Hello and welcome to the first of our two-part blog series! Today, we’re talking about what it’s like to leave everything you know behind to start a new life in a new country. As many of you know, my wife, Nicole, is from Costa Rica, and I am from Switzerland. Last October, Nicole moved here to live with me, and since then, a lot of changes have happened in her life and in ours. It’s been an amazing journey, but there have also been some real challenges.So, I sat down with her to ask some of the questions you might have about her experience. What does she like about Switzerland? What does she miss from home? And what does it really feel like living as an expat in Switzerland? Here is our conversation, brutally honest and straight from the heart.
Arrival & First Impression
Cyril: For our listeners, what was your first impression when you arrived in Switzerland, and how did it compare to what you expected?
Nicole: To give you a little background, Costa Rica is called “the little Switzerland of Central America”. And I have to say, that was literally my first impression. When you come here for the first time, you see all these crazy mountains, which are also super iconic in my country. So it was super nice. I could confirm that it is really the little Switzerland of Europe.
Cyril: What surprised you the most about the culture and the people here?
Nicole: I think the lifestyle and the people. Don’t get me wrong, Swiss people are super nice. But, you know, as a Latin American, we are super friendly and have this Pura Vida vibe. Sometimes people here are very serious. You think, “I want to say hi to everyone,” but here it’s just a different culture.
Cyril: What was going through your mind when you arrived at the airport? You left everything behind to come live with me here.
Nicole: It was completely bittersweet. Some people think when they move to another country their life is going to be perfect, but it’s not always like that. I’m an only child, so leaving my family alone in Costa Rica was so incredibly difficult, and I also had to leave my cats, which are part of my life. But at the same time, I was thinking, “Finally, I can be with my husband,” since we had such a long-distance relationship for so long. In summary, it was bittersweet because I was so happy to be with you, but also sad to leave everything I knew behind and start from zero.
Culture & Daily Life
Cyril: What were some of the biggest cultural differences you noticed on a daily basis?
Nicole: For me, the biggest cultural shock was how perfect and organized everything has to be here. My country is called bureaucratic, but it’s nothing compared to what you can expect here in Switzerland. For example, in Costa Rica, we don’t have street addresses or receive letters from the government. So when you told me we needed to put my name on the mailbox to receive mail, it was a totally new experience for me.
Cyril: Your lifestyle has completely changed. Before, you had your own routine. What do you miss about that?
Nicole: My lifestyle is so different. Before, I lived alone and had my own routine. I used to go swimming after work and reward myself with a coffee at Starbucks. Now, we don’t have a car, so you have to adapt to the train schedules. In Latin America, you have the freedom to just go at 5:30. Here, you have to check the trains, and that’s a huge adjustment.
Cyril: What was the most difficult thing for you to get used to in your daily life?
Nicole: Going to the store and asking for what I needed. People assume everyone in Europe speaks English, but that’s not always the case. I remember once when you were sick, I went to the pharmacy alone and tried to explain what I needed with sign language. I was trying so hard until the pharmacist finally told me, “English is fine,” and I was so relieved. Even now, going to the supermarket can still be difficult.
Integration & Challenges
Cyril: We’ve had a lot of difficult moments, but what do you love most about living as an expat in Switzerland?
Nicole: It’s difficult to say, but for me, the most important thing is just being with you. I don’t care too much about the country; the most important thing was that we decided to move here just to be together. I am still in the process of discovering Switzerland, so I can’t say I love something specific yet, but I love being with you.
Cyril: What do you miss the most from Costa Rica that you don’t have here?
Nicole: My Costa Rican coffee! You cannot find it here; you can only find Colombian or Brazilian. I also miss our famous Salsa Lizano. And on a personal level, I 100% miss my family and my cats.
Cyril: Switzerland has a reputation for having a reserved population. How do you feel? Do you feel accepted by the locals, or has it been hard to connect?
Nicole: My experience has been 50/50. Sometimes when you are at the train station, people can be rude and just don’t care. But then I also have nice experiences. My neighbors, for example, always say “Grüezi” and smile, and I never expected that. I feel accepted by some, but others seem to be in their own world. It’s a huge difference from the Pura Vida vibe of Costa Rica, where everyone is so friendly.
Cyril: What helped you the most to adapt to life here?
Nicole: I think what helped me was time, literally, just the time. For the first four or five months, I was a little grumpy, feeling like I didn’t belong. But at some point, I reached a point of “I don’t care”. I just decided to be myself, and if people liked me, that’s fine; if not, that’s also fine. I also think that working helped me a lot to understand the culture, because it’s a great school to watch people and see how they interact.
Cyril: My advice to you is to adapt but not to become like the Swiss people. I think you should never leave that Pura Vida lifestyle behind.
Nicole: I promise that, of course. I think what helps me is that I am very proud of my country, and I know who I am. Even though my country is small, I still love it. So no, that’s not going to happen.
We hope you enjoyed this first part of our conversation! We hope that it will help others who are going through a similar journey. Living as an expat in Switzerland is not always easy, but we believe that with the right mindset and the right person by your side, it’s an amazing journey.
Living as an expat in Switzerland can be difficult, that’s why i asked Nicole a lot of questions, therefore stay tuned for Part 2, where we’ll talk about her career, our relationship, and our long-term goals. Until then, you can check out latest blog posts on Lifetime-insight.