I always feel right at home.”
FRIEND OF THE WEEK: 11 QUESTIONS
WEBSITE: Blue Boat CoffeeINSTAGRAM: @acjohnson
- Nickname My parents call me Mandy. My best friend calls me GM (which stands for “God Mandy,” because I'm her son’s godmother). My cousin, Langley, and I had our names combined into Mangley, since our mothers can’t seem to choose which one of us to yell at first. College friends call me Camps, Champo, Camper-van, Camper. And I still get the occasional Amandahugandkiss.
- What’s your short story? My childhood days were spent in small town Ohio, my young adult years in San Francisco, and now, the expat life in the quaint village of Basel, Switzerland. I’m a graphic designer, an artist, and always have been ... I started my career as a UX designer for a small software company, but these days I play house with my two kids and co-manage a passion-project: a small coffee shop in my favorite vacation destination, Leland, Michigan. I’m crazy about my husband, whom I met in college, but didn’t start dating until after a late night encounter in Venice, CA over too many margaritas.
- What’s your jam? It has always been, “Jump”, by Van Halen. My dad introduced it to me at a young age … he was my basketball coach, and often he would bring along his boom box to motivate us during practice. At my wedding, it was the obvious choice for our father/daughter dance.
- What motivates you? I am motivated by my kids' happiness; it gives me such immediate gratification, in this forever-evolving game of “parenting."
- Who do you think you’d have great friend chemistry with? I have good chemistry with the humble, creative, passionate types, and this seems to fit with my current girl crush, Catherine McCord: “supermom” and founder of Weelicious, my go-to place for healthy, creative kid recipes, without much fuss. A fellow mid-western girl turned Californian, we have a lot in common aside from just our blonde hair and love of cooking.
- What qualities do your favorite friends have in common? All of my favorites, silver and gold, are just fun to be around. It’s just that simple … knowing you can laugh, be yourself is what keeps our bonds strong, no matter how much time has passed.
- What’s the smartest, most inspiring, awesome thing you’ve read, watching or listened to lately? These days, it’s all about Pixar and their latest gem, Inside Out. My 4 year old watched this on repeat during our last international flight, something he found on the in-flight entertainment … and then it sucked us both in. I definitely resonated with 11 year old Riley, even as an adult viewer, because I too hesitantly moved from the Midwest to San Francisco, and experienced very similar emotions (my first apartment was definitely a dump, a SF right of passage). This film creativity illustrates our subconscious, reminding us to hang on, let go, be scared and accept sadness … all through a brilliant “vocal” cast. Lewis Black’s “Anger,” albeit being my favorite character here, does terrify me knowing my little 18 month old probably has this lurking inside of her.
- What whets your appetite? Our “Spring Forward” time change happened last Sunday, and while I was cooking dinner, I noticed a nice combination of things: the sun was still shining, some vintage Wilco was sounding, and the kids were both laughing … nothing whets my appetite more for summer than this combo. I’m so ready for sandbox toys and suntan lotion.
- What’s next on your To Do List? Up next for me: repatriation. I never thought I would “need help” with this, but I will … I have a pit in my stomach over it. Repatriation is so under-rated, since the emphasis for support is focused mostly on the period abroad, and the daunting adjustment to foreign culture. Basel has been too good to our family, offering such a safe, loving environment over these past few years. All of the uncomfortable change that once scared me has now become a part of my life, and all of a sudden, it’s what I now prefer.
- How are you friends with Gina + Amy? I met Gina first, a few months after having my first baby. She was recruiting me, but not in the typical sense. Throwing out how EASY it was to jump into a new job right out of the mommy-gates. “You got this! Amy’s doing it, and she’s fine!” all while flashing that clever grin. I think we were sitting on cardboard boxes, or even the floor? Splendora was transitioning and the space was not at it’s most chic, however this had me itching to work with her even more. Amy and I met on my first day of that new job, then later we shared a desk space. Don’t ever share a desk with someone like Amy if you need to get anything done. I think I could talk to her about anything for hours. I honestly feel like I’ve known them both for years.
- Who would you nominate for our next Friend of the Week? Karen Bard Sayah, because she introduced me to emojis, and for this I am now forever emotionally understood.