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Also known as “Teresa of the Dunes” because
of her interest in adventure rallies
Teresa is not only special because of her
professional career, but also because of her
love of 4x4 adventure rallies in the desert.
Many years ago, Teresa and her husband
joined a club that organized 4x4 races in
the desert. Since then, this has become
one of her favourite activities.
We made the first trip to Morocco with a
Mercedes model that was so destroyed
that we had to get rid of it when we got
back to Barcelona. Later we bought a To-
yota and started to prepare it for a race
across the desert. We lifted the suspension
and installed gas mufflers, as well as bu-
ffers in the back and front, an extra 150 litre
gas oil deposit so that we could drive for
days without having to fill the tank, chan-
ged some parts to increase power, and also
prepared the interior of the vehicle so that
we could sleep inside.
Teresa and her husband take turns driving
and usually travel in groups of 6 to ten ve-
hicles which use the radio to communicate.
She is usually the only female driver in the
group.
My companions in this adventure are surpri-
sed and glad that I drive. My husband not
so much since he suffers when I do – she
said jokingly. The two of us want to drive
and we have to take turns. Sometimes one
of us drives one day or change whenever
one of us gets stuck. Another car has to
rescue us. Even if you drive well, one can
easily get stuck in one of the dunes.
“We usually drive through Tunisia and Mo-
rocco. The political situation in Algeria and
Libya prevent us from driving there. The ad-
venture is greater in Tunisia since the desert
is more real and when you start driving, you
can go for days without meeting up with
anybody else”, she explained.
You meet really different and interesting
people in these trips, very special people
from all social classes who, nevertheless,
could also work in a sector which, at that
time, was limited to men. Women who are
pioneers in this activity have clearly felt that
we had a responsibility for paving the way
for other women. When I started to work,
it was clear that if a man was not good for
a job, it meant that the man was not ca-
pable and would have to be replaced. If it
involved a woman, people generalized and
the conclusion was that “women were not
capable”. Fortunately, this opinion is no lon-
ger the case.
I have been aware of how difficult it is for
women to work in technical jobs and, the-
refore, when I had to hire someone, out of
solidarity, the balance would be tipped in
favour of women.
Did you find any difficulties, at the begin-
ning of your career, in carrying out your
work or making progress in your profes-
sional career?
I started to work at the Cataluña Building
delegation. I was hired because the com-
pany representative needed someone to
work as a technical secretary and, at that
time, there were no female technicians, only
secretaries or administrative staff.
It went very well. Shortly afterwards, I star-
ted to carry out coordination, planning,
quality, security and purchasing functions
for the entire delegation.
Later on, I expressed my interests in wor-
king at projects where there were more