From City Girl to Townie

Before moving to Switzerland, I had an ideal image of the new life that awaited me. I pictured floral dresses, fresh bread and cheese every morning and friendly neighbors that would greet me by my name. I thought about the hikes in the green, boat rides on the lake while sipping some wine, and, ok, I also imagined finding a tall and strong swiss-french man who would teach me how to snowboard and prepare home made fondue. Why not.

My plan seemed to be perfect.

But the excitement one feels at the beginning will wear out after a couple of months and reality will kick in hard: not only are you missing out important family events and friends reunions, but you’re feeling like an outsider, you can’t understand the lifestyle (nor the language) and believe that everything is better at home.

After two years living in Switzerland, I’m now happy with my life – but it has been a tough way until I reached this point.

There have been some things that have helped me adapt to this new lifestyle.

• Find a (new) hobby. The first few months, I had big plans – I wanted to do yoga or pilates (I was told I couldn’t, due to my lack of french), tango lessons (I had to bring my own partner, which, I obviously didn’t have) and french (that’s a separate issue). And so, I was left with the gym (or that’s what I had thought). But I was wrong. A limited budget, lack of french knowledge or incompatible timetables is not enough reason to stay at home and whine about my misfortune – so I started hobbies that I could do whenever I felt like it. I started blogging, I am learning french at home with Rosetta Stone, I go skating, hiking and am developing an increasing interest on photography. Once I started to have some hobbies, my view changed completely. My hobbies make me happy!
• Jump out of your routine from time to time.. After the honeymoon was over, I got bored – I thought I had seen it all. My weekends were the same one after another. I really missed Madrid’s variety. Never knowing in which place we would end up having the last drink of the night. Always checking for another restaurant we had not been yet. The concerts. The many exhibitions. My recommendation? Never underrate the culinary and cultural diversity of a small city. Once I started to investigate, I found out about many cultural events (which mostly also involve food and drinks) that take place throughout the year – wine, jazz and city festivals (I mean, I even went to a chestnut festival last november), marathons, latin nights, jam sessions, open air art exhibitions… I really can’t complain – there’s always something going on!
• Be social. This is often easier to say than to do, when you’re completely on your own. I used to be a strange being – in some cases, shy, and in others I would talk up any stranger. Now, the shy me is gone. It’s the rules of the jungle – the social me was stronger. How can you meet people when you don’t speak the language? Well, me I met a lot of people through Glocals (it’s like the swiss version of Meetup). They organize something almost every day in the main cities of the country. Through this group, I’ve been ice skating, to a tapper sex (which was a surprise during a girls’ night out) and went to several after-work drinks. Another way is using Couchsurfing to meet with someone near you for a coffee (it’s not only to have a free place to crash!). Or, instead, you can ditch the internet and do it the old-fashioned way (my favorite one) – just go to someone who seems nice and say hi. People will usually have a good response to that! For the record, the first non-company-realted-person I met was my neighbor in my previous flat. I heard someone talking spanish, knocked on his door and said hi. What do you have to loose?
• Build a good work environment. Ok, I know. This doesn’t only depend on you but on your colleagues too (I mean, if they are a bunch of frustrated morons, you might want to consider changing your job). From my own experience, having a supportive and fun work team around me really helped me to stand up those mornings in which everything was grey. I know that I am going to have a good time at work, which, after all, is where I spend most of the day at.
• Choose your apartment wisely. I have a theory: if you’re unhappy with your house, you’re unhappy with everything else. At least that is what has happened to me. During 9 months, I lived in a 15m2 studio with one window overlooking the parking and a tiny kitchen. I felt as if I was trapped in a cave for the whole winter. In April, my company confirmed that I was going to stay in Switzerland indefinitely and I quickly started my apartment hunt. If I moved to the next tiny town, I would pay less rent. If I moved to the end of the bus or metro lines, I’d get much more value for money. If I moved to the area where drug dealers whisper their latest offers while you walk by, you would get a 1 bedroom instead of a studio for the same (or even less) money. I didn’t listen. I knew what I wanted – I wanted to treat myself to a place that made my home coming easy, pleasant and safe. And you know what? I’ve never regretted this decision. Any bad day usually will fade when I watch the colors of the sunset on the Alps and the lake. If you can, invest in a home you like – its really worth it.

What, in your opinion, would help you to get out of the ugly phase of culture shock?