Born in Edmonton, Canada my family moved to Switzerland when I was just a baby. My step-father wasn’t a very good man and left us in Switzerland with my mother having to take care of four children including myself on her own. My mother is from Russia and so I grew up speaking Russian with my family and Swiss-German in kindergarten. I am a triplet with a brother and a sister. We are all aged twenty and were born one minute after the other. We also have a brother who is ten years older than us.

This is me!

In 2003 my mother got a job in an International School where my siblings and I picked up High German and English. Because my mother was a staff member of the school, my siblings and I were admitted under a reduced tuition. Until 2016 we grew up in this community consisting of students and teachers from all over the world; it is after all an International School. My friends were Swiss, Russian, Finnish, Italian, Japanese, South African, American, the list goes on!

My grandfather and my triplet siblings and I. (2003)

Switzerland is a very beautiful country. In the north and central part of the country people speak Swiss-German and High German. The south speaks Italian, the west speaks French, the east speaks German and the south-east speaks Romanch, a language which less than one-hundred-thousand people speak. The capital city is Bern whereas the largest city is Zurich, where I grew up.

Waterfall in Biel, Switzerland.

Zurich is known as one of the most expensive cities in the world. A filling meal in McDonalds will cost you a minimum of 10 CHF which translates to almost the same price in US Dollars. A main course at a decent restaurant costs a minimum of 20 CHF and a kebab costs a minimum of 10 CHF.

View of Zurich City from a ferris wheel.

The public transport system is incredible in terms of almost never arriving late but also in terms of comfort. You can take trains from Zurich to Milan, Paris, Vienna, Frankfurt and more because Switzerland is situated around Italy, France, Austria, Germany and Liechtenstein. Hopping aboard a train without your ticket results in a 100 CHF fine. And when a train arrives a minute late, you can see the Swiss on the platform complaining!

Zurich Hauptbahnhof (Main Station).

In 2011 my mother started earning better and thus my family moved into a lovely, modern and spacious apartment in the center of Adliswil, a town situated fifteen minutes away by train from Zurich’s main station. We lived two minutes away from the town’s train station by foot, across the street from a supermarket, twenty minutes away by foot from the school, a minute away from the bank and optician as well as a bakery and a kebab shop. This was a wonderful time for my family.

View of Adliswil, Switzerland.

Because wages in Switzerland are high compared to most other countries, travel has played a big role in my life. My family has been to Egypt, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Austria, Canada, the US, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Tunisia, Turkey, the list doesn’t stop for a while! My favorite destinations have been Tokyo, Japan and Ötztal, Austria because I remember having the best laughs in these places.

Aquadome Hotel in Ötztal, Austria.

In Ötztal I remember staying up with my brother, ordering room service, watching The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), my favorite film, and laughing all night. If you haven’t yet seen it, you will fall in love with the film. The cast, set, camerawork and storyline I can honestly say are perfect!

Zurich's Altstadt (Old Town).

I graduated from the International School last year and now I live in London, ready to begin studying Public Relations at University. In September last year I actually studied at a Hogeschool in Utrecht, the Netherlands for a month before deciding on doing something more challenging. A Hogeschool is a step below University for students who prefer to do practical work compared to reading dozens of textbooks. Without the support from my family, I wouldn’t be where I am today, living in a beautiful city, speaking so many languages, having so many fun memories which still make me laugh when they hit me. Life is great.

Thank you for reading. I'm looking forward to becoming a part of this wonderful community! :)