Hello! Welcome to my yearly blog post where I reply to the same questions every year to give a glimpse into my experience of building a life in Switzerland and the adaptation process.
Enjoy reading, and if you like, don’t hesitate to jump to the section you are more interested in from the content table here:
What did I love the most about my life in Switzerland this last year?
Slowly getting closer to being more independent, starting a master’s degree, and and having a clearer path to follow for my personal/professional life in Switzerland.
The master is not only interesting because it is a bridge to the professional world, but I also enjoyed a lot being a university student again and learning a bunch of business stuff. It was positively surprising to see my capacities in finance once I pushed myself hard enough! Now I question myself why I didn’t get informed about these subjects earlier; it feels like a must and super helpful to survive in a modern, capitalistic world we live in—whether we like it or not. Though my favorite field stays as marketing so far, a field that you have more space for creativity.
What was the most difficult?
Starting a master’s degree in a field (business management & finance) I had zero clue about. Yes, because obviously the best things in life can come with a side of pain too. It was like trying to solve a Rubik’s cube blindfolded for the first semester, but, I somehow managed to crack the code and gain some confidence by the second semester.
Where I am in the process of learning the language(s)
French
The online exams I’ve been taking confirm that I have reached B2 level (last year was B1) by making the language a part of my daily life. I didn’t take any language courses this year.
I got more comfortable and confident in speaking French in daily life compared to last year. I can handle daily interactions pretty well, even if I don’t speak with 100% correct grammar.
German
In February 2024, I restarted learning German. I couldn’t study on a daily basis but spared 1–2 days of the week for it. Right now my level in German is around A1.2.
It is such a vast language! Sometimes I feel like drowning, but most of the time I have lots of fun learning it. For German, I take online group classes from Lingoda and occasional private classes from Preply. For me, it works best to take live classes in a language until I come to the end of B1 level at least.
What about cultural activities?
To be honest, I was initially hoping that university life would naturally involve me in cultural activities. However, living 1.5 hours away from the university made it less convenient.
Nevertheless, I took part in a finance association and contributed to organizing events. My focus was mainly on my master’s program, but I also stayed busy with various commitments like doing a short internship and continuing to learn the local languages.
On weekends, I dedicated my time to either studying or exploring new cities. I couldn’t visit as many museums compared to the previous year when I had a museum card subscription, but I still had the chance to explore a handful of them.
How were the neighborhood relationships?
This year it was actually our choice not to engage too much with neighbors, except for a few invitations. I wouldn’t complain about our neighbors; they are nice, and I feel like when we take a step, they’d also do so.
Did I make new friends?
By age this question becomes more and more difficult to reply to. Not only because it’s more difficult to make friends, but also adult friendships seem to me more… complicated? It becomes very difficult to know when you can say someone is your “friend”. But I definitely made more acquaintances, socialized more, and showed effort to build or strengthen my relationships.
Last weekend we threw a late birthday party for me at our house, and I had friends who came over to our place from different cities in Switzerland. That was a reassuring social event for me, and it went thankfully pretty well! Thanks again to the friends who were there on that day. ❤
How much did I explore in Switzerland?
13/26 cantons visited by June 2024, made it to the half. To be named, with cities I’ve visited in them:
- Basel (Basel-City)
- Bern (Bern, Thun, Interlaken)
- Geneva (Geneva)
- Fribourg (Murten, Gruyère)
- Jura (Delémont, Porrentruy, St.Ursanne)
- Lucerne (Lucerne)
- Neuchâtel (Neuchâtel)
- Schaffhausen (Schaffhausen)
- St. Gallen (St.Gallen)
- Ticino (Lugano)
- Valais (La Forclaz, St.Martin, Brig)
- Vaud (Lausanne, Montreux)
- Zürich (Zürich)
What about finding a job?
I’m on the way there, hopefully! I got my first internship experience at a Zürich-based start-up for a little while. Planning to start actively looking for more internship opportunities and entry-level management jobs soon.
Special to this year: How was the student experience in Switzerland?
I suppose it depends very much on the university you go to and the professors you take classes from. My experience with Unine was pretty good! It is really helpful that the size of the university is small enough to provide the opportunity for student-professor interactions. I felt valued, we were pushed to use our capabilities, and the content of the courses was mostly helpful, interactive, and we did plenty of projects to apply the theory that we learned.
Thank you for reading and for your interest! If you have any questions, I’d answer them happily when I can. Take care.
Semiha Weber 
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