This will be a long one. I moved from the USA to Switzerland in June 2021. It was the time of COVID 19, where the masks and social distancing restrictions were still in place with mandatory COVID test results for travel eligibility. I gave away all of the stuff I accrued in the USA for nine years, boarded the flight from JFK to ZRH with one checked bag with one objective - get financial independence in Switzerland and then move back to India when the threshold is met. With a lot of hope and a deep desire to succeed in my new job role at Web3 Foundation stationed in Zug, I began my life at the Foundation's three bedroom apartment for employees and staff, as finding an apartment in Zug is very difficult.
It took three months to find my own apartment in Zug. Although, the wait was totally worth it, as I got a very good one bedroom apartment in the heart of the city close to the railway station, the lake front, the supermarket, fitness and wellness center, and most importantly my work place. I really enjoyed this privileged life in Zug, but there was a problem. The first few months were exciting and I explored all the beautiful places accessible through SBB, but the lack of friends and quality company really bothered me after a couple of months.
The work place and colleagues were really amazing and I learned a lot of things about Switzerland and life from them. I wanted to make friends outside of work but the was a huge challenge for me. I learned that it is not very easy to make friends in Switzerland from multiple sources. I tried joining a Tennis group, but their capacity was limited and there were numerous entry barriers to even schedule a trial session. It felt quite lonely very quickly.
I focused all my energy in excelling at work. Made a lot of progress in building online educational content on Web3 and Blockchain Technology, which got me promoted to the Technical Education lead role at Web3 Foundation in February 2022. I had already traveled to Barcelona and Lisbon for work by then and was marvelling at the cultural richness and diversity within Europe. Increased work responsibilities kept me busy and finally I managed to make it into the Tennis group in the summer of 2022, where a player (who is now a good friend) got injured and a spot had to be filled. I was evaluated by a few players from the Tennis group and I was officially inducted as a regular Tennis group member. I played my first competitive Tennis tournament in Milan in the beginners category.
The winter of 2022 was challenging as the Tennis group I played with was way above my level and that compounded my work place stress two fold. I was stressed at work, I was stressed on Tennis courts, and I was stressed in personal life due to lack of quality friendships. This made me reconsider my living situtation in Switzerland and was actually making preparations to move back to the USA in early 2023. Then, the opportunity of spending four weeks at UC Berkeley to formally get trained on Blockchain technology happened. This trip to USA changed my personal and work life permanently.
I learned a lot at UC Berkeley in the summer of 2023. I have been to UC Berkeley as a visitor exactly 10 years ago and dreamed of studying there and that dream came true. Walking to UC Berkeley Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology everyday morning, eating at the university dining facility, listening to lectures all day brought me back to the university days and I felt proud of myself to graduate the program successfully. I went to Chicago to play my second competitive Tennis tournament and won the beginners level in singles category.
My life changed after summer 2023. I lost someone close to me and the loss was bearable, thanks to the friends I just started to build strong bond with in Switzerland. Between 2023 to 2025, I traveled a lot of work, vacation and Tennis, made numerous connections, learned even more about life and how the world works. It was in October 2025 that I finally decided that it is time for me to return to India. Today is 30th August 2026 and I am returning from a Tennis tournament in Milan in a train, and I am bracing myself for the return to India on 3rd September 2026.
There are tears behind those sunglasses