A Winter's Tale

Picture this: A sunny morning on the shores of Lake Geneva, the majestic Mont Blanc looming on the horizon, and a fresh croissant in hand. My first three months of living in Nyon, Switzerland have been a rollercoaster ride filled with challenges, discoveries and a few misadventures thrown in for good measure. From navigating the move to another country for the first time in my life to the intricacies of Swiss apartment hunting, I started to identify with lyrics of Queen's Winter's Tale.

I thought homesickness will be my greatest challenge, as Proust eloquently captures the essence of nostalgia - It's the scent of a familiar dish, the sound of laughter with friends, and the comforting presence of family. Keeping my mind busy certainly helped, but I do have to confess – all the emotions poured out when I visited Croatia just few weeks ago. Yet, amidst the longing, I've also uncovered moments of profound beauty – a breathtaking nature, the warm embrace of new friends and the thrill of mastering a new culture. Although you miss home, the sensation of exploring new horizons keeps you going.

Then, there's the language barrier. Sure, if you are moving to a new country, knowing the local language is something to start with. And if you are imagining me speaking French, you would probably see me as Joey in legendary scene (not) saying „Je m'appelle Claude“. However, me not speaking French turned out to be no problem at all. I was lucky enough to move to a country that consists of 25% foreign population. On top of that, I work in a international association where my closest coworkers are either Brits or Aussies. So I am managing with English just fine. It would be great to use this opportunity and learn a bit of French, which I highly recommend. Maybe, just maybe I start one day. But „Bonjour“ and „Merci“ is all I can give so far.

Speaking of work environment, I thought transitioning from the freedom of freelancing to the confines of an office job would be like going from a wild west adventure to a strict Victorian tea party. And although my daily attire evolved from pajamas and a messy bun to a meticulously chosen business-casual ensemble, I again found a way to enjoy this process and easily adjust to my new job. Maybe it's the fact that we play sports and swim in the lake during the lunch break, maybe it's the option to work from home, maybe it's reliable income or maybe it's my colleagues that made the transition surprisingly engaging… All that mixed together, and many reasons more, is the proper answer.

But not to sound just like Pharrell Williams, let me mention one thing that made me cry for my mommy… You see, my apartment hunting very quickly became my worst nightmare. After going through sky-high rents, competing with numerous applicants for same apartment, slow real estate agency, loads of paperwork and motivational letters (yes, I actually wrote a motivational letters to get a apartment lease!) and months of living in a hotel room, I soon felt more like George Costanza. Again, my patience was tested but also showed to be my greatest ally. Never give up on what you want. Aka – I have become a proud Swiss tenant.

I know a lot people traveled the world, lived at far more exotic locations than Switzerland and dealt with way bigger challenges. But for me, this was a huge step. A single woman, in her mid-thirties, moving to another country for the first time in her life. When this career switch was just an idea, I said it was an opportunity I couldn't decline. Not to toot my own horn, but turns out I made the right decision. In my humble opinion, you can never go wrong with chasing your dreams, whatever they are. Disclaimer: unless they are against the law.