In 2016, my family was desperate for change.
We struggled to find a school that was inclusive of my neurodivergent 9-year-old son, who was depressed from years of bullying and rejection.
On TV, politicians also continued to fight any gun safety measures four years after the mass shooting of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which is a short distance from my house.
Just before the presidential election, my husband’s employer offered him the opportunity to move to Switzerland.
At first, moving seemed too reckless to even think about. But as political strife increased in the United States, we felt more and more disillusioned and isolated.
Families and friends were arguing about how the country should be run, and we still didn’t have a school for our son. At the end of the year, my husband accepted the offer and we made the official decision to move overseas.
We met informally in a close-knit Swiss community
My family didn’t feel welcome or out of place in our new place. Amy Challenger
Thanks to my husband’s job, we quickly got Swiss residence permits and health insurance. I also found an international school that was willing to work with our son.
When we arrived at our Swiss hill station a few kilometers from Lake Zurich, it felt like we were welcomed with open arms – especially by foreigners.
All around were families from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America who were also new immigrants. When I got lost in parking lots, tunnels, and small streets and constantly explained the wrong cultural practices, I expected to be reprimanded, but that was not the case.
Our international community has provided helpful tips and advice. On the days when I was hopeless at learning German, couldn’t open the grocery cart, or couldn’t decipher the labels on cereal boxes, someone was there to help me.
Although our backgrounds and our beliefs were very different, we were united in our general admiration for our beautiful new country. Most of us didn’t have close family, so we became different people.
Most aspects of life are easy here
In our hometown of Connecticut, there were no sidewalks, accessible bike lanes, or public transportation options, so we had to drive everywhere.
Having the freedom to travel without a car in Switzerland has changed our lives. It makes our days easier and helps us stay connected to the beautiful nature around us.
Here, many people walk down long wanderwegs (paved roads) lined with trees and primroses when leaving home, school, or the grocery store. If hikers need to rest, there are red benches that sit beside fields full of happy cows.
We can swim, walk dogs, run, and hike all on well-maintained trails. And if we are taking a long trip, the local public transport is clean, safe and convenient. Bus stops and train stations sit on many corners.
In addition to connecting here, there are social responsibilities for people of all ages. That means it is safe for my children to walk alone.
Independence is highly valued. I often see young children – often wearing bright orange lanyards so that others know they are walking alone – walking the streets or taking public transport to school.
As the US continues to deal with extreme political divisions, we live abroad
We are very connected to nature in Switzerland. Amy Challenger
The US will always have a special place in my heart. But, for now, it’s not somewhere I want my family to call home.
Earlier this year – almost eight years after moving to Switzerland – I returned to the US to live in Manhattan with my youngest daughter. It was amazing to come back; I felt like a foreigner.
I enjoyed showing him our country, playing pickleball in Central Park, visiting writer friends, visiting artists’ studios, listening to jazz music, and feeling a sense of longing for the kind of America that has always been. I haven’t reached you in a long time.
But then, I bumped into a wall of bars in front of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue – people were yelling at each other about different political views right on the street.
Sadly, that incident was the only reminder I needed of why I left in the first place.
Correction: September 24, 2024 – An earlier version of this story misstated the Sandy Hook High School shooting. In 2016, it had been four years since the shooting, not five.