Adapting to new environments is something Sarah Salinas, sophomore, is no stranger to. In order to accommodate her father’s job, Salinas has lived in 6 different countries and has moved over 10 different times.

Shortly after Salinas was born in Chicago, she experienced her first move to Bolivia, where her father was raised. Salinas then stayed in Bolivia for 3 years before moving to Germany. While in Germany for a year, Salinas picked up some German and experienced her first snow, but said she was too little to recall much else. Following Salinas’ stay in Germany, and a brief intermission in Illinois, her family went back to living abroad and relocated to Mexico City, Mexico, where Salinas still has fond memories of.

“My mom’s side of the family is from Guadalajara, Mexico, and we used to go there often. I love going back, especially when the put on parties. Mexico makes me feel at home,” Salinas said.

Salinas’ life in Mexico was then succeeded by a 5 year stay in Brazil, where she said she has all of her best friends and was her favorite place to live.

“The beaches are beautiful, and the people are full of life. I lived in the south, the state of Santa Catarina, cities Blumenau and Florianópolis,” Salinas said. “I spoke fluent portuguese after 6 months of living in Brazil. When I got to Brazil, all I knew how to say was hi. I had to speak spanish with everyone because spanish and portuguese are very similar.”

Despite needing to learn a new language, Salinas said that Portuguese and Chinese were her favorite languages to learn. Salinas learned Chinese when her family transferred to Singapore in 2012.

“Singapore was very different. It was the hardest time I’ve had adapting. The climate, people and schools were all new to me. I made amazing friends in Singapore. I had to take Chinese classes for 2 years, and it was hard, but very interesting,” Salinas said. “The thing I liked most about Singapore is that it was super safe. My parents would let me roam around the busiest street in the city without getting worried.”

Salinas’ stay in Singapore was her last foreign hometown before moving back to the California in the United States. Salinas was there for 6 months before finally moving to St. Louis, where she plans to stay and attend MHS for the rest of high school. At MHS, Salinas participates in girls’ varsity tennis and has begun to settle down.

“I have already made great friends, and St Louis is definitely growing on me. I found it a lot easier to talk to people and make new friends because I have been doing so for most of my life. Thankfully, the transition was pretty smooth,” Salinas said.