Alice Merton Quotes

When I was in fifth grade - so, about 11 - my folks moved us to Denmark. And so not only did I have all new friends and all new surroundings, I didn't even understand what they were talking about, which was very difficult and kind of started me, I think, on my path to animation.

When I was 13, I moved from New Jersey to Germany with my family. The high school was so supportive of my dream to continue with my theater training; instead of taking PE, I would get credit for dance lessons.

I couldn't settle in Italy - it was like living in a foreign country.

It's fascinating when you're from another place, but you don't speak the language.

The only time I used to feel like an outsider was when I first went to India.

Adolescence is a difficult time at the best of times, and especially in a smaller town - there's all these different energies going on.

In 1975, I left the burning city of Beirut for the quiet insanity of England. To say that short, frail and wispy 15-year-old me didn't fit in would be such an understatement as to be a joke.

Everybody in Spain is sick of me. But in America, there's curiosity about the new kid on the block who doesn't speak English very well. The attention makes me feel vulnerable, which is something I hadn't felt in a while. But I like it.

The first few months in a new country are always really hard.

When I moved to Europe 12 years ago, my biggest concern was whether I'd ever speak decent French. Practically every American I knew came to visit, many saying they dreamed of living here, too.

As a young boy in a new country, you had to make new friends, and that was really difficult.

It's difficult to adapt to Barcelona.

My first year in Munich was definitely not easy.

Moving to France is not the hard part. Living here is more difficult. Of course there are many benefits but it's not always easy especially if you don't speak the language.

When I came here I moved to London and I was meeting so many new people and had to speak only in English, which is not my native language.

It was tough moving to Italy so young. You don't have much experience of life, you are leaving your family and everything behind to go to another country and another culture.

Being in a foreign country means walking a tightrope high above the ground without the net afforded a person by the country where he has his family, colleagues, and friends, and where he can easily say what he has to say in a language he has known from childhood.

When I was 14, I came to school in London. I remember it was very cold, but also having to adjust and become fluent in English.

I once wrote that the first week in Jerusalem was the hardest week of my life. I was different, other; my clothes were different, as was my language. All of the classes were in Hebrew - science, bible, literature. I sat there not understanding one word. When I tried to speak, everyone would laugh at me.

Moving to L.A. was hard. I had a career in Spain, and you have to forget your ego. I was a nobody again.

When I arrived in the U.S., I knew little English and didn't have any friends. The neighborhood and school kids were so welcoming. They made me feel at home very quickly.

In Italy, you're in your comfort zone when it comes to language, lifestyle, your habits and preparations, and moving abroad is not easy. It's not easy to carry over your own ideas about football, your own methods. You have to get everything across in a different language, and that wastes a lot of energy.

My mom had been a script supervisor in Hungary, but you can't just jump into that in Canada without knowing any English. She worked retail jobs and raised my sister and me while learning English.

Moving to England, again it's a new language to learn, and I've got to get use to the mentality, the culture, but I think I've integrated myself really well into this team, and I'm happy so far.

When I first came to this country I was this new kid from the Caribbean. England was a rude awakening for me.