Have you ever explored Duesseldorf by bike? Hasan did that and discovered the beautiful sides of his new hometown - and our box. Read more about Hasan's experiences as an expat.

 

ABOUT Hasan

  • Profession: International Consultant at Bayer Crop Science
  • "Besides CrossFit I enjoy road cycling, exploring the mountains, and horse riding. I have a passion for the outdoors and am often training for the next physical challenge. I also enjoy learning history and music :) 

THE INTERVIEW

You can watch the whole video on YouTube (highly recommended) - or read it below.

 Where are you from and what made you move to Düsseldorf?

So originally I come from Yemen and  I moved to Duesseldorf for purposes of my job. Before Duesseldorf I was living in Singapore. So, I  moved around a lot in the past and yeah I've been here now for one year.

What do you miss most when you think of your home?

I would say a sense of community. Because when you think of your home country, your hometown, familiar people, familiar places and when you move somewhere new of course you have to build that right from scratch. So I would say a sense of community and sense of familiarity as well.

How would you describe your first days in Düsseldorf?

It was a new city, a new country, a lot of exploring, so I jumped on my bike, tried to get around the city as much as possible, to to get to know the city. I would also say I was quite surprised because I moved here in the summer and saw lots of people outside and it's; yeah a very green city I would say and I was surprised also by the cuisine here. It's one of the cities where I think I've really seen so many international restaurants from all over the place. I was surprised because it's also a small city and there's lots to do for a small city. So in short I would say my first few days were exploring and pleasant surprises.

How did you hear about CrossFit 40477 and why did you decide to become a member of our box?

When I moved to Duesseldorf I also explored by running; so running around the city. And I ran past the box or rather I saw a big sign on the street with CrossFit 40477 and, yeah, decided to just step in and  spoke to Kai. I expressed my interest, joined the trial session the next day and signed up right on the spot. I think in terms of when I first moved to Duesseldorf it was one of the better discoveries I would say in my neighborhood. I'm glad I also live close to the box.

If you have already trained in other boxes: What would you say distinguishes us from other CrossFit boxes?

I've only trained at one other box before and it was also in a different country. What really stood out to me when I joined the box here was an immediate let's say immersion into the community. So a couple of weeks after after my training here with the box I realized there was all sorts of community events happening. I think at the time in August when I joined it was a volleyball get together and then a couple of weeks later in November there was a Christmas get together and there's things happening. I would say it goes beyond what actually just happens in the box and the events that we can participate in with our friends from the box but outside of the box as well.

What did CrossFit 40477 mean for your arrival here in Germany/Düsseldorf?

First was getting to know people I think that's a simple one right, and also getting to know like-minded people. You go to a box or a gym, meet people who lead an active lifestyle, who are potentially also new to the city and and others who have been here for years or even all their lives. So meeting people and people that have that live here for different reasons. Some call Duesseldorf their home, others are now calling it their home. And the second thing I would say is that the box brought to me after moving here was a bit of structure to my life. You know sessions starting at 6 am; and my first three or four months I always participated in the 6am sessions and and that just brought a perfect structure to my life to start my day early. And then also participated in the ambitious class on friday evenings. So I would say people and also some structure; a healthy structure, I want to say.

What do you associate with Düsseldorf?

What I associate with Duesseldorf is that it's a small city but it has the advantages of a big city. When we talk about cuisine, when we talk about connectivity of the city to various other cities in Europe; be it Brussels, Paris ... The airport is very close. I would also say it's a very green city and especially when the weather is good there's a lot happening.

What do you associate with our box?

When I moved to the city, one of the best things I found in Düsseldorf is the CrossFit Box, and all the personalities and the people I met here. The excitement, motivation and beautiful people are all highlights of my time here. 

Anything else you would like to say?

I think one thing I have to say is a big thank you to the to the team and the coaches. You know because it's been awesome, I mean joining the box and meeting the people and the coaches and joining the community The excitement, motivation and beautiful people are all highlights of my time here. It has been awesome and actually I haven't been coming to the box the last couple of weeks because I'm doing a lot of cycling but I really feel it like I really want to come back and join the sessions again.  So I'm looking forward to it. So in short: a big thank you to all the coaches.