Meet Emilia Ochoa: A travel tale in Sunshine Coast

Gringo went out, wanting to meet with our community in Sunshine Coast. This is Emilia Ochoa, a mexican who recently moved to Australia:

What country are you from, and when did you move to Australia to live?

I was born in Mexico City and moved to Australia on the 28th of February 2014.

What do you do with your time in Australia? Do you work or study?

I’m doing an exchange Program at the University of the Sunshine Coast; I’m studying some economics and communications courses.

Where else have you travelled in the world and what has been your favourite destination?

My first trip was in my own country when I was eight. How can someone start travelling around the world without discovering their own heritage? Nevertheless I started travelling at a young age. At ten years old, my parents took me on a three week road-trip starting in Mexico City all the way through the US south to Miami in Florida.

At the age of eleven my Mum got a scholarship at the Universidad a\Autonoma de Madrid and we all moved to Spain for a year. That year I travelled to Portugal, Spain, France, Greece, Morocco, Egypt, Italy, El Vaticano and Andorra.

We moved back to Mexico. When I turned fifteen I went to NYC and travelled in the south of Canada and when I finished High-school I went to Germany to learn the language. After one year, I decided to start my Bachelor Degree in Germany and during that time I travelled to Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Poland and Turkey. There are some spots where I’ve been more than once, Brüssels, Paris, Madrid and Berlin are cities where it doesn’t matter how many times you have been there, there is something new every single time you go back.

Nevertheless my favourite city so far has been Istanbul, Turkey; I found in that city a sense of spirituality, rebellion and joy all at the same time.

How do you find the Australian culture from your own?

Australian culture is pretty different from mine. Sometimes I feel a lack of blood-line due to the modernity of the country.

What is your family background like?

My family is Mexican since three generations ago. Before that, there was a mixture between pure Spanish race and Indigenous.

Tell me three interesting facts about yourself?

My language skills, thirst to travel, uncertain future

By Kelly Boag