I’ve been in Switzerland for almost four weeks and I have travelled all over the country. Switzerland is still very familiar to me, even though I haven’t been here for four years because of the pandemic. I emigrated to Canada in the middle years of my life and I am therefore still strongly influenced by my first home country. During my stay in Switzerland, time feels like in a movie. Sometimes it’s a bit unreal (again and again I ask myself: Am I really here?), and the numerous encounters with people follow in quick succession. I photograph a lot so I can remember everything. I also record my impressions and feelings in my diary.
It is astonishing how many people I still know in Switzerland. Contact with them has not been broken despite the great distance to Canada. I think that’s nice. When you emigrate, you can’t ignore the fact that you pay a price for it. You leave family members and friends behind. Some of my acquaintances have missed the funerals of siblings and other relatives. If one’s parents get ill, one rushes to the airport full of concern so as not to arrive too late.
Visits in Switzerland are also full of magical moments. The joy of seeing my brothers, their families and old friends. To hike in the beautiful Swiss countryside. Interesting conversations at the dinner table. To be pampered by all. To know that this world that I left behind is still accessible to me, even if only for a limited time. To discover new corners of the old homeland with lovely people.
The publication of the German paperback edition of my new crime novel “Eisesdunkel” (Calista Gates investigates volume 4) coincided with my visit to Switzerland. The e-book will be released on December 27. I was able to sign books and hand them over to some readers personally. I am already getting the first positive reactions and once again to my delight I find that Calista Gates is really well received by a growing community of readers.
January 20, 2023, will be release day for “Bay of Evil” (Calista Gates investigates volume 3). You can already pre-order the e-book at a special price.
Soon it will be time to say goodbye to Switzerland and the people here. But my heart is full of gratitude for the beautiful encounters and places that I will remember fondly in the coming months.
