Only 24 days left. Then I’ll board a plane and fly away—leaving a country that never truly wanted me. Behind me: an apartment that has become a storage unit. Half-packed bags, discarded furniture, the remains of my “life.” I’ve gotten rid of almost everything. Sold (for next to nothing). Given away (an immense effort). Thrown out (through gritted teeth).
What’s left fits into one 23 kg checked bag, a 5 kg carry-on, and a dog carrier. And what doesn’t come with me, I’ll leave behind—including all my doubts.
I’m Leaving to Reclaim My Life
I want to go. Without sorrow. Without sentimentality. I have no more illusions about my home country. Even the kindest Swiss people react to anything that bothers them with a quiet, polite frown—accompanied by structural contempt. They don’t hate loudly. They disqualify with articles: the Albanians. the Turks. the debt-makers. the drug addicts. It’s all just isolated incidents, of course—as long as you don’t listen too closely.
Gallows Humor Helps with Packing
What’s keeping me here? Nothing anymore. What’s pulling me there? The hope of genuine humanity—even if it’s chaotic, messy, and unstable.
I am not naive. I know what I’m getting myself into. I’m moving to a country where not everything is over-regulated, where a lot of things just happen. Literally. Sometimes a house burns down because nobody pays attention to safety standards. Sometimes a roller coaster derails. And sometimes you get arrested for giving a bottle of water to a thirsty refugee.
But there’s also something liberating about the fact that not everything is regulated. When there isn’t a system around every corner that controls, evaluates, and catalogs you—and then politely but firmly casts you aside if you don’t fit the mold.
Democracy Light – With Human Warmth
In Switzerland, I would be surprised if someone stormed parliament tomorrow. In Tunisia… let’s just say it would be interesting, but not completely unexpected. It’s a country in transition—unstable, contradictory, alive.
And yes, that is terrifying. But not as much as the cold perfectionism of my home country. Switzerland has a lot to be proud of: stability, security, the rule of law. But perhaps it’s precisely this sterile efficiency that leads many to a chronic inability to choose empathy over prejudice.
I don’t have answers for these contradictions. Only one decision: I’m leaving.
Not because I’m running away from something—but because I’m searching for something I never found here.