Six Years In Switzerland

It’s been six years now since we arrived in Switzerland. This is not quite a record for longest time in one town, but it’s getting close. This is certainly the longest I’ve been at the same address in my adult life.

So what’s happened in the past year since I wrote this post?

The Past Year

In August I attended (and spoke at) the last ever 360iDev conference.

Last Fall I did an online German test prep course, and at the end of October I passed the A1/A2 German language test that I will need to apply for permanent residency.

I continue to be active in the Swiss RPG “verein” (a non-profit club). I play regularly in a West Marches style game and a few months ago I began running the Tyranny of Dragons D&D campaign for a group of five players. I have hosted games as a DM at Zürich Pop Con, Fantasy Basel, and Free RPG Day.

I try to get out into nature as much as possible, either hiking, snowshoeing, or stand up paddling. I think I prefer showshoeing and winter hiking to downhill skiing these days as I get older.

For most of the year I continued in my role as iOS Chapter Lead for YML and heavily focused on building out a portfolio of robust, highly-tested, open source Swift packages that could be used across projects to accelerate delivery, improve accessibility, and reduce bugs. But in May after two years in the role, I was finally caught in a round of layoffs that have swept the tech industry.

I used the suddenly free time to take a six week in-person super intensive B1 German language course (for comparison, I studied for two years at the A2 level). I will consolidate my knowledge by taking another test prep course starting later this month which will culminate in the B1 Goethe exam in November. I will also enroll in a local German conversation course to help me practice.

Goals for our seventh year in Switzerland

Get hired locally

Apply for permanent residency

Pass the B1 Goethe German test

Complete the Via Engiadina hiking trail (I have hiked 6 out of 12 stages)

Exercise regularly

The Future

We would like to stay here another two years until our son finishes high school.