#ProvenceExpats Life Stories: Martina Hornakova

1. Where are you originally from? Where were you born & brought up?

I was born and raised in Eastern Slovakia. At age of 18 I came to France to study Economics and later European studies. I found my “other half,” who is originated from Mauritius, and we settled close to Paris. We have one daughter. When she was 7, we thought that it was not too late to move to some English-speaking country as it is easier for younger kids to adapt themselves, especially if they don’t speak a language of that country yet. In 2015, my spouse had an opportunity to get a position in New York City. We did not think twice and moved there.

2. Where do you currently live? Why did you move here and When?

The life in Manhattan was so much different from our Parisian suburb lifestyle. It was fascinating by the diversity and all things we could do. Our daughter learnt English in less than 6 months (she was already bilingual which maybe helped). I met very nice people there and felt like in my second home very quickly. But the pandemic hit NYC very badly. Suddenly all I wished was to be in Europe, close to my family and in safer place. Online schooling in my daughter’s past school was not satisfying during first months (which luckily improved after the summer break). So, when we heard that in September, schools should stay closed, I prefer to return to France and give our daughter a chance to go to school “normally”. We ended in Aix-en-Provence by chance. I didn’t want to return to Paris region and the South was appealing! First, we found out about EIPACA but the true is that I did not see us in a such small town as Manosque (plus, I wanted to be closer to the sea and the airport ;-)). Aix is a perfect transition from the Big Apple. I’ve even found that there are many people coming from different countries and English is heard everywhere!

3. What are you doing here for work/hobby?

In New York, I realised that many expats are sharing tips like where to buy ingredients to cook their specialties eighter on FB or by word of mouth. Therefore, I was thinking how to leverage this knowledge and make it accessible for a bigger number of people and also for people from different cultural backgrounds (obviously as my own family was perpetuating already Slovak, Mauritian and French cultures in the US). This is why in 2017, I created a web app called KITNDO (acronym for keep in touch and delicious origins) and since then, I have spent my time to work on it. A part of the platform is an online store with products sourced with an attention to create an emotional connection with their country of origin.

4. What do you like to do here for your free time with your friends / family?

I am keen on tasting new food so I would like to visit more restaurants, as well meet with other expats around their traditions and cooking. This is now almost impossible due to the pandemic so meantime I’m trying some take-out food and I cook a lot. Also, this region is so beautiful; within 2 hours of driving from Aix, it offers a diversity of landscapes and historical places and I want to explore it. Being back in Europe allows us to visit our family in Slovakia as well, and our location closer to Italy and Spain motivates me to get know better these countries, once travelling is possible again.

5. How do you meet people and make friends here?

Since we moved here in the last August, I did not have a lot of opportunities to meet people but thankfully, I could start a few new friendships thanks to Facebook groups for expats or through my daughter’s school. I am looking to get known locals as well but usually it takes more time, even if I speak French fluently.

6. What advice would you give newcomers or people looking to create roots around here?

It’s too soon for me to give any advice as I still feel very much as a newcomer. I am impatient when we will be able to meet again, take part in live cultural events, sit in terraces and travel around. This way I am sure I will have a feeling of putting my anchor in this beautiful Provence!