Bern, Switzerland
After I left my home country for 10 months, it was time to return. The first stop was in my office in the capital. Meeting my co-workers again is always great. I’m rarely in the office. Usually, only a couple of days per year.
My company is renting a whole building in the old town. The top floor is unused and also very outdated and needs renovation. However, there are rooms where I usually install an inflatable bed for a couple of nights, so there is no need to book an expensive hotel for me. When I’m back in Bern, I’m usually very busy working and meeting friends. So this is a great option, and I’m happy I can use the space and have my things prepared there when I’m back.
By the end of the month, we had a company retreat near Bern. I made sure to be back in the office precisely to see most co-workers since many are working hybrid and are not always in the office. My lifestyle involves a lot of early planning and shifting things around to make it work best. The retreat was very fun. We tried out a new local sport and had a barbecue afterwards with many great discussions.
Igis, Switzerland
After visiting the office, I returned to my hometown to see my family. I like visiting my grandmother and getting my favourite food. I missed it. I still have many things to do at my parent’s place, my official address. I store mainly clothes and tech stuff there. Every time I return, I have to back up my pictures and videos, which are always quite a lot of data. I had 660 GB of data to copy to my RAID hard disks this time.
Back home, I also met some friends from my previous work or a guy I met in Morocco the year before, who is almost my neighbour. We went by bike to the next bigger city to get an ice cream and talked.
Schaffhausen, Switzerland (Refugee centre)
Every year, I have to serve for the country for a month. It’s mandatory for every man in Switzerland. I used to go to a farmer, but I thought this year I do something else. The so-called civil service gives flexibility in choosing the time and place to work. It also allows me to get an insight into something I would never be able to see else. This year, I managed to get a position at a refugee centre at the border with Germany. I only hear something from the newspaper, but now I’ll have a deep insight into how things are in reality and the issues. That insight is very interesting, and, I was looking forward to it.
At the centre, the situation was quite relaxed at the time. There were only 35 refugees, but the centre could fit 150-200. The main task was to provide them with food and support them in different ways with officials, insurance, doctors, etc. They come from various areas around the world, such as Afghanistan, Turkey, Syria, Ukraine, and Somalia. So speaking German is difficult for them. They go to school to learn. Some know some basics, others can’t be on their own. Even English is sometimes not given. So communication is an issue. The refugees are in the centre as long as the manager decides they’re ready to live independently, and then they get moved into apartments without that much supervision. That’s also part of our job to help them move.
The tricky part for the residents of the refugee centre is that they’re not allowed to work. They’re only allowed to help maintain and clean the centre itself. For example, they can voluntarily come and do basic household every day. They’re also allowed to help in the kitchen. Those hours get accounted to them, and they get some money for it, which they can spend freely. Overall, life isn’t great. They have the basics and get treated well, but most struggle with psychological issues since they’re coming from war zones. It’s not easy. Some people overcame this and are trying to integrate and get the chance for a better life. We, for example, had people from Africa who joined the local football club and went there twice a week for training. This way, they integrated culturally and language-wise. But those things are all optional. Refugees can use the opportunities and, step by step, move into Swiss society, while others will stay in the centre, and at some point, it has to be decided how things will continue with them.
Rhine Falls, Switzerland
I had a regular schedule. Sometimes evening, sometimes morning shift. After the morning shift, I was able to check out some nearby towns. For example, “Stein am Rhein” is a historic town by the river. The centre has many old buildings and paintings, which make it quite enjoyable to walk through and visit. Another famous site not far away is the “Rhine Falls” (Rheinfall in German), the most powerful waterfall in Europe. The water of the river Rhine falls down a height of 23 meters. It’s impressive to see it. With boats, it’s possible to drive closer to the waterfall and feel the forces.
Davos, Switzerland
I used to work a lot as a cameraman while living in Switzerland a couple of years back. While it’s still my passion, I can’t do both works. I’m in the lucky position to let the company I work for know when I’m back, and they can hire me on a daily basis for specific events. I love that, and it’s work I’m enjoying a lot. This time, there was an event called “Davos X-Trails”, a marathon race in the mountains close to my hometown. I drove directly with the camper van and stayed for a night in a hotel. We had to get up in time to set up our infrastructure the following day. We needed to broadcast the race on the stadium’s big wall and stream it online.
Igis, Switzerland (Swiss National Day)
The 1st of August is the National Day of Switzerland. Usually, we go to a farmer to get brunch, and there are fireworks. This time, we did exactly that. My best friend from Germany came for a couple of days to visit. On the morning of the National Day, we drove up into the mountains to a farmer, where we enjoyed a lovely brunch with many local products—cheese, bread, yoghurt, fruits and more. I like the tradition of having brunch at a farm; we do it almost yearly. Usually, I’m around Switzerland during this time since it’s warm and sunny—the temperature I like.
In the evening, we drove to an airfield where they organized an airshow with a, and at the end, they also had a model aeroplane. Huge once they had. It was fascinating, and at the end, they also had an aerobatic flight show of a real glider. After dinner there, it started to get dark, and a big fireworks display was scheduled as soon as it was pitch black. The show was really nice and very long. We all enjoyed it a lot.
My friend and I got invited to my grandmother’s place for lunch. One of my favourite dish “Krautkrapfen”. My friend wanted to try the real grandmother’s original. Before leaving, we went down into the garden to pick up some fresh salad, which I brought to my mother. In the garden, my grandmother was also taking care of a rose my friend had once brought. So, she was curious to see how the plant was growing. Afterwards, we took a quick hike up in a nearby mountain village. We had a peaceful walk and got rewarded with a nice view down into the valley where I grew up.
Zurich, Switzerland
The next day, my friend returned to Munich, Germany. I also had new plans to go to another country and needed to go to the airport in the centre of Switzerland. My friend wanted to buy some things in Zurich, so we both drove into the biggest city in Switzerland to shop and get food together. Afterwards, she left for Munich and me to the airport, where I flew to Barcelona.
