Building Relationships is harder for Expat Spouses in Zurich.  As I sat on a panel, I just got as far as saying, “I think…” when the other panelist gave her opinion. She probably didn’t notice that I was trying to say something, but for a moment, I was annoyed and thought, “How rude…”. And it seems to happen more and more that I am waiting an instant too long, and then it is too late to say what I wanted to say. I now notice how I have become a “Swiss person.” I may have allowed a younger and shyer version of myself to take over these days. Having lived here in Zurich for over ten years, I prefer to […]

I have noticed that many international talents were left frustrated by moving to another country for work. I observed that the issues weren’t just financial but related to the individuals and the company underestimating the challenges of moving to a new country. Therefore, today, I would like to draw on my experience and discuss some important practices for that critical period, the first 90-odd days of an expat landing in a new country and beginning their onboarding process in the host company. You can also refer back to this post on Embarking on Your Journey.   1 – Prepare Before You Land Increasingly, in this age of protectionism, many countries now require you, the ex-pat, and your accompanying family to have […]

Seven Small Steps to Keep Sane in International Relocation International Relocation is usually stressful. It ranks among the top ten stress factors in life. I have worked as a Global Mobility Manager and I regularly consult expats and their spouses on career choices one of the lessons I learned is that you cannot take away the stress from international relocation completely but you can make it easier by following those seven rules I will share with you now. 1) Organize your move into smaller tasks with a checklist. It is all about organizing yourself and all those relocating with you. Try to break down the move in as many steps as possible and work those off day by day. Better one […]

I’m regularly going for business lunches in Zurich and when I started my business I could not really afford that. Nowadays, if I haven’t been to a restaurant yet, I always leave a Google review and I even give feedback on forms. The reason I am doing this is because I’m hardly ever wowed by the experience. There are a number of reasons for that and my Swiss friends will probably cancel me for saying that but one reason is the Swiss attitude and arrogance to literally everything. There are 1001 rules and regulations and it is hard to survive as a restaurant owner. So most restaurants here are owned by chains and many of them are great (such as […]