Expatica Switzerland's new editor takes a moment to reflect on what brought her to Europe from Down Under and her plans for an ever growing expat community

Grüezi, Salue, Ciao, Tgau! I'm Anna Tuson - your new editor at www.expatica.ch and it is a privilege to take up this role. I can't wait to share all the weird and wonderful experiences I've had (and continue to have) in this fascinating and unique nation  - and I'm even more excited at the prospect of hearing about yours.

Through our online community I hope to be able to explore the whole of Switzerland and get to know all the intriguing idiosyncrasies of the various cultures, languages and peoples that make up its heart and soul. The nature of the country's compact diversity means that individuals will encounter some very different situations depending on which regions they have made their homes. And of course our own personal backgrounds, attitudes and reasons for being here may also vary greatly. But I'm sure we will still find plenty of common ground to discuss, ponder, puzzle over and laugh about.

Let me explain a little about myself to give you some context as to where I'm coming from, and I hope we will get to know each other better over time and will share much more through expactica.ch.

I first left my home in Waihi, New Zealand, bound for Switzerland, at the age of 17 as an exchange student. Despite (or perhaps because of) spending my childhood and adolescence in one of the most far-flung, isolated nations of the world, I have always had a fascination with foreign cultures and far-away places. So with one year of high school left to complete, and having previously never ventured further than Australia, I made up my mind to leave behind my family, friends, school and home town. I went off to spend a year in the German-speaking canton of Zurich, despite literally not speaking more than two words of the language. Lots of people said either I was incredibly brave, or just plain mad, but it was quite simply the best decision I could have made. I had the most amazing year of my life.

Once I managed to get over the heart-break of the end of my love affair with Europe I enjoyed a full and wonderful life at home in New Zealand for the next seven years. But I never doubted that I would return to the continent. During even the very early days here Switzerland began to etch itself on my heart and became more of a second home than a host country for me. I knew it was only a matter of time, and also taking care of a few tasks such as completing university, gaining experience as a journalist and editor, and of course preparing the finances for such a trip, before I would be back.

With these small obstacles overcome, and nothing else actually planned employment-wise or otherwise after arrival, I quit my job and everything else, and booked a one-way ticket. And while it was more of a home-coming than a return to a foreign country, it has still been - and continues to be, another great and rich learning experience.

In some ways, adjusting to a new life in another land, no matter what your circumstances, will always involve similar experiences. I hope that through this site we can enjoy the good times even more by sharing them with each other, but also, and perhaps more importantly, that we can help each other out through the inevitable not-so-good times. We are a unique community, and also, I believe, a uniquely privileged one. But life as an international can also be hard enough without having to learn every tough lesson alone through personal experience!

So I am eagerly awaiting your responses and contributions, and in return will endeavour to impart any and all worthwhile knowledge that I have obtained that could help in any way to make your Swiss experience as happy and rewarding as possible.

Anna Tuson

(expatica 2008)