Inner Turmoil

As I sit now on this windowsill of this ever so random building staring unwittingly across this vast field of grass I feel a sense of gratitude.

Moving to Switzerland has never always been an easy decision and even if I said it was, I’d be lying. I’ve gone through so many personal challenges and inner conflict since my move that those who would hear my stories would not believe me. Most may even say I’m ungrateful.

It is often viewed as the ultimate goal to move from a “third world country” to that of the “first world”. This because there are many benefits to be gained in all aspects of life that maybe your own country cannot provide. But here’s one thing a foreign land can not provide:

• It cannot provide you with familiar faces of friends and family
• It cannot provide you with people who share your same culture.
• And especially if you have moved to a country that speaks a different language it cannot provide you easily with a sense of belonging.

Overall it can never be home; that place that every fiber of your being feels the most attached, both mentally and physically.

Acceptance & Appreciation

What you can do though is try your utmost best to view the world with an open and positive mind. Accept your new surroundings and embrace change. I did not realize the immensity of my life’s choice when I made it, although I do believe that this naivety was great for pushing aside the fear of making this enormous step. However, I am happy that I chose it. Although the teething pain of moving to a completely foreign country still remains, with each passing day, month, I feel myself adjusting to my new life. I feel more confident in conducting my everyday life among people of a different skin tone as me, a different cultural background and a different language as me. I adapt and grow to a more mature and appreciative version of my former self. And it is for that, that peace of mind and that faint sense of home and normalcy that is slowly seeping in that I am grateful for in this moment. Like looking through a window at the vast beauty and expanse of possibilities this wonderful world has to offer.


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Toni-Ann | The Swiss Freis

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