The way to serenity

Dear all,

For some months now, I have felt the need to write this article. It's time to express a couple of points, perhaps for discussion, that are dear to me, and I hope I can be of help to those who see themselves in some of my thoughts.

Why Zurich

I was born in Lugano to a Swiss-Italian family, and I moved to Zurich in 2020, right during the Covid-19 pandemic. I left my beloved job in Ticino for two major reasons: to follow my partner who was taking on a new professional challenge, and because the severe restrictions during the pandemic did not allow me to perform my daily duties in the tourism sector. Thus, moving to central Switzerland was a tremendous opportunity for me to step out of what I know to be my comfort zone and find new stimuli for my growth. I had already lived in Zurich for 6 months, so it wasn't entirely a new city for me.

Fears, doubts, and frustrations were the order of the day, a difficult period not only for me but for all humanity. No one knew when it would end, but as with every phase of my life, I gathered numerous lessons and never lost heart.

Feeling like a foreigner in my own country

Upon arriving in Zurich, I began with curiosity, resilience, and proactivity in seeking a job. I faced many ups and downs, both individually and in my couple's life. It was not easy at all, but I knew it was just a period I had to overcome.

Many times I felt, and still feel, like a foreigner in my own country. In Switzerland, there are different cultures and four national languages, so it is perhaps an inevitable feeling. Despite the language barrier between Italian and Swiss German and the pandemic, in 4 years in Zurich, I greatly expanded my network of contacts, thanks especially to my sociable, energetic, and willing nature. Zurich is one of the most sought-after cities in the world to live and work in, so the competition for finding a place is very high, but if you are patient, everything comes.

Integrating into Zurich as a Ticinese is not easy. Many of my peers, after studying and living here for 5-10 years, have returned to Ticino. For the moment, I am doing well and feel that my mission here is not yet complete. I strive for full integration because no one is better than anyone else; everyone has something to learn and teach, especially within the same country and community. It is essential to take all the positives from every experience lived and let go of the negative experiences that are indispensable for improving and understanding oneself. Not everyone you meet in life will be cordial or willing to invest time to teach and trust you, but I am certain that every situation can always be overcome successfully. I feel resilient and always motivated. I believe that what didn't go well had to go that way because it was just a parenthesis, one of the many phases in what is my magnificent life.

The important thing is never to stop, never to feel wrong. Someone might think that of you, but that someone is just one of 8 billion people. Everyone makes mistakes to learn to be better people.

Work experiences and continuing education

After just 4 months of arriving in Zurich, I had the opportunity to manage the Swiss office of the Italian National Tourist Board ENIT by myself for 8 months, covering a maternity leave. Meanwhile, I took an evening course in Digital Marketing in German to update my skills and have better job prospects if the pandemic continued for more years. Thanks to the new knowledge as a Digital Marketing Specialist, I was able to take on, after a 6-month wait, an interesting work experience for a well-known Swiss e-commerce site, apfelkiste.ch.

In 2022, my private life underwent a drastic change, and so did my priorities and goals. Thanks to my life coach (thanks Barbara), I manifested what I desired at that moment in my life, and in a short time, I found a rental apartment I love, changed jobs again because I could no longer see myself in long-term home office work without much direct contact with people, and was offered a job opportunity as an Event Manager, a role more suited to my personality, which, however, ended in late March 2024. Finding myself jobless again was not easy, but I have more tools to face this phase of my life better than the first time.

I have always loved organizing trips, dinners, activities, and as the social animal that I am, I need direct contact with people. Being able to use the four languages I learned in school and in the workplace, my curiosity drives me to analyze the behaviors and needs of clients and those around me to then find a way to meet them. In industry jargon, this is called Marketing and Public Relations, but I believe it is something innate.

During the months when I was not fully occupied, I certainly didn't stay idle. I took an intensive German course, worked as a freelancer managing social media for some startups, worked as a promoter, which is an excellent way to network, and am always open to new experiences because everything allows me to expand my being and enrich my skills.

Motivation, resilience, and supporting words

I thank some inspiring writers who accompany me daily. I follow pages on social media that share messages that resonate with me through emotions, feelings, and explanations for some of my questions.

I meet people who push me to be the most courageous version of myself, who encourage me to continue as I am because they perceive my energy, and even if I haven't yet reached a main goal, it doesn't matter. I am not a bank manager or a life coach, but my unstoppable nature enriches and gives me value.

In life, suffering is indispensable; one must stop the correct amount of time to reflect and then the courage returns to continue the journey. Life is one and belongs to those who live it. No one should decide for anyone else, and we are free to live it as we see fit, trying to have as few regrets as possible and showing as little disrespect as possible.

To all those who wished to see me give up, I say THANK YOU because you gave me an extra push to continue my personal growth.

To those who read this article and find common points, I feel like saying: always remain the most AUTHENTIC and AVAILABLE version of yourself. Don't take everything personally and learn to rely only on yourself, recognizing your TRUE VALUE.

To all those who, like me, are looking for the perfect job match, I say we will make it because we are driven by a spirit that is not for everyone but for those who RECOGNIZE it as similar. Settling does not bring happiness! One can earn a living while remaining kind, authentic, sensitive, trusting, positive, and joyful.