I left sunny Scotland nearly 3 years ago and after the initial all is well. I met my boyfriend(Thurgauer) where I worked, me as a manager and he as a chef, he initially came for 5 months but ended up staying 2 years. After a while we both got to the end of our jobs and needed something new and exciting. So, after a drunken night where he said "lets drive round Europe in a van", I soon found myself in Zürich airport with all my worldly possessions. We travelled in an old VW campervan for 5 months then stopped off in Switzerland to say hello to his parents....I haven't been home since. We are actually getting married in 10 weeks and plan to start our own business here in the near future..funny how things work out hey.

That's a good question, "home".

I left Spain 18 years ago, when I was in my 20s. Lived in London for 7 very happy years, travelled and settled in Switzerland. Home is here now.

And Spain is a very different country now. I don't understand much of the new slang, don't read much in Spanish any more, don't recognise the music or the films.... Spain is different and I am too (or just older).

a combination of both for us - my employer asked and we jumped at the opportunity. after just over 8 months, not a day goes by that we aren't still grateful for the move and the way it has changed each of our lives, all while bringing us closer together as a family.

Yeah, that's what I meant about "being sent here...". People don't really get sent, though, they do make choices. No matter how rough ones, it's a challenge that seems healthy to figure out. Besides, I don't run away from difficult situ. I feel being a stay at home person, to starting a career from scratch again in a different country, language and environment, while leaving a really good one behind, makes me actually a lot more flexible. Plus, local people appreciate it. I know I do at home, when there are newcomers who make giant effort. It's not easy here for them, either, no matter if a newcomer comes from a different canton, or a country 1200kms away.

Mixed. Since back home, people feel more real and realistic. Poverty makes one have feet on the ground. I miss that. I listened to some old traditional tunes from home, read the comments expats logged in, who live all over the world, it was sappy and fuzzy.

There are moments I want my mom be here and make me oatmeal.
I miss slowly playing chess with dad, etc. I hate them getting older, when they need help increasingly more and me and their 1st and only grandkid not being around.

It will pass, though, this attitude you are getting from others, automatically assuming that you have fled your old nest for a better life. You shrug it off, keep your head high and people will quit assuming. Your work usually, ethics and commitment proves everyone that your chances back home were probably pretty high. On the other hand, it feels like life here makes one resilient, resourceful, humble and flexible. So, win win.

I left Canada 8 years ago to live an exciting life in Istanbul. Few years later, I met that guy and felt in love. His company sent him over there and after 2 years it was time for his next move.

I told him: If you like it you'll put a ring on it.

After the wedding, the offers for his next position started to arrived.. My first choice was Spain but they were too slow and we choose Switzerland over Egypt, Russia and Dubai. Gave birth to the best place I could imagine to be, twice.

We will come back for sure,

I'll be back...

Make sure you come back to Romandie this time

Inshallah!

We were sent here with just a few weeks notice. Here for as long as it works out, determined by us not them (hopefully).

I didn't kick my heels in too much as my Mother declared CH was the most wonderful place to live in the whole world "fabulous weather, no litter or graffiti, everybody is so polite and friendly, the most beautiful country in the world...".

We turned up on possibly the worst weather day we have experienced since living here, dealt with the worst relocation agent imaginable who made every mistake under the sun and realised my mother's comments were based on a week long summer hiking trip in the 1970s. Felt somewhat cheated but getting over it now...

You're not having your vacuum cleaner back.

Sure somebody else will 'give her one'

I suppose a better question would be:

"who came here working for the same employer as before they moved here?"

Tom

I applied for one university Masters program and got accepted to one Master program, needless to say that was at Bern!

But otherwise I've always wanted to live here in Switzerland (Even coming from a great country already, Canada!), so being able to have a chance to spend 2 years, for now, in Switzerland was a dream come true!

I moved here to break free from the torture of a long-distance relationship -- only to replace it with the long, slow, painful torture of perpetual culture shock.

I graduated and left the UK in 1993. Went to America (California) for a year. Then worked for stints in Japan and Indonesia and for a short while in Denmark. Emigrated to Australia in 1997. Met My Swiss husband in 1999. Came over to Switzerland for a few months in 2000 and have been here ever since.

Choice - yes and no!!

Yes. I very much agree with you. I left in my mid 20s too.

However, I was always conflicted as to where "home" was even when I was a kid. DH is much the same. He moved a lot as a kid. So, "home" isn't really a country. It's were we hang our hat so to speak.

But I'm happy to be back "home" in Switzerland. I feel settled here.


DH is still working for the same employer who employed him on that fateful week holiday to Geneva!

One thing that should be remembered: not all those who came here by choice necessarily chose Switzerland.

Often the choice is whether to support or hinder a spouse's career, whether to sacrifice one's own goals to meet family obligations, or even whether to remain married, or not.

Us.

Germany-Turkey-Switzerland-Spain-... Same company.

Am Brazilian, from Rio. transferred from Brazil to London in 2007 (very happy years there). In 2009 got an offer to move here. have been living in Zug since then. Not my favourite place on earth, but it's better now than it was when just arrived... The place is gorgeous, we have to give it to the swiss, but something is missing...

I was "sent" - kind of - I was a victim of the Sandoz/Ciba merger - so my position in the UK was gotten rid of and I was offered the choice of redundancy or coming here.

I actually did not want to come but so many people said to me that it would be an opportunity I might never get again that I decided they must be right so I said I would give it a go.

I think it was a great time to relocate because there was a whole gang of us in exactly the same boat - we all knew each other, we were in our early 20s so we just moved ourselves over here and hardly noticed that we were abroad - we carried on behaving in almost exactly the same way, but adding skiing to the activities. I was having such a good time that a year turned into two and then longer.

As we all got older many people returned but there is still a group of us who relocated from Sandoz UK that I hang out with.

My Swiss experience has not been totally positive, but I don't regret coming - it's where I met my husband and had my kids after all. I would say though that if it were just me to consider I think I would have gone back. And if I'm totally honest I would prefer to be living in the UK right now, but I'm not unhappy either if that makes sense.

For me, it was choice. Told husband every year for the last five years that I wanted to live overseas for a little while, but circumstances kept getting in the way. We always thought it would be London as I have citizenship there and we have loads of friends there.

Then 18 months ago, things changed and we agreed I should start looking for a job, thinking it would take 6 months to find something and move over. One of the first jobs I found advertised over the net was located in either Paris or Geneva. Applied for it, interviewed for it and was offered the job over 400 other applicants. We packed and moved in six weeks, with Christmas and New Year in between.

Then the choice - Paris or Geneva? In the end we chose Geneva, mostly for the other expats that are here. I do find myself occasionally wondering what if we had chosen Paris. But I do like it here. Husband does too - his work is portable and he's actually better off being in a European time zone for it.

Do I miss home? No. Australia has been fine for the last 31 years, and it'll be fine in the future when we eventually return home. But I don't miss it. Found that out when I went home last year for a visit, 6 months after I left. Don't miss it at all, so that's saying something!