Hanna Elina, from Berlin Germany has longed to live in a different countries ever since she was young. Not being too keen on Berlin’s weather and lack of smiles, she’s always loved to travel and explore new cultures.
Moving to the United States at the age of 16, to study at an American High School, was her first experience of being away from home for a long time. She admitted the reason why she wanted to live there was because at the time she used to see many YouTube stars who resided in the U.S, and felt inspired to see the country she had watched from her screen.
When she was 21 she moved countries to Australia, to do an exchange year at university in Brisbane. Where again, she found her love for living abroad. Joining a university was her way of integrating herself with the locals, where she joined different clubs and societies including playing Beach Volleyball every Thursday and surfing the waves of Byron Bay at the weekends.
Hanna said: “Honestly I felt like moving abroad taught me more about myself than anything else. People are so much friendlier and happier than in Germany that it makes me want to do the same”
She was shocked at how simple things like saying “thank you” and “g’day” to the bus driver in Australia, were such common practice.
READ MORE
“I feel like being abroad made me realise I’m a bit of a chameleon and I adapt to the people around me-so in Germany I’m usually a lot colder and not as approachable as I am in Australia.”
After being in Australia for a year, and going back to her childhood home in Berlin, she realised she couldn’t stay in Germany. So, she packed her bags and moved to a neighbouring country: The Netherlands.
Although it was a very similar environment and culture as back home, even simple things would change her routine. She would adapt to the healthy Dutch habit of riding a bike everywhere.
As if two study exchanges weren’t enough, Hanna decided to make a big decision and move to Monterrey in Mexico for one final semester abroad at the age of 23.
When asked if she had any experiences which were not as good, she laughed as she remembered how she got scammed as soon as she landed in the country.
“I was ushered into a taxi which ended up charging me 90 euros for a 5 minute drive. They definitely could tell I was a tourist,” she said.
However, since that day her experience of living in Mexico has been nothing short of incredible. She started taking Spanish classes four times a week, including once with a private tutor as an attempt to integrate herself into the country she was now living in. With no prior experience of speaking Spanish, after six months she can now understand most things and hold a conversation.
One thing that surprised Hanna the most was the food aspect.
“It really shocked me because I loved Mexican food, but when I came to Mexico I realised that what I was eating before was a Western adaptation,” she said. “As a vegetarian, it was really difficult in the beginning, because most dishes have a lot of meat, which I wasn’t used to seeing when I would go to Mexican restaurants in Europe.”
But her fondest memory of living in Mexico was her weekly salsa classes, which she would go along to with her friend as a way to better understand the culture.
“It was so much fun, and at the end we got to perform a routine in front of a big crowd, it really made me feel more connected to latin American countries culture,” she recalled.
Hanna’s reflections of her experiences abroad have been nothing but positive. She says she takes a little bit of everything she has learnt in the countries she’s lived in along with her, as they make her who she now is.
