Hi, my name is Emma Hanek! I joined Brookes this summer as an exchange student and I’ll be staying until next June. I’m from Zurich, Switzerland, where I was born and have been living ever since. Both of my parents are originally from Czech Republic but moved to Switzerland 20 years ago due to work. So even though I’m 100% Czech, I feel very connected to Switzerland and consider myself Swiss. I also have a younger brother who I love and miss very much.
I love living in Switzerland, the nature is stunning! Me and my friends love to go hiking together or go swimming in the Zurich lake after school during summer. Zurich also has a very vibrant food and art scene, so I visit a lot of galleries and museums during my free time.
Otherwise I do kickboxing three times a week, take piano lessons twice a week, singing lessons and when I have some spare time left I love to go on runs! I fell in love with running two years ago and have improved so much since then! I ran my first half marathon this April in Prague with both of my parents and I loved it. Even though I mostly run on the streets of Zurich, I enjoy trail running much more. Running in the mountains is such an indescribable feeling! After climbing several hundred meters in altitude, you are always rewarded with running back to the valley and sometimes when the trail is very steep and you’ve lost all control over your legs because you’re running so fast, it feels like you’re flying!
Otherwise I also enjoy baking, cooking, reading, watching movies and hanging out with my friends. During winter, me and my family spend every weekend in our cabin in the Alps and we go skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing, it’s my favourite time of the year. I’m looking forward to going snowboarding here in Canada!
Doing an exchange year has been my dream since I was 7 and being here is still such a surreal feeling to me. The past few weeks have been the craziest mixture of happiness, nervousness, excitement and a lot of bittersweet homesickness. But I’m extremely grateful to be here at Brookes and I’m very excited to spend this year on Vancouver Island!
xx Emma H.