The 12 Days Of Christmas – Lonely Expat in Zurich Edition
The holiday season is upon us; I am sure most of us are ready for a well-deserved break from work. Why do I bring this up? There are two main reasons for discussing it. The first, the more generally known reason, is that the human body needs a break to recover motivation and energy. Extensive research by Harvard Business Review has found that more holiday time not only improves energy levels and happiness but is also linked to improved success rate and chances of promotion. You can read the findings of this research here. The second reason is specifically for expat professionals. While the holidays may be a joy and happiness for most people, they can be quite bittersweet for the lonely expat. Let’s call this “lonely hearts club syndrome.”
That is because some of you may be unable to return to your families, or maybe you have lost loved ones around the holidays. Or maybe you are no longer close to your family, and your friends are all married and have kids. Maybe you haven’t made any close friends yet in Switzerland and don’t feel like seeing your successful high school friends in the bar at home this year.
Sometimes insufficient integration into host culture can make it a tough period for mobile professionals. Even if that’s not the case, being away from loved ones can take its toll. So, if you are worried a little about handling the holidays here are our ideas for a Christmas on your own and you can always write to me via the RockMeApp if you are a client.
Although technically the “twelve days of Christmas” don’t start until 25 December, this year you have a good chance to have two weeks off with a small number of vacation days or overtime compensation. And if you can count, you will see we have written about more than twelve days.
I want to invite every reader and client who is not Christian to enjoy the fun around our holiday traditions with us. If you live in Switzerland, you are exposed to many traditions. For me, the birth of Jesus Christ is a symbol of the love of God in every human, for being a good human, and for giving to others and yourself. This can also mean to forgive others who have hurt your feelings. It can mean to commemorate those we lost and miss. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter what your faith is or how spiritual you are as long as you aspire to do good in the world.
Christmas is also a time when we can connect with our inner child again and give this child all the love it deserves. Most of my clients berate their inner child, and it would be lovely if that were changed. In your next coaching session, tell me how you made your inner child feel loved and seen during the holiday season.
Saturday, 21 December: Buy a real Christmas tree at Bahnhof Stadelhofen
Turn on the radio or listen to the “Weihnachtshits” and decorate your real Christmas tree. I like Bing Crosby’s take on Christmas. Being stuck in a foreign country during the holidays is never ideal, especially if you don’t have family or friends. A luxury not afforded to pre-internet expats, but still in no way a replacement for family and friends, is video chat. While not the ideal replacement for the people you are missing, it can allow you to keep in near-constant touch and keep the holiday spirit fresh. This can also be a perfect time to reconnect with old friends and catch up.
Sunday, 22 December: Say Good-Bye to Jelmoli
Shops are open again, so you can profit from the Jelmoli sale in the city. Did you know that Jelmoli closes after 190 years? This is so sad for me, but honestly, whenever I go inside, I don’t feel like buying anything. It’s just too expensive. They have 30% and 50% off on most items. You can also find a DIY gift-wrapping station there. Book yourself into a concert and enjoy movie music with candlelight at the Zunfthaus zur Zimmerleuten.
Monday, 23 December: Washing the day before Christmas
If you have been in a work frenzy during the holiday build-up, you may want to switch it off. Do all your laundry because you cannot wash between Christmas and New Year’s Day. We call this time “zwischen den Jahren” (between the years). I like this expression and did some research on “Rauhnächte” and came across this blog post.
https://germangirlinamerica.com/what-is-rauhnacht/
Tuesday, 24 December: Read a Novel to a Senior Citizen on Christmas Eve
As far as I can remember, I’ve never spent Christmas Eve alone. You probably know I come from a big family and hardly find time to see all my relatives. If I were ever alone in Zurich on Christmas Eve, I would do my grocery shopping for three days and then use the opportunity to read to someone. Sozialwerk Pfarrer Sieber also runs a shelter for homeless people, and you could volunteer there.
https://www.swsieber.ch/wie-sie-helfen/mit-zeit-oder-waren/freiwilligenarbeit/
https://www.benevol-jobs.ch/de/organisation/stiftung-sozialwerk-pfarrer-sieber
Wednesday, 25 December: Skiing on Christmas Day
After you open all your presents to yourself, why don’t you go to the mountains and check out if there is a chance for a skiing day? Alternatively, you could organize a museum tour of Zurich with a lovely Christmas dinner. You could probably meet a few lonely hearts in Bohemia.
Thursday, 26 December: Boxing Day
This is a holiday in Zurich, and shops are closed, so you could plan a spa day or go outside again. For example, take the S-Train to Greifensee and walk around the lake for a while. Later, I would go to one of the nicest hotels in Zurich for afternoon tea and sip a glass of champagne. This is also a great day to host a White Elephant Gift Exchange at home to eliminate some of the “treasures” you found while cleaning up.
Friday, 27 December: Back at Work
Update your LinkedIn profile with Nabeha’s tips.
https://globalpeopletransitions.com/top-ten-tips-for-a-killer-linkedin-profile/
Clean your desk with a cup of hot cocoa (or gluehwein if allowed).
- throw out old files,
- clean up your computer,
- update your task lists,
- prepare your performance reviews,
- order that new work phone and
- pay all your outstanding invoices.
https://globalpeopletransitions.com/the-annual-brain-declutter/
Saturday, 28 December: Enjoy Swiss-Greek Apéro Culture
Enjoy an aperitif at YAMAS Zurich, the little Greek restaurant with a flair for the meatpacking district and Greek hospitality. You can also check out this great blog for more ideas: Newinzurich.
Sunday, 29 December: Opera Night
We are going to the opera with a few friends. Meet us there:
https://www.opernhaus.ch/spielplan/kalendarium/madama-butterfly/
Did you know that Madama Butterfly inspired Miss Saigon and that the story caused a few raised eyebrows in the intercultural world for perpetuating gender and cultural stereotypes. While I think this could be read into it, Madama Butterfly is essentially a tragic figure of a lower (impoverished) social status and how it was acceptable for men to have several wives while they were expatriates. It is nothing new from a Global Mobility perspective, and it is shockingly sad when a mother gives up her child so it can have a “brighter” future in the Western world.
Go there for the artistic experience. It’s worth it. Probably one
Monday, 30 December: Pamper Day
Don’t forget to stock up on groceries. If you’re like me, you probably have an empty fridge by now. These days, the Bahnhofstrasse isn’t as crowded as usual, so you could also go to the city and buy a new outfit. Maybe with style advice from Rowena Downing or a new outfit from Adam Brody?
Book a massage with Stephanie Suter. https://www.din-momaent.ch/
Tuesday, 31 December: New Year’s Eve
It’s time to let go. This will also be the day we write down everything we are grateful for in our lives and our wishes for 2025. You can use the reporting facility on the RockMeApp for that.
Write down everything you wish to leave in the old year on a Farewell List and burn it (outside in a safe place). Afterwards, stroll on Lake Zurich to Zurichhorn, a nice place to spend the afternoon. Sip on a glass of champagne and celebrate with us. We shall be at the James Joyce Party https://www.jamesjoyce.ch/silvester/
Wednesday, 1 January 2024: New Year’s Day
Most of you will still have a New Year’s Eve hangover and want to sleep in. To cure any headaches, I recommend fresh air and a hangover brunch. You could also drink less this year and go to the gym or do a yoga session.
https://alcoholchange.org.uk/help-and-support/managing-your-drinking/dry-january
Thursday, 2 January 2024: Berchthold Day with Movie Catch-Up Night
Berchtold Day is a regional holiday in many cantons (Aargau, Bern, Fribourg, Glarus, Jura, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Solothurn, Thurgau, Vaud, Zug, Zurich, Nidwalden) so unless you work for a foreign company not respecting the local laws, you will probably have the day off. You could take the train to Davos and enjoy the fantastic atmosphere there. Another beautiful place I recommend is Lindau in Germany. The additional benefit of going to Lindau is that the shops will be open there.
Do you always want to go and see movies but end up watching them on your laptop like me? Are you a cinema lover who is just too much of a nerd to go there alone? Why don’t you challenge yourself, pick a movie that you missed seeing this year, and go to FRAME, the house of the Zurich Film Festival?
Friday, 3 January 2024: Slow Start at Work
You wanted to start early this year and be ahead of the pack. You will return to work wondering where you left things before the holidays. It may feel harder than usual. Your iPad needs charging, you forgot a few passwords, and the building is only 18 degrees Celsius. This is a great day to enjoy an extended lunch with a colleague in the city. Leave the office earlier than usual and catch up on your work reading.
I love the first week of January for research and lecture preparation. Before New Year’s Eve, I’d instead catch up on novels and escapist drama. Come 1 Jan 2025, my grown-up self is back and wants to take charge. Out with the magic, in with the science. Hit me with those Global Mobility reports, trend updates and economic predictions of what to expect for 2025. Recession or no recession, investments in shares or money markets, housing prices, conversion issues. The light shifts, and my mood, too. Also, lecture notes need updating.
https://globalpeopletransitions.com/our-ten-commandments-for-the-global-mobility-manager/
Saturday, 4 January 2024: Setting Intentions
If you haven’t done so yet, this is the time when you should review your three major career goals in the RockMeApp and also check where you are on your learning schedule. As you know, I teach practices to help you stay focused and grounded. Check your ten practices. Are they still relevant? Do you need other practices in 2025?
What are new learning goals? Can you evaluate your learning over the past year? Did you learn what you had promised yourself? Check your data, too. Do you have any measures of progress that you can improve on year over year? Data can be annoying if you can’t see visible progress, so you must first clarify your definition of success. Use “The Global Rockstars Goals” template to quantify what you would like to achieve with your global team in 2025.
Sunday 5 January 2024:
This will be a great day to enjoy the mountains, go to the Kunsthaus or learn more about artists who lived in Zurich, such as James Joyce.
Monday, 6 January 2024: Epiphany (Three Kings)
This is NOT a holiday in Zurich so you usually would have to work, but not this year because it is a Saturday. One of my favourite traditions in the Swiss work environment is the “Dreikönigskuchen (King’s Cake), which you can obviously also just buy for yourself.
This is gender neutral so if you win the king as a female, you would be the Queen for the day. What would you allow yourself to do if you were the Queen? One idea I love from Downton Abbey is that the house ladies have breakfast in bed. That would be my wish to be the Queen of the Day.
https://www.sinas-backstube.ch/
PS: Let’s get serious about the job market. If you are looking for a new role or are considering moving to Zurich, Switzerland, right now, be carefully optimistic. We saw movement in December 2024, and many job openings were promoted on LinkedIn. Download the free guide for finding a job by signing up for our HireMeExpress Waiting List here. We share all jobs via the Global People Transitions LinkedIn Page.