When you think about what it was like when you went to Switzerland: Looking back, would you do anything differently?
No, I probably wouldn’t do anything differently, even if things turned out differently than I had originally imagined. At the time, for example, I had the attitude that not much would change anyway. Switzerland is not far away, we are neighbors, have similar traditions – at least in the Lake Constance area – and speak the same language. Germany is sometimes jokingly referred to as “the big canton” in the colloquial language of Switzerland. But when you live here, you realize that some things are actually different and that it is a different country, shaped by its very own culture, both in private and professional life. This is fascinating, but of course also challenging.
At the beginning there are mainly many organizational issues that are new and that you have to take care of. In addition to the residence permit, moving to a non-EU country must be well organized and finding accommodation is definitely more difficult than you think. In retrospect, however, I was particularly surprised by rather “banal” things like choosing health insurance. The insurance system and the old-age provision are structured differently here, and one could certainly prepare better for that. Basically, I wouldn’t do anything differently, and I even believe that sometimes it’s helpful to just jump in at the deep end. That’s what’s so beautiful and exciting about an experience like this.
