10 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE MOVING TO SWITZERLAND

Summary

In this informative video, Olivia shares her personal experiences and top 10 insights about relocating to Switzerland. She advises against settling quickly for an apartment, recommends considering secondhand furniture to save costs, and emphasizes the importance of dealing with bureaucratic tasks early on. Olivia also highlights the significance of learning the local language for better adaptation and job opportunities. She touches on the differences in lifestyle across Swiss cantons, the importance of preparing for higher living costs, and the inevitable changes in friendships due to distance. This video serves as a helpful guide for those planning a move to Switzerland, offering practical tips to make the transition smoother.

Takeaways

• 😀 Be open-minded and patient during the apartment search process, considering temporary housing options before settling on a place.
• 🛋️ Consider buying secondhand furniture to save costs, as there are many affordable options available online and sometimes even for free.
• 📋 Prioritize dealing with bureaucracy within the first month of arrival, such as permits, biometrics, health insurance, and bank accounts.
• 🚗 Take advantage of the ease of converting your driving license to an international one in Switzerland, saving time and hassle.
• 🗣️ Learning the local language is crucial for adapting to life in Switzerland, especially for everyday tasks and administrative purposes.
• 🏫 Enroll in intensive language classes upon arrival to quickly improve language proficiency and ease the integration process.
• 🕵️‍♂️ Be patient with the job search and tailor your CV and cover letter to specific company needs, leveraging networking for hidden job opportunities.
• 🦷 Complete all medical and dental checkups before moving to save on the higher costs of healthcare in Switzerland.
• 🍽️ Expect to cook more often due to the high cost of living and lack of affordable food options like Hawker centers.
• 🎉 Understand that public holidays differ across Swiss cantons, influenced by regional culture and history.
• 👫 Recognize that friendships may change after moving abroad, requiring effort from both parties to maintain, and be open to forming new connections.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the video?

The main purpose of the video is to share personal experiences and provide 10 pieces of advice that the speaker wishes they knew before moving to Switzerland, aiming to help others planning to relocate there.

What mindset did the speaker initially have during their apartment search in Switzerland?

The speaker initially had a scarcity mindset, feeling the need to settle quickly due to the competitive housing market and fearing the consequences of arriving without a place to stay.

Why did the speaker feel it was better to consider alternatives to settling immediately for the first apartment found?

The speaker believes considering alternatives, such as renting a temporary place and physically checking apartments, could have led to finding a more suitable and preferred location earlier on.

What advice does the speaker give regarding bringing personal belongings, specifically furniture, to Switzerland?

The speaker advises considering secondhand furniture available locally in Switzerland instead of shipping personal belongings from one's home country, as it can be cost-effective and a fresh start.

Why is focusing on bureaucracy important within the first month of settling in Switzerland according to the speaker?

Focusing on bureaucracy within the first month is important because it ensures that all necessary paperwork, permits, and accounts are set up, reducing stress and preventing issues later on.

How does the speaker describe the process of adapting to life in Switzerland in terms of language proficiency?

The speaker emphasizes that adapting to life in Switzerland greatly depends on learning the local language, as English is not widely spoken, and suggests taking intensive language classes to improve proficiency quickly.

What is the advantage of having a Singaporean driving license when moving to Switzerland?

The advantage is that a Singaporean driving license can be immediately converted into an International driving license upon arrival in Switzerland, saving time and hassle compared to other nationalities that may require additional exams.

What are some strategies the speaker suggests for job hunting in Switzerland?

The speaker suggests tailoring resumes and cover letters to specific company needs, networking, attending events, and making connections that can lead to referrals or job opportunities.

Why is it recommended to complete medical and dental checkups before moving to Switzerland?

It is recommended because healthcare and over-the-counter medications are more expensive in Switzerland, so completing these checkups beforehand can save significant costs.

How does the speaker describe the difference in lifestyle between the French and German sides of Switzerland?

The speaker describes the French side as more relaxed and having a laid-back way of doing things, while the German side is perceived as stricter with more rules and possibly more uptight.

What is the significance of understanding public holidays when planning to live in Switzerland?

Understanding public holidays is significant because they differ across cantons, and one's workplace may observe different holidays depending on the canton it is located in, affecting work and personal planning.

How does the speaker suggest adapting to the high cost of living in Switzerland, particularly regarding food?

The speaker suggests cooking more often than in one's home country, trying meal delivery services for convenience, and meal prepping to save money and maintain a sustainable lifestyle.

What realization does the speaker come to regarding friendships after moving to Switzerland?

The speaker realizes that friendships may change, with some relationships requiring more effort to maintain, and that it's normal for some friends to enter or leave one's life after moving abroad.

Outlines

00:00

🏡 Relocation Mindset and Apartment Hunting

Olivia shares her personal experience about relocating to Switzerland in 2019 and the lessons she learned. She advises against settling quickly, especially when searching for an apartment. She recounts her initial scarcity mindset that led her to accept the first apartment she found in the suburbs instead of waiting for something more ideal. Olivia suggests considering alternatives like temporary housing while apartment hunting in person, emphasizing the importance of experiencing a neighborhood firsthand rather than relying on photos or videos from a relocation agent.

05:00

🛋️ Embracing Secondhand Furniture and Navigating Bureaucracy

The second paragraph focuses on the recommendation to consider secondhand furniture to avoid the high costs and hassle of shipping belongings from one's home country. Olivia mentions the abundance of affordable secondhand goods online and the joy of redesigning one's living space. She also advises focusing on bureaucratic tasks within the first month of arrival, such as obtaining permits, setting up health insurance and a bank account, and finding a family doctor. Olivia highlights the ease of converting a Singaporean driving license to an international one, which is an advantage not many countries offer.

10:03

🗣️ Language Barriers and the Importance of Local Language Proficiency

In this part, Olivia discusses the challenges of adapting to Switzerland where English is not widely spoken. She emphasizes the importance of learning the local language, depending on the Canton one resides in—be it German, French, or Italian. Olivia shares her personal struggle with French administrative documents and the significant improvement in her language skills after taking intensive French classes. She also suggests considering online language courses before moving, as they can be more efficient and tailored to the individual's pace.

15:06

📝 Job Search Strategies and Regional Lifestyle Variations

Olivia provides tips on job hunting in Switzerland, noting the importance of a targeted approach to applications and the value of networking. She mentions that many job opportunities are not publicly advertised and suggests attending networking events to make valuable connections. The paragraph also touches on the differences in lifestyle across various Cantons in Switzerland, with each region having its unique way of life. Olivia shares her preference for the relaxed lifestyle in Swiss French regions compared to the more structured Swiss German areas, and she advises considering these factors when choosing where to settle.

🍽️ Adjusting to Higher Living Costs and the Impact on Daily Life

This paragraph discusses the higher cost of living in Switzerland, particularly when it comes to dining out, which is not a sustainable daily option due to the expense. Olivia talks about the necessity of cooking more often and trying different meal services to save time and money. She also mentions the importance of preparing for the change in lifestyle, including the need to pick up cooking skills if one is not accustomed to it. Olivia's narrative highlights the need to adapt to a more self-sufficient way of living when relocating to Switzerland.

🤝 Navigating Friendships and the Dynamics of Long-Distance Relationships

Olivia reflects on the changes in her friendships after moving to Switzerland. She acknowledges the difficulty of maintaining the same level of closeness with friends from her home country and the emotional challenges that come with it. She talks about the importance of mutual effort in maintaining long-distance friendships and the sadness of losing touch with some friends. At the same time, she expresses gratitude for the new friendships she has formed in Switzerland. Olivia encourages embracing change and the natural ebb and flow of relationships as part of the growth and experience of living abroad.

Keywords

💡Relocation

Relocation refers to the act of moving from one place to another, often over a significant distance, to live or work. In the context of the video, it is the main theme as the speaker Olivia shares her personal experience of relocating to Switzerland in 2019. She discusses the challenges and advice she wishes she had known before moving, which is crucial for understanding her journey and the tips she provides for others planning to move to Switzerland.

💡Mindset

Mindset pertains to a person's established set of attitudes, beliefs, or ways of thinking that can influence their decisions and actions. Olivia emphasizes the importance of having the right mindset when searching for an apartment in Switzerland, advising against settling for the first available option out of fear. She reflects on her initial scarcity mindset that led her to accept an apartment in the suburbs rather than holding out for something more ideal.

💡Relocation Agent

A Relocation Agent is a professional who assists individuals or companies in the process of moving to a new location, often providing services such as finding housing and offering advice on local customs and regulations. In the script, Olivia mentions that she was fortunate to have a Relocation Agent who helped her scout for apartments while she was still in Singapore, which is an important aspect of her relocation story.

💡Secondhand Furniture

Secondhand Furniture refers to items that have been previously owned and used, often purchased from thrift stores, garage sales, or online marketplaces. Olivia advises considering secondhand furniture as an alternative to shipping one's entire household from their home country to Switzerland. She points out the availability of cheap or even free secondhand items in Switzerland, which can be a cost-effective and practical solution for new residents.

💡Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy involves the complex system of rules, regulations, and procedures that are involved in the operation of a government or organization. Olivia suggests that focusing on bureaucracy should be a priority within the first month of settling in Switzerland. This includes tasks such as obtaining permits, setting up health insurance, and opening a bank account, which are essential steps for establishing a new life in the country.

💡Language Proficiency

Language Proficiency is the ability to use a language effectively and accurately, which is crucial for communication and integration into a new society. Olivia highlights the importance of learning the local language in Switzerland, as English is not widely spoken. She shares her experience of taking intensive French classes, which significantly improved her ability to navigate daily life and bureaucracy in her region.

💡Job Search

Job Search refers to the process of looking for employment opportunities. Olivia provides tips for job seekers in Switzerland, emphasizing the importance of patience and the need to tailor resumes and cover letters to specific job requirements. She also discusses the hidden job market in Switzerland and the value of networking, which led to her second job in the country.

💡Canton

A Canton refers to one of the 26 member states of the Swiss Confederation, each with its own distinct culture, language, and way of life. Olivia explains that the lifestyle in Switzerland can vary greatly depending on the Canton, with differences in public holidays, the strictness of rules, and even the local dialect. Understanding the Canton where one plans to live is important for adapting to life in Switzerland.

💡Cost of Living

Cost of Living represents the amount of money needed to sustain a certain level of living, including expenses such as housing, food, and transportation. Olivia mentions that the cost of living in Switzerland is high, which has influenced her lifestyle choices, such as cooking more often instead of eating out. This is a key consideration for anyone planning to move to Switzerland.

💡Friendship

Friendship is a close and supportive relationship between two people. Olivia reflects on the changes in her friendships after relocating to Switzerland, noting the challenges of maintaining long-distance friendships and the emotional impact of being absent from important life events. She also discusses the importance of effort from both parties to sustain these relationships and the natural ebb and flow of friendships over time.

Highlights

Relocation mindset is crucial, and settling for the first available apartment might not be the best choice.

Alternatives to settling for the first apartment include renting a temporary place and physically scouting for a better fit.

Importing all your furniture might not be necessary due to the availability of affordable secondhand options in Switzerland.

Focusing on bureaucracy within the first month of settling is essential to avoid future stress.

Singaporeans can convert their driving license immediately upon arrival in Switzerland, saving time and hassle.

Learning the local language is vital for adapting to life in Switzerland, especially for everyday tasks and administrative purposes.

Intensive language classes are recommended for new residents to improve language proficiency quickly.

Online language classes can be more effective and cost-efficient than physical classes.

Patience is key during the job search, and tailoring applications to specific company needs can improve chances.

Networking is crucial in the Swiss job market, as many opportunities come through referrals and personal connections.

Completing medical and dental checkups before moving to Switzerland can save on the high costs of healthcare there.

Each Canton in Switzerland has a distinct lifestyle and culture, which can greatly affect your experience living there.

Public holidays in Switzerland vary by Canton, affecting work and personal plans.

Cooking at home is more common and cost-effective in Switzerland due to the high cost of eating out.

Maintaining friendships from a distance requires effort from both parties and may lead to changes in relationships.

Adapting to life in Switzerland involves embracing new friendships and accepting the natural ebb and flow of relationships.

Transcripts

it's been 5 years 5 years since I

relocated to Switzerland in 2019 and

there were so many things that I wish

I've known earlier or people had just

given me the advice so that we have made

my relocation Journey a lot smoother so

in this video I will be sharing with you

my personal experience and 10 Things I

wish I knew about Switzerland before

moving and I hope that this would help

those of you that are planning to move

to Switzerland sometime soon if you're

new here my name is Olivia and I share

everything related to Swiss travels and

life in Switzerland so if you have not

yet subscribed to the channel do

consider hitting the Subscribe button

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Bell on so that you will always be

alerted to new videos without further

Ado let's get

[Music]

going the first tip I have is related to

your mindset and that is not to settle

what I mean by that was related a lot to

our apartment search we were lucky to

have a Relocation Agent back then who

was responsible for helping us to scout

for apartments um in Switzerland because

we were still physically in in Singapore

back then and it was not possible to to

search for the apartments by ourselves

ideally we wanted to stay somewhere

which is where we are currently at this

will be my most ideal place because of

the location proximity to the lake and

it's just a really Charming neighborhood

but we ended up with an apartment in the

suburbs of loan it was like our the

first apartment that we got and I

remember the mindset I had back then was

like oh my gosh like we better just take

what we have already you know that the

competition here is so Fierce and uh

it's really difficult to find an

apartment and if you don't take it you

know we don't know when when is going to

be our next apartment that we can get

was running on this like scarcity

mindset like kiasu mindset again like

very Singaporean uh because I was

worried that you know what's going to

happen to us if we arrive in Switzerland

without an apartment where are we going

to stay what's going to happen to all

our shipment that is already coming it's

not that we I don't enjoy the place that

I stayed previously in in loan but I

felt that on highet it would have been

better if I had uh broader mindset into

thinking that you know hey it's not the

end of the world if you arrive without

an apartment because there were

Alternatives that I didn't consider uh

such as maybe renting a temporary place

for a while like at FNB while being

physically present in Switzerland so

that you can physically go and check the

apartments for yourself because there's

a lot of difference between just looking

um at the photos or the videos that your

Relocation Agent is going to send you

versus you being in the place and you

know checking out the vibe of the the

the the whole neighborhood the manties

and looking at the the apartment itself

so yeah I mean things turn panned out

well for me in the end but I felt that

if I had adopted a a broader mindset who

knows maybe I would have ended up in

where I am today at this uh this

neighborhood way in advance 5 years

earlier than than moving to loan at that

point in time the second tip I have is

to consider secondhand furniture there's

no need for you to ship your entire

world over from wherever you are to swis

and that was how I operated 5 years ago

I was so afraid that you know things are

going to be so expensive here it's going

to be so hard to to get nice stuffs and

it's better for us to just like bring

everything that we have so I think we

ship over like our bed frame all our

kitchen wear you know like is there so

many secondhand goods and Furniture

being sold online at a very cheap price

that you would not believe it some

people even just give it up for free

because there's a lot of experts that

are living in in this area like in

Geneva in loan and they're constantly

like moving out and they want to clear

their Furniture so they they they really

like put for a very low price and you

just go and collect and also I feel that

it's also a nice beginning for yourself

like you know you don't have to bring

over like your baggage from your

previous place you can start a fresh and

you can also have fun with redesigning

your space it also signifies a new

chapter for yourself the third advice is

to focus on the bureaucracy first within

your first month of settling there's

going to be so many things that you need

to get done starting from your permit

getting the Biometrics done setting up

your health insurance and your bank

account you know Finding Your family

doctor all these things have to be done

and I feel that it's important that in

your first month you just focus on you

know having a checklist of all the

things that you you need to do don't be

so quick to go and travel because all

this can be done later on you know

Switzerland is just there for you to

enjoy for the rest of your time here

focus on getting the the necessary

things done right so that you don't have

to stress over it or come back to deal

with it in the later stage of your

moving best things for Singaporean in

terms of uh driving license is that you

can convert it immediately and you get

an international driving license that's

an advantage that not a lot of countries

has because I know that for certain

countries like you have to take like the

theory exams or is it the the the

physical exams I'm not sure but I'm I'm

so glad that I didn't it to I took my

driving um license back like 10 years

ago when I was 18 years old and I just

have to like reapply and re reconvert it

to my International license and that

saved so much time and hassle my fourth

tip about moving to Switzerland is that

how well you're going to adapt will very

much depend on how well you learn the

language switzland is a a country where

English is not that widely spoken as

compared to places like maybe I don't

know Canada UK Singapore where English

is like the the def default language but

it's not the case in Switzerland um

based on which Canton that you settle in

maybe you're in the German side or

you're at the French side or the Italian

side in Te know you have to speak the

local language otherwise it's going to

be very difficult for you for even for

your very basic everyday tasks maybe

going to the supermarket visiting the

postman whenever we receive

administrative letters I will be so

stressed because every single document

came in French there was no English uh

translation to it and I had to use like

my Google Translate to like scan the

document and know what the hell is

talking about and also when you're like

making phone calls be it like to the

internet service providers or you want

to make like an appointment with the

doctors most of the time they are

speaking French or German if you are in

in Zurich or or luten so it's really

important that you can speak like

everyday phrases the best investment I

made during my first three months in

Switzerland is to take intensive French

classes every single day I was at Leo

migro taking classes for 3 hours come

back do my homework and the next day I

went back and study again my proficiency

in French just skyrocketed within that

three months and I honestly think that

if you're someone that just arrived in

Switz maybe you're still looking for a

job the best thing you can do for

yourself is to sign up for an intensive

class because the teacher is quite

straight as well you know they're not

going to speak English to you during

your class you are 100% only speaking

French and when you're immersed in the

environment you know in that very f

environment where every day you are like

absorbing new vocabulary new language

and also you are dealing with all your

administrative and your everyday task

you are going to learn and improve so

fast in your French so 100% I felt that

that was the most worthwhile thing I've

done but if I were to push myself even

further like even before coming to

Switzerland I think looking back another

thing I would have done is to take

online classes in French back then I was

actually taking physical classes at lons

Frances everyone has different

experience with them personally for me I

felt that I didn't learn as fast as I

could have because it's a group setting

right so and also people come after work

I take my classes like two times a week

after work it's like it starts about

like 8:00 and people are already tired

so the the pace of the class was very

slow I felt like I took the class for

two months and the amount of things I

learned I was probably like what I

learned in the first three lessons of my

migro lessons so didn't felt that it was

worth the time but I have taken online

classes with uh with a language provider

which I am with lingoda right now the

course materials are excellent and you

can choose between private class and

group classes and if I really want to

invest I would have gone straight on

with a private tutor online and it's

still cheaper than getting a private

tutor phys you know in a physical uh

environment it's cheaper and the teacher

is going to be paced with your learning

speed and I'm I was confident that I

could have learned a lot faster just at

that point I wasn't aware of like online

classes back then if you're interested

in trying out Ling goer there is a 7-Day

trial where you can try out three group

classes or one private class and if you

subscribe during the first month you can

use my code o Chini for 20% off your

first month next tip is to be patient

with the job search I previously done a

very detailed video on my job hunting

experience in Switzerland so if you need

more tips on that check out my video

here but in general I have a few tips

right now for you if you're sending out

like hundreds of applications and all

you get are rejection letters there's

probably a few things that you need to

take note of firstly maybe your cover

letter and your CV is not targeted

probably you're just like Mass spamming

your application everywhere and chances

are it's going to get rejected because

your CV is going to be filtered out by

those like robots and if it's not

targeted enough you are not even going

to clear the first tier of the of the

clearance so I think you should consider

targeting your resume and your cover

letter very specific to the company's

needs uh check out the keywords that

they're using and and make sure that

your cover letter and your CV really

have have have those uh information

second thing is I feel that in terms of

the job markets and Switzerland a lot of

the jobs are hidden and the faster way

for you to get jobs is really to network

to really go out and connect with people

you know whether is it uh meeting people

uh over coffee or attending Network

networking events these are the best way

for you to make the right connections

for people to know what you're doing

here uh and also understand a little bit

more about your professional background

and then hopefully you get a referral or

or a chat can lead you somewhere because

that was exactly what I did and how it

lended my second job in Switzerland if

you're thinking of traveling around

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guide next tip I have is to get all of

your medical checks and your Dent your

dentist appointments done before coming

so as you already know things are like

three times more expensive here as

compared to your home country so it's

really best to just do like a full body

checkup get everything done before

coming so you save the cost of um doing

it here in Switzerland and also over the

counter medson is quite difficult to to

get them like you either need a

prescription or sometimes you can get it

here yes but it's also expensive what I

usually do is like whenever I'm back in

Singapore I'm just going to get all of

my cough Matson my flu mats uh Mets for

stomach egg and everything so that you

know I don't have to like get an

appointment with my doctor for all this

kind of like everyday uh common calls

the next advice I would give is that

your lifestyle in Switzerland would very

much depend on the Canton that you're in

because each region really have a very

distinct unique un way of life for me I

am living in the French side of

Switzerland in Swiss homo and I feel

like the lifestyle here is you know

maybe the the people living in swis

Germans side they will kind of say like

ah the people here like very um very

disorganized especially when it comes to

Geneva and uh like the train is breaking

down at a higher frequency as compared

to the Swiss German side I don't know

why especially the loan to Geneva track

it's always like late or like there's

train breakdown I personally prefer the

live here in swis homo I feel that it's

more relaxed um and it's also by the

lake and they just have a very lazy Fair

way of doing things whereas when I spoke

to friends that living in a Swiss German

side I I guess the common feedback I

receive is that things are a little bit

stricter there like there's a lot more

rules there I didn't leave there in uh

at all to kind of experience the

difference but I do have this sense that

Swiss Germans are a little bit more

uptight I think another second

disadvantage is that if you are living

in in the Swiss German part even if you

speak High German sometimes it's still

difficult for you to really converse

with the local because they have their

own dialect they speak in Swiss German

so you also cannot really understand

them whereas in Swiss homo like if you

speak French everybody speaks French

here so you can like understand and you

can make a good conversation with them

of course salaries are higher at the

Swiss uh Swiss German side and in the

southern side in Tio um of course

incomes are lower there but you get a

completely different vibe there it's

more it's more like Italian stule it's

more medit iranium is super Charming in

the summer I really like Tio uh when it

comes to like holidaying in Switzerland

please check out my teino guide here um

and yeah so overall I think depending on

where you stay in Switzerland you have a

completely different experience and when

you cross over to the to the other side

like to the other region you'll feel

like wow it feels like two is this is

this still Switzerland it feels like two

different place so yeah make a good

choice before coming like know what is

the lifestyle and what is the what is

the way of live that how people how

people behave uh in this in this region

that you're about to settle in another

thing I wish I knew earlier is that

public holidays in Switzerland differs

across the cantons so you know you have

like your national holidays in in

Singapore and no matter where you are I

mean we are just one country right

everybody has the same holidays but it's

not the case in Switzerland so depends

on whether the Canton is like a Catholic

Canton or it's like a Protestant Canton

uh probably related to the culture and

the history of of the Canton so here in

V like we have some certain holidays

that is not celebrated in other cantons

like in the Swiss German side I think

like it's called the J Federal in

September that's probably something

unique to to vote and then like in the

German cantons they have also holidays

for like the fash nut the the German

Carnival uh and in terms of cantons with

the most number of holidays public

holidays there got to be Tio but all of

your standard holidays like your Swiss

national day uh Christmas all this is

still is still like common across l in

so if you were to leave in a certain

Canton like say you live in Zurich but

you work in I don't know somewhere in

the French site you will always abide by

the the the holidays where your working

place is at so my husband who works in

Zurich follows the German holidays and

me who works in swisso I follow the

French holidays something good to know

next advice I have is to get prepared to

cook more often than back home um by now

you already know I think I I feel like

I've been repeating this over and over

again that really cost of living here is

really very high and it's not going to

be how it was back then in Singapore

when I can just tap out food back I just

eat um you know after work when you're

tired you just get food from the Hawker

Center but there's no such thing as

Hawker centers here like what you have

is probably like maybe you get your

takea away from mro and it's too

expensive you know and it's not

sustainable for you to be eating out

every single day at restaurants so

definitely ever since moving here we

have been cooking a lot lot more often

as compared to Singapore because why

would I do that in Singapore like I have

my parents will be always cooking for me

I have my Haw centers and is in fact uh

eating out in Singapore is probably

cheap cheaper than cooking back cooking

at home but it's the reverse case in in

Switzerland so we have been trying out

different services like we did uh other

um meal delivery services which was more

of like a time saer it's too expensive

but for the quality of the food you get

and also the amount of time you save uh

we felt that it was a feasible option

for us for a period of time but other

times we were basically just meal

prepping for like maybe on Sundays we

cook a big meal and then we will eat for

the next 2 days for our lunch if you

have not started cooking in wherever

you're from maybe it's time to pick up a

few simple recipes so that you can

sustain yourself in Switzerland and

there are certain meals that you can

prepare for yourself without going to

the restaurants the last point I would

like to talk about is about friendships

which took me a while to to come to this

realization that um I cannot expect my

friendships to remain the same as it was

back in back in Singapore I used to have

very close friends and these are

girlfriends that I would hang out with

very often I would meet out with them uh

after work or we'll just go out and I I

was constantly aware of things that are

going on in their lives but it

completely changed ever since I moved

sometimes I feel a bit sad that I'm not

there for a lot of my friends when it

comes to important milestones their

lives I have missed out on so much um

birthdays weddings

births uh and some I always have this

guilty feeling that I'm like the absent

friend and at the same time sometimes I

also have this like resentment you know

like why is it that I constantly have to

be the one reaching out to my friends um

and why is it not vice versa even when

you know when you send a message like

how are you I think that's the hardest

message to to respond to because how you

going to condense everything that has

happened to you uh in a single message

in the single response for any

relationships whether marriage or

friendships it always takes two hands to

clap and I feel that especially to

maintain a longdistance friendship it

really involves two parties making the

effort to check in on each other and you

know just um be there and maybe share

maybe just catch up over phone calls or

messages of course it's not going to be

the same as meeting in person but that's

why whenever I return back to Singapore

I really try my best to be present for

my friends and really spend quality time

with them because I know that this is

the only time I have in a single year

with them of course there are certain

friends that I have said goodbye to or

they are no longer in my life and at

times you may feel sad about it but I

feel that this is part and parcle of

growing up of moving abroad that certain

people may be in your life for a certain

season in your life and they may leave

and they're here to teach you a lesson

and at the same time I have have new

friends that I've met here in

Switzerland and I'm really grateful for

them as well so yeah I think it's a give

and take some people leave your life and

some enter and they they all make

Footprints in your path and that's the

end of my video I think you should feel

really proud of yourself for making this

first step to relocate to move somewhere

outside your comfort zone everyone has

their own different process and of

course the road ahead is going to be

pretty uncertain it's going to be quite

scary at times but it's going to be a

worthwhile and a very exciting Journey

and who knows maybe 5 years later you'll

be the one making these videos for other

people coming to Switzerland so with

that thanks for watching this video and

I will see you in my next one

bye