—
I was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and grew up in different seaside cities, including Cancun, Acapulco and Los Cabos, but I also lived in Aadorf, Thurgau, for a couple of years. My father is Swiss and my mother Mexican and I have a younger brother named Johann. After finishing high school in Mexico, I lived in Fribourg for a year in order to improve my French and decided then to study international relations at the University of Geneva. During summer breaks, I did an internship at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva and I also worked as a monitor at a summer camp for the Young Swiss Abroad in Interlaken (I attended such a camp myself when I was younger). I travelled a lot within Switzerland and got to know all of the country’s regions. After I graduated from university, I worked as an intern at the Embassy of Switzerland to Brazil. It was very interesting to represent Switzerland’s political and cultural interests in the land of football, samba and carnival. I then moved to Rio de Janeiro, where I worked at swissnex Brazil, a scientific consulate promoting Swiss excellence in science, technology and innovation. I am currently studying as a Swiss Fulbright fellow for my Master’s degree in Foreign Politics and International Development at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
I also love to cook Swiss food and experiment with Swiss-Mexican fusion cuisine like Gruyère-cheese quesadillas. —
I really enjoy eating cervelat or Bratwurst with mustard, accompanied by a cold glass of Rivella. I also love raclette, which reminds me of Christmas at my uncle’s house in Frauenfeld. We used to lower the temperature of the AC to the minimum when we ate fondue or raclette in Mexico ignoring the humid and tropical weather and imagining we were in Switzerland. Something that I always have at home no matter where I live is Swiss hazelnut chocolate! —
Switzerland would be perfect if it had access to the ocean and nice beaches like in Mexico, Brazil, or the South of the United States. Imagine surfing or snorkelling in Switzerland!
—
In my classes at university I often use Switzerland as an example of a country with strong democratic institutions, economy, rule of law, good governance, active participation in the international arena, and successful coexistence between people from different cultures, languages and religions.
129