One year later, Oliva traveled to France with a theater company named "Teatro del Sesenta" in order to participate in "Puerto Rico Fua"'s European shows; this trip would change his life.
He decided to stay in the European country to study with Etienne Decroux, who had previously taught Marcel Marceau, who is also considered by experts and critics as one of the greatest pantomimes in history.
Playing Juan Bobo may have led to Oliva's next role of note, as Juan Bobo is typically characterized as an innocent, good-natured fool in Puerto Rican folklore, sharing similar traits with "Angelito", Raul Davila's "Carmelo"s son in the 1988 WAPA-TV hit television comedy "Carmelo y Punto", a show which enabled Oliva to become known to non-theater goers among the Puerto Rican public and to be interviewed on such magazines as Vea, Teve Guia and others, giving him mainstream celebrity in the island.
Oliva later found work at channel 6's show "Maria Chuzema" alongside Tere Marichal.
Oliva taught mime to students at a local government school in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.