My ninth own home

After the three years in Copenhagen, I ended up here in Zürich. It was really a coincidence. Was on a work project, and lived in a hotel here for 5 months (Hilton apart in Kloten), when I got offered a permanent position somewhere in Europe. Was actually asked where I would like to live, which I guess few people have the opportunity to do. The company even provided me with a real estate agent, so even though I was to pay for the living quarters myself, they paid for the finders fee.

There were several reasons for choosing Zürich. First of all, I liked what I had seen during the 5 months in a hotel here, and second, I had had the opportunity to get a glimpse of the payroll (and liked a LOT what I saw!), and third, I couldn't think of where else I wanted to go, so Zürich it was. It was meant to be another 2-3 years.

And then somehow I gradually fell in love with the place. I know, it's not a big city in comparison to other main cities in the world, but it's got everything if you ask me. It's international, so you can survive on English if you're only here for a few years. It's clean and secure. It hasn't got any oceans, but Zürichsee suffices for me. And even though the bureaucrazy makes me crazy, things work. And once you're over the hurdle of registering and have learnt the ways of doing things, it's no bother.

The highest life quality in the world, at least very few countries can compete.

So anyway, with the help of the real estate agent I saw some eight flats, from the city to the airport. The one I eventually chose was certainly not the best, but the one closest to the city. Turned out that I preferred that to being close to the airport (was travelling a lot back then).

It had a horrible 70's kitchen in green and brown, a separate shower in blue as well as the toilet in blue. Laminate floor in the living room, which I found ok, but carpets in the bedrooms. Aarrrghh! If you ever have cleaned a carpet with a machine, you know what I'm talking about. Pretty sure new organisms are found in carpets. Life forms never seen before.

And I ended up staying there for a whopping seven years! Time flew by, and it was only when I was on a project in Spain (which was meant to be my ultimate destination) that I realized that Zürich is it. That's when I decided to buy my own place, and stay here forever. Funny where life takes you. If I had known, I would've studied German in school, and not French, which I never had any use of at all, and cannot speak anymore.

So here I am, in my 10th own home. And we (the cats and I:) are living happily ever after.