Differently STM (Seen - Thought - Made)

  Raising two children alone in a foreign country is one of the most challenging and transformative journeys of my life. Living in Switzerland, I strive every day to build stability—for my children and for myself. But life here is not easy. The language remains a daily hurdle. Even after five years, I still navigate basic conversations with care, often struggling to follow when accents shift or the vocabulary becomes too complex. Integration takes time, and it often feels like I’m constantly catching up. I’ve also learned to be cautious with friendships. After surviving a deeply damaging relationship with someone showing signs of narcissistic personality disorder, I carry the scars of betrayal and emotional manipulation. Trust doesn’t come easily anymore. The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t help—it created distance where connection was needed most, especially when trying to build new relationships in a foreign land. Over the years, I’ve faced some of life’s toughest battles: a painf...

To truly understand who I am—and the journey that brought me here—I have to take you back to a chapter of my life that changed everything. It was a time of transition, filled with hope, ambition, and decisions that would quietly shape the course of my future. The year was 2017, that’s when i had a terrible luck meeting my ex-husband. I was 32, preparing to defend my doctoral thesis, and actively searching for a job. Deep down, I also felt it was the right time to settle down—ideally with someone kind and intelligent, someone with whom I could build a peaceful, loving family. That’s when I met my ex-husband. Back then, I regularly attended events organized by the “International” community, often with friends. I was drawn to the open, vibrant atmosphere. These gatherings brought together people from all walks of life—stripped of titles, badges, or job roles. Conversations flowed freely, from the science of chocolate manufacturing to the wonders of the Webb Telescope. It was a space where...

Here I am—a foreigner who landed in one of the most beautiful countries, yet a place where, as a single mother, you are constantly challenged, day and night. In this land, newcomers arrive as blank pages, writing their stories based on how they present themselves. In other words, it seems that following the law or breaking it is less important than how well you can influence—or manipulate—others. That’s the painful truth. I can’t help but feel that I’ve failed—not because I did something wrong, but because I held tightly to the law and to my deeply rooted values. Life, as I’ve come to learn, isn’t as fair as I once believed it to be, nor as just as I had hoped. Justice has always been my strongest guiding value—something I’ve stood for and fought for my entire life. But now, those values feel more like ideals—noble, yet impractical. Sadly, life here seems to reward those who act like wolves… and only the strongest wolves survive.