Bern, Switzerland
I was gone from the office for a long time. I started working at my current company in the summer of 2018 and began to travel immediately. First, I took shorter trips, then went overseas more and more. After 6 years of travelling, things are not that special anymore. I’m less excited about things, and I lose motivation. It’s up and down, and also reflects in work. So, for June, I decided to get an apartment in Switzerland and go to the office frequently to see my co-workers more and be a bit more of a part of the company than always being a satellite orbiting around the world.
I felt productive and had so much time just after arriving and checking into the apartment. Travelling is great, but it also uses much energy and time that could be used elsewhere. I felt that right away. I knew everything at my workplace and had to worry about nothing. That was the clear realisation. Switzerland is famous for being expensive, especially when you have to use hotels or Airbnb, like I always do. But I was lucky to find a payable apartment in Bern for a month. So I lived not too far from the office and went back and forth by bus. Like usual people do. I was back on a regular work schedule, commuting to work with workmates. For a month, that was my life during the work week.
Lausanne, Switzerland
A friend from Peru came to Switzerland to visit. I was still based in Bern and only had the weekend to explore, but that worked well. On the arrival weekend, we went to the Western part of Switzerland to Geneva and Lausanne. An area I like a lot is the lake and its scenery. We walked by the lake in Geneva and Lausanne. Since the Olympic committee has its headquarters in Lausanne, there’s also a museum there. We went there for a visit, and since the Olympics in Paris are coming up that year, it was fascinating. I’ve never been to it, so it’s also something new. I’ve been to many places within my home country, but there’s always more to explore. It’s great to show friends around my home country. We had to try a famous Swiss dish, Fondue, to end the weekend. It isn’t easy to find that dish on a restaurant’s menu since Swiss people normally do it at home with family and friends. But there was a special cheese restaurant in Bern, where we could taste a good and original one.
Igis, Switzerland
We visited my mountain hometown on the last weekend of my Peruvian friends’ visit. I also wanted to show her that part, and I had a dentist’s appointment since I’m finally in my home area. So we picked the new Electric car of my father and went for a drive into the mountains. My dentist is located in a small village up the mountain, the most unusual and beautiful place for a dental practice you can think of. After that, we continued to run the longest toboggan in Switzerland. On 3 kilometres, it’s possible to enjoy the ride down. First, it’s fun, and second, the view is amazing. You cross cows enjoy their green grass, so Swiss I recognised.
After that fun, we continued our loop by car and visited more places like Flims or the regional capital called Chur. To my surprise, there was just a street art festival going on. We stopped for food and then headed into the historical centre, packed with people. It didn’t take long until I spotted a couple of my friends on the road. They were surprised to see me since I’m always somewhere in the world, but never home. Sad actually for that part. They’re very up-to-date with my travels via social media. We watched some shows together until we headed with more friends we met on the way to a bar. There it was, like in the old days, much fun talking. We had to switch languages so my Peruvian friend could follow the conversation this time. It was so much fun. Also, some of my friends could speak Spanish, making everything smoother.
Before my friend had to return home, we went to the biggest city in Switzerland for the last evening. There again went for some Swiss dishes—this time for Cordon Bleu and Älplermagronen. Dishes I hadn’t had for a long time, and I was craving them. Then we continued to two bars since my friend likes to try different places. Early the next morning, we had to get up early to get to the airport, and this sums up 10 days for my Peruvian friend in Switzerland.
I returned to Bern from Zurich, where I continued working in the office. I met more friends after work and did the usual things as a normal guy working at a software studio in Switzerland.
On other weekends, I mostly travel back to my home region to spend time with my family. We visited some places and grabbed food together—quality family time. My grandmother usually joins as well.
Martingy, Switzerland
After staying in the office for a month, the yearly WordPress conference took place, which I usually attend. This time, it wasn’t far from Switzerland, but right on the southern border with Italy, in Turin. I said I’d never take a flight to this conference again, but since it was easily reachable by car, I did that. A friend of mine was training for a bike race in the French Alps and rented a small wooden cottage in the vineyards of Martingy. This was perfect, which I could combine with the conference. So I went there a couple of days earlier with my laptop and worked and enjoyed the company of my friend and also the unique place.
Chur, Switzerland
I returned to my hometown again, as a village festival was taking place, which occurs approximately every five years. The last time I couldn’t attend, then it was postponed due to COVID. However, this time I was able to attend and saw some friends from school whom I hadn’t seen in a long time.
Next, I also went back to my freelance cameraman work. I love that I can combine this, and that my usual contractor is so flexible that I can tell them when I’m around, and they hire me. I love the work very much, and this is probably the most significant part I miss when I’m not home—this and family/friends. I drove by car into the capital where the final of the European Cup in American Football was happening. The local team is one of the best in Europe, and few people in the area know it. So they don’t even have a proper stadium and only a few hundred spectators. But we were able to record and livestream it for others at home.
The weather that day was great while we were preparing all the gear for the game, but later in the afternoon, the wind picked up, and a thunderstorm was happening. For us cameramen on the top of a high podium, it wasn’t really nice; it was very cold and shaky. But we did our best and kept smiling, although we were wet until our underwear and hence very cold.
Zurich, Switzerland
The following week, a WordPress meetup took place in Zurich. I applied for a talk, and they were happy to have me. I’m not used to giving presentations, and it was something I never really liked, but it’s about a topic I’m very comfortable with, and I know people can learn from it. It was exactly like that. People were very interested, many questions came up at the end, and I had some nice discussions after the talk as well.
To arrive in Switzerland, I took my parents’ camper van since I was about to start a bigger trip into the North. Outside the centre of Zurich, I could park the camper at the parking lot of one of my mother’s friends. She lived at Lake Zurich in a beautiful house with much space. In Switzerland, sleeping in the car on public grounds isn’t allowed, so I parked on private property and spent the night in the car. The next morning, my mother’s friend invited me over for breakfast on the balcony with a great view over the lake and interesting talks.
I saw many friends during my month in Switzerland, but I haven’t been able to meet my closest friend from my time in higher education yet. He lives in Zurich, and I texted him since I planned to come to the meetup. During the workweek, he came up with the idea to get me access to his office. We can do some co-working and enjoy the lunch break and time after work together. I liked the idea, so we were working from the Microsoft office in Zurich, had a nice pizza and afterwards met some more friends on a small hill with some nerd talks. Great times.
