Not Just Relocating — Learning to Belong in Zurich, Together. This is how I find my female friends

When I first landed in Zurich as an young expact woman, I thought I was prepared. I had my documents sorted, my apartment half-furnished, and my optimism fully charged. But what I wasn’t prepared for was the quietness — a kind of silence that you don’t just hear, but feel.

Suddenly, I went from a fast-paced, socially rich life to standing alone in a beautifully organized supermarket aisle, staring at 27 types of yogurt and wondering why I felt so disconnected.

I realized very quickly: relocating is not the same as belonging. I need to find my expat women community and female friends here.

The Turning Point: Looking Beyond the Surface, meet new friends

Instead of waiting for Zurich to open up to me, I decided to go out and meet it.

That decision changed everything. I found my female friends in zurich in the local cultural meetups.

Here is the story.

One weekend, I took a trip to Juckerhof, the famous Pumpkin Festival near Zurich. I expected a small market stand or two. Instead, I walked into a fantasyland made entirely of pumpkins — giant pumpkin sculptures, pumpkin-themed food (pumpkin champagne?!), and children running around with vegetable crowns. For the first time since moving here, I didn’t feel like an outsider observing — I felt like a participant.

Then came OLMA in St. Gallen, where I witnessed something I will never emotionally recover from: a piglet race. Hundreds of people cheering joyfully for tiny pigs sprinting around a track. It was absurd. It was pure. And to my surprise — I found myself screaming for pig number 7 like it was a Formula 1 final.

It hit me then: this country is not just composed of rules, mountains, and perfect train schedules — it’s full of unexpected softness.

What Switzerland Has Taught Me So Far

I used to believe that belonging comes from finding people like you.

But maybe belonging also comes from embracing what’s unlike you — stepping into strange traditions with an open heart and letting yourself be delighted.

These quirky cultural moments didn’t just teach me about Switzerland — they reconnected me with my own joy, curiosity, and willingness to grow.

A New Chapter — Together with my new female friends in Zurich

Now, I’m building my own version of “home” here. Not just through paperwork or furniture, but through experiences, rituals, and hopefully — friendships.

If you’re also a young woman building a new life in Zurich — feeling a bit lost, hopeful, and ready to laugh at pig races together — I’d love to meet you.

Let’s explore, learn, and root ourselves here — not by force, but through shared discovery.

Because belonging isn’t something we wait for.

It’s something we create,by finding my true female friends in Zurich.

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