12 years and 25 days.
4408 days.
105,792 hours
6,347,520 minutes
380,851,200 seconds.....give or take...
That is how long I have lived in Switzerland with my wife. We moved here as a (really) new couple to pursue her job offer as a new MBA at the world headquarters of Nestlé in Vevey, Switzerland. We arrived, exhausted, after we completed a brutal 11-day marathon closing my life in Calgary, Canada so that I could come over here to be with her. I quit my job, cancelled the lease on my house, sold my stuff and threw out the rest then boarded the plane. I remember sitting with my new girlfriend on the plane, saying "whatever has not been done, will not be done.". The plane took off and we started our new life together.
Nestlé had made the preparations for their new star - they had allocated a lovely studio apartment of 35 m2 overlooking the lake. Stunning view. Single bed. My girlfriend saw this on arrival and started crying.
How far we have come. We have endured all the pains and joys of creating a life in a new country; a new culture. We got a great dog. We have been married almost 11 years. Bought a house and a ski apartment. We have created two gorgeous boys. And we have LIVED.
Switzerland is in the centre of Europe. How lucky we have been. We have lived minutes from the French border. We shop and fill our vehicles often in France. With a good friend, I was able to do a 1-day photo trip to Rome and back and a two-day photo trip to Bergamo and Verona, Italy. We take weekend trips into Bourgogne, Avignon, Lyon Torino, Freiburg, Alsace and a multitude of other places just for fun, great food and delicious wine. Cheap flights abound, allowing us to fly to the Canary Islands, Croatia (gorgeous), Madrid, and a multitude of other places for very little cash. TGV to Paris just to eat at "the duck place".
We have made great friends from all over Europe - Dutch, Swiss, Swedish, Norwegian, French, German ...some Canadians and friends from the rest of the world.
We have been fortunate.
May 23 2013 we board the plane home to Calgary, Canada. We are different people. We have grown.
Most importantly, my wife and I have grown together, and we have created our future.
Together.
Keep watching this page. Images from Abroad will grace these pages with the glory of Canada in the not too distant future.
Thanks for following.
Wade Walker
Aubonne, Switzerland
