The light green glow of the trees tells me that spring is more than just around the corner. And with it, I’m starting into my new life.
I arrived three months ago with two suitcases and a few bags - like a little pack donkey - and checked into a hotel room on an ordinary Sunday evening in early February. The sweet lady at the front desk got excited when I told her I'd be starting a new job the next day. I was too tired to match her enthusiasm, even though - most of the time - I was excited. Still, I appreciated her energy.
The week before, I had said goodbye to Zurich, the city I had called home for almost eleven years. It wasn't goodbye forever, but it was goodbye to an old version of life. Even though I'd felt ready to leave for a long time, it was still hard. I was sorting through so many things from the past. It's incredible how much accumulates in just over a decade. It wasn't easy to let go. But step by step, as my things were sorted into moving boxes and different bags, I myself felt more sorted and ready to embark on this new adventure.
And suddenly I was here. Geneva. A city with a different rhythm, a different language, a different culture. What I hadn't expected was this: the strange feeling of being a stranger in my own country. Of not quite belonging, even though so many things felt so familiar. To realise how difficult it can be to make new friends in Switzerland and how cliquish Swiss people can be.
It’s one thing to know that fact—it’s another to feel it for the first time.
But as spring unfolds, I’m starting to make new friends and discover Geneva—whether through a long run along the Rhône or while spending time with new people. It’s often said that Geneva truly comes alive in spring and summer, and I hope to experience many things that nourish the mind beyond just working toward my degree.
Back in Zurich, May had always been my favourite month: there were so many things to do and countless events to attend. And somehow, here too, my calendar is already filling up—with places to
visit, people to meet, and new experiences to look forward to.
We’ll see if May remains my favourite month—or if life here will weave a new pattern into that tradition.
So to come back to the theme of spring and new beginnings: yes, I arrived three months ago, but it feels like it took a while to truly set up my new life.
Piece by piece, I moved into my tiny, far-too-expensive flat and started to build new routines. I began my new position as a PhD student at the University of Geneva and slowly found my way into
the project.
For now, I’m embracing the unknown, step by step, as the city and I both awaken to a new season.