International Associations in Switzerland - With the Zurich International Women's Association

We speak to four women from the Zurich International Women’s Association about social groups and expat life in Switzerland.

Topics Covered

What do international associations offer?
Types of events offered
How to build a community when you first arrive
Factors that make the transition to living in Switzerland easier
Raising a child in Switzerland
Work-life balance in Switzerland
Factors that make an international association successful

Next Steps

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Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:07 About ZIWA
02:22 About our guest, Martha Vargas
08:54 Different ZIWA interest groups
10:49 Becoming a chairlady
12:19 About our guest, Debbie Tsi
13:17 Cultural difference between Switzerland and the US
16:06 What factors can make the transition easier for new expats?
24:15 About our guest, Carolina Ponchione
24:58 Arriving in Zurich
25:25 Being a working parent in Switzerland
27:21 Childcare providers
29:49 Becoming a group co-chair
31:04 Starting a new interest group
32:25 About our guest, Karin van Lierop
33:43 What do you love about living in Switzerland?
34:21 Public transport
35:37 Why is it important for newcomers to join a social group?
38:14 Taking the initiative to create a new group
38:40 The importance of diversity
39:15 Languages used in the different groups
39:45 Swiss ZIWA members
40:55 Member care
42:04 Balancing various commitments
44:02 Other international organisations
44:39 What’s coming up for ZIWA?
45:33 Enabling working members to join
46:08 How can people join or find out more about ZIWA?

Who We’re Talking To

We're very excited to talk to four women from the Zurich International Women's Association https://www.ziwa.com/. What began in 1985 with a small group of women in Zurich seeking connection with other English-speaking women has grown into the Zurich International Women's Association, better known as ZIWA. Despite their present size, that sense of connection remains at the heart of the association.

We speak to:

Karin van Lierop:
Karin came to Switzerland seven years ago and has a full-time job as the head of Sales International at Biostrath in the health and wellbeing industry. Karin joined ZIWA five years ago and is now the president for the second year.
Martha Vargas:
Originally from Colombia, Martha moved to Switzerland for love. She has been a ZIWA member and chairlady for many years.
Debbie Hsi:
In 2019, Debbie moved to Zurich from the United States with her husband, who works for a small Swiss startup software development firm, and their youngest child, a teenage daughter. It was their first time living abroad, although they have travelled extensively throughout their lives.
Carolina Ponchione:
Carolina is the proud mum of her five-year-old daughter and works full time in the human resources department of one of the largest engineering companies worldwide. Born and raised in Italy, Carolina has lived and worked in France and Germany before moving to Switzerland 10 years ago.

About the Episode

Martha, Debbie, Carolina, and Karin have some great tips for people new to Switzerland or those who would like to find a community:

Take a language class

Introduce yourself to your neighbours

Take advantage of various opportunities

Explore Switzerland:
The country has so much to offer. Take advantage of the great public transport system to visit various cities and sights. If you don’t want to go alone, find others through an international association, Facebook, or Meetup.

Join an international association:
Groups like ZIWA provide you with an instant community. You can take part in a range of events and meet people from all over the world. Many groups also have a large number of Swiss members, so you can connect with locals.

Resources

ZIWA Website - https://www.ziwa.com/

ZIWA range of activities - https://www.ziwa.com/Our-Activities

ZIWA Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/zurichziwa/...

Childcare in Switzerland guide - https://blog.popepoppa.ch/en/childcar....

Internations Switzerland - https://www.internations.org/switzerl...