4 different ways to cope up with quarantine as an Expat in Switzerland

We’re finishing the third week of quarantine in Zürich. I can imagine the journey of each one of you, in the different stages, with different fears, advances, and achievements. And today, all at once, we are in quarantine facing a situation of deep uncertainty in the form of COVID-19. We are locked up and seeing how our plans are dismembered, our achievements are not so clear anymore and an indefinite future. What do we do now? Suddenly, we start asking ourselves what are we doing here? How are our family and friends doing in our home countries? How are we going to keep calm now that we have our partners with us all day or, if we are alone, how to keep our heads in the right place? First of all, breathe and don’t panic!

I am sitting at my computer and through the window, I can see a splendid spring day. I have been living in Switzerland for 10 years now. I am a Mexican philosopher and mother of two beautiful young boys of 10 and 12 years old. Seven years ago I founded ExpoTranskultur, an association that promotes intercultural dialogue using art as a bonding bridge between people. I have found interesting people on this land, some Spanish speaking, some not, some nice and supportive, other envious and furious, migrants and locals. I have had successes and I have learned; it has been a road full of ups and downs, but it has been my road and I have experienced it with the clarity of knowing that I am here, my new me, essentially alone, a migrant woman trying her best to live, laugh and love, accepting her weakness and proud of having her major strength: her resilience.

Today I am writing note thinking about all the people who are here, just like me, far from their homeland. We are all here and, surely, each one has worked hard to find their place in this country with an interesting diet of cheese and chocolates, a new language and above all an immense feeling of helplessness of social loneliness. Some have developed interesting projects that will allow them to be economically independent, because from there, in great part, comes our capacity to make free and autonomous decisions. And, others might just be wondering what to do with all this time for ourselves.

Here I share with you some helpful thoughts for this quarantine:

Alone? Not at all. In this time of technology, you don’t have to feel alone. Think that even if you were in your home country you could not be able to go and visit friends or family, you would be home. Just this once you don’t have to feel sad thinking that you would have gone to see someone very dear to you or gone to a nice restaurant. The truth is that there are no such restaurants nor could we go to see anyone, so be glad that we are living in this pandemic from the comfort of our 21st-century homes, with Internet and multiple possibilities of access to communication, whether it be Skype, Zoom, Facebook, Whatsapp or the telephone. Technology gives us the possibility of being close virtually. Wave goodbye to that grimace and start your computer!

Accept. Living in a foreign country is not easy, I understand, but it becomes less difficult when we assume that we have decided to come here because we had a project, a love or a job. Once we take our decision seriously, then we have to accept our situation so we are closer to serenity. Acceptance is the first step that leads to maturity and fulfillment. We need to accept, those we can fully control, our decisions and acts, and also need to accept those that are not in our control, being in quarantine.

Focus. Once we have accepted our reality of being here and now, the next thing is to take a deep breath and clear our mind. Put aside thoughts that hinder or confuse us and locate what matters to us. Were you studying German? Then go back to your books, set a healthy routine, one or two hours a day (maybe after breakfast and before dinner) to exercise your language learning. You can look for good platforms on the Internet, in many cases interactive; to continue learning German or you can join the conversation groups that have opened up everywhere through Zoom. Your project is stuck? It is a good time to rethink, to review the objectives, principles, potential partners and ways to innovate as a result of this crisis. You can make a website or learn a little about project management or taxes in this country. Focus on topics that are complicated and that, due to our activities, we can rarely face deeply. Here is a tip: are you still looking for new activities to join? Volunteering jobs? German or Spanish conversation groups? Join us in our new virtual experience at http://www.expotranskultur.org.

Cheer up. You’re free and you’re smart. You are capable. I’m not giving you pre-built recipes for optimism, I’m telling you the truth. You know that we migrants have essentially a greater capacity for resilience than many other people. Take some time to think about the changes in your life, review your decisions, be happy with the ones that have brought you benefits, change the ones that need to be changed. Seek your well-being. Exercise, eat as well as possible, meditate, cook, make yoga, watch good films and most importantly stay away from unnecessary alarming news.

And please, take this experience as something unique, as a gift of life to grow, to be with you and meet your new self, the strong and resilient person who has changed life for better. Today you are another “me” than yesterday, and that wonderful person deserves all your attention. And if you, like me, have to share your time and attention between you / kids/spouse… then enjoy the company, play games, cook and talk but also, accept, focus, cheer up and feel the great love for yourself and your beloved ones that is always in the air.

 

About the Author: 

Chantico is a Mexican philosopher and a socially engaged mother. She founded ExpoTranskultur as a Platform for artists and creative people to bring the community together and promote social cohesion between locals and foreigners using art and dialog as tools for these encounters. Meet her at info@expotranskultur.org

• acceptance
• covid 19
• expat
• experienc
• ExpoTranskultur
• feeling alone
• quarantine