Name: Menelik Arnell
Where you can find Menelik : Instagram
Nationality: French
Current Host Country: Thailand
I’ve also lived in: Paris, Toulouse, London, Saint-Martin, New York
Years Abroad: 12 years
Occupation: Music artist Dj and MC
I moved to my current country because: after Hurricane Irma in 2017, my home island was destroyed at 95% and I lost everything. I decided to move to Thailand because I had been there in the 2015. I had also been in a long distance relationship with my now wife. So after rebuilding and repair what I could on the island, I decided to leave and live my best life in Thailand.
The Best thing about living in my host country has been:
Being able to live off my passion which is music. Over here, people discover my music and love it. So I’m truly grateful to have people who genuinely like what I create. It gives me the opportunity to entertain people with my unique skills.
My favorite experience living here has been…being able to connect with so many good people from all walks of life.
The three things you need to make it here is: Good work ethic, respect everyone you interact with and bring something new to the table. You need to be an expert in your field.
If you’re considering living here, you need to leave this at home: If you are gonna live in country where don’t know anyone make sure you leave your negativity behind because it will be hard. A win or a loss only exists based on how you react to the situation. So I believe remain positive despite any setbacks or challenges.
The biggest lesson I learned as an expat is... Resilience is more important than strength ! And just be grateful for what you have. 2020 was a chance for me to rethink my priorities in life (AGAIN) and just focus on what makes me happy.
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