Mamas' Stories

Anaïs

Anaïs derives her name from the French fragrance “Anaïs Anaïs” created by Cacharel. Our heroine comes from Venezuela, where she lived for nearly 20 years. She holds a language degree, which has opened many doors in her life: doors to various countries and peoples’ hearts. Anaïs is fluent in English, French and German. She spent many years teaching in language schools and working as a translator.

The journey with the world

The first country where Anaïs moved from Venezuela was France. She had a student exchange in the French town of Limoges. Anaïs says that Limoges was just perfect for her, beautiful, and cozy. She felt just at home there. While many European students were looking for an opportunity to study in the big cities, like Paris, Rome, or Madrid, she says, Limoges was exactly what she liked because, coming from Venezuela’s capital city Caracas, living in a city where you could walk everywhere felt refreshing. 

After France, Anaïs moved to the United States, Ohio, where she translated a book into Spanish. This book “Letters to My Sisters: Plain Truths and Straightforward Advice from a Gynecologist” was written by M.d. Ngozi Osuagwu. As the name suggests, it’s a series of letters that discusses women’s health issues with personal approach. 

Anaïs’s husband, Marco, is from Canada. At the time, they were already dating, and Marco was lucky to have cheap tickets through a friend who worked for AirCanada to visit her, which allowed them to maintain a long-distance relationship for a while. Eventually, they decided to get married, and that marked Canada as her next destination. Anaïs moved to Guelph, Ontario, where she taught English to refugees, starting from the alphabet level. She shared that it was an interesting experience not only to teach people a language from scratch, but to also help them start a new life in Canada. 

Soon, Marco began seeking opportunities to move to Europe. After attending a conference in Lyon, he was given the chance to join a PhD team in Germany. Consequently, Anaïs and Marco relocated to Mülheim an der Rühr, Germany, in 2014. Although Anaïs had never considered Germany an ideal destination, she soon realized it was a wonderful place to live. They ended up spending a delightful ten years there, and Germany became a home for their family. Anaïs resumed her teaching career at a language school, where she enjoyed meeting new people and learning about German culture. Her students attended her classes not only to learn the language but also to share their personal stories. “They would tell me about their lives while I corrected their grammar,” Anaïs said with a smile.

Anaïs laughs that Europeans don’t get married as early as she and Marco did, so people in Germany were often shocked that they married so early.

In 2022 Anais and Marco decided to put down roots in Germany by buying a house and doing an extreme renovation on their own. Two years later, after their dream home was finally ready, Marco, a chemist, was offered the possibility to relocate to Shanghai, China. Anaïs said, “It was an easy decision for our family. Both my husband and I are free spirits who don’t mind moving around the world. So, Shanghai was a very intriguing place for us to go. We can always go back to our dream house in Germany.” They moved to China in August 2024.

To Anaïs, multiculturalism is a natural part of her family life. Currently, her entire family resides in Europe. Her parents live in Spain, while her oldest sister, a fashion blogger, is based in Belgium, where she is raising her two sons. The youngest sister resides in Germany. Anaïs’s husband holds Swiss-Canadian citizenship. 

The various cultures they have experienced and the different nationalities that shape their identities are beautifully reflected in their lifestyle and the way they raise their children.

The journey with motherhood

Anaïs and Marco are raising two wonderful boys, Felix and Victor. Felix is four years old and is currently in kindergarten, while Victor is 17 months old. Anaïs shares an interesting story about Felix’s experience in China. Although Felix has Canadian and Venezuelan roots, he identifies as Swiss. One day, he came home from kindergarten and excitedly explained that they were learning about flags. He said his flag was white and red. Anaïs initially thought he was referring to the Canadian flag, but when he showed her the flag he meant, it turned out to be the Swiss flag. Since Felix holds a Swiss passport while living in China, his kindergarten is assuming he is Swiss.

Anaïs explains that despite everything, she tries to help him integrated into Venezuelan culture. She mentions that arepas are a typical breakfast food they enjoy at home. They prepare it buffet-style, allowing everyone to eat it with their favorite toppings. One day, during a parent day at Felix’s school, Anaïs had the idea to teach his classmates how to cook arepas. Felix felt proud that day. His mom came to the school to cook one of his favorite dishes together with him.

When it comes to parenting, Anaïs embraces gentle parenting. She explains, “Of course, it doesn’t always work, and there are challenging moments, but I always remind myself that my child isn’t ‘giving’ me a hard time; he’s ‘having’ a hard time.” She believes that having a consistent routine and explaining situations to children is crucial. “We moved to China when Felix was three. I know that’s young, but I found it important to explain to him what was happening and why we were leaving his home.” Effective communication with your child truly helps, and Anaïs notes that she has never experienced a significant meltdown from Felix. She attributes this to her practice of explaining changes and acknowledging his feelings. “We do breathing exercises, which Felix loves. When he has a tough moment, we sit together, breathe, hug and let the frustration go away.”

China is a very digital country. You don’t need to leave home; everything can be delivered to your door. Anaïs expresses that she misses the ‘supermarket experience.’ She often takes her kids to the store to shop together, and they love it. She tries to keep them away from the digital world as much as possible and encourages them to explore their surroundings and to be creative with what they have. One of their favourite activities to do together at home is to look out the window and play “veo veo qué ves” (I spy with my little eye). She says it’s a great activity for speech development. 

As of today, Anaïs resides in Shanghai with her family. She is an active mother who frequently writes for the ShanghaiMamas organization, helping them with their social media content. Additionally, she has created her own social media account, where she shares her daily adventures in Shanghai, travel tips, and advice for other families living abroad. You can find her on wechat, instagram and rednote. 

Life Advice

“Embrace the weirdness. Whatever makes you different, is what makes you YOU. Trying to hide it to fit in or to make certain people like you, will never bring you joy. By embracing these things that make you different, you will not only become the best version of yourself, but also attract the people who will compliment you in the best ways.”