What happens when you live in two countries but don’t quite belong to either.
They say you grow with your experiences. I would add: You also grow from the in-between. Because anyone who lives abroad permanently will sooner or later be confronted with a question that doesn’t force itself on them, but always resonates subliminally: Where do I actually belong?
Visibly different – experiences in Mexico
I am clearly visibly different in Mexico. No matter which state I’m in, you can tell immediately that she’s not Mexican.
And yes, it’s true. I stand out. Through my language. My facial expressions. My gaze. Perhaps my pace.
But Mexico has taught me something that I no longer want to do without: friendliness opens doors where language still gets in the way. A smile, sincere small talk – “cómo estás”, “todo bien” – and distance often turns into sympathy. Belonging is not a question of origin here, but of attitude. But it is rarely complete. Because belonging does not mean simply being able to say “hello”. It means understanding the nuances. And that’s where it gets complex. Mexicans, for example, don’t like loud discussions or public arguments at all. If you try to get your point across with wide eyes, sweeping gestures and a raised voice, you are quickly met with polite, incomprehensible looks and doors that slowly close again.
It is subtle. But it’s there. And at some point you feel: you’re close, but not quite there. Not in every depth. Not in every self-evident way.
Back in Germany and no longer the same
I was back in Germany recently. And suddenly I realized: even here, I’m somehow not quite from here anymore. Not because I don’t speak the language, but because little things feel strangely foreign.
There was this scene in the supermarket – although I only realize in Germany that hardly anyone says “supermarket” here. At the checkout, I had my own personal ritual: I pulled a handful of coins out of my pocket. I keep them there because it’s quicker to pull coins out of my pocket than to rummage around in my wallet. The only problem is that in Germany this regularly puts those standing around in a time crunch. I have to turn over almost every single coin to see whether it’s worth 10, 20 or 50 cents, while the queue grows behind me and the cashier’s facial expression slowly slips away. No problem for me, I seem to have adopted the southern serenity…
Even nicer was my hotel booking in a city where, surprisingly, cash was no longer provided for me (chosen by my client).
I asked about the check – er, the bill and got the answer:
“You can pay with your cell phone now.”
I: “With which cell phone?”
She: “Well, with yours.”
I: “What should my phone do now?”
There were a few more loops back and forth, clearly I was supposed to pay contactless with my smartphone. But I simply didn’t activate the function. A conscious decision…
And yet I felt like a time traveler in the top hotel and was looked at as if I came from a different decade.
In moments like these, you can feel it: I am no longer who I used to be in Germany and I will never quite be what is understood in Mexico as “una de nosotros”. Living between worlds changes something in you, not dramatically, but noticeably.
You don’t think about it in the first few years. Everything is new, exciting, you grow, you learn, you take things with you. But there comes a point when you ask yourself: is there still a place where I belong?
The strength of the in-between
Perhaps this is precisely where the strength lies. Not in absolute belonging, but in the conscious in-between, in the ability to engage with two systems and to be touched by both without losing yourself in one. This life between the stools is not for the faint-hearted, but it is full of depth, surprise and humanity.
And you?
Do you know the feeling of not quite belonging anywhere and yet finding a home everywhere?
I look forward to your thoughts between all worlds.
About the author
Ich bin Corina Hoch, AI-driven B2B-Marketingstrategin, SEO-Expertin und Mental Health Coach zwischen Deutschland und Mexiko. Seit über zehn Jahren arbeite ich remote aus Mexiko und begleite Unternehmen, die in einer zunehmend digitalen und AI-geprägten Welt sichtbar werden und wachsen möchten.
Mein Arbeitsschwerpunkt liegt im B2B- und Interim-Management-Marketing:
Ich entwickle SEO- und AI-Search-Strategien, die Webseiten nicht nur in Google, sondern auch in ChatGPT, Perplexity und Gemini auffindbar machen. Dazu gehören Content-Clustering, AI-Optimierungsstrategien, Case Studies, Landingpages, Lead-Gen-Systeme und die komplette digitale Positionierung von Unternehmen.
Mit meinem Ansatz verbinde ich präzise Analyse, klare Sprache und echte Relevanz ohne Marketing-Overload, dafür mit Wirkung.
Parallel dazu baue ich mit AlmaSeren meine zweite Säule auf:
Ganzheitliche mentale Gesundheit für Frauen, insbesondere in Phasen der Neuorientierung und beruflichen Transformation. Dazu gehören Coaching, Retreats, Workbooks, Meditationen, Resilienztrainings und ein verständlicher Zugang zu mentaler und körperlicher Balance.
Beide Bereiche gehören für mich zusammen:
Nachhaltiges Wachstum, ob im Business oder persönlich, entsteht erst, wenn Klarheit, mentale Kapazität und strategischer Fokus zusammenwirken.
In meinen Artikeln teile ich Insights aus 10 Jahren New Work, der Arbeit zwischen zwei Kulturkreisen und meiner Rolle als Brückenbauerin im internationalen Kontext. Mein Ziel ist es, Frauen zu stärken, Orientierung zu geben und den Mut für neue Wege zu fördern.
Mehr über mich auf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corina-hoch/
