I have some good news (for once, ha — I’m such an Eeyore).

I’m very happy to share that I’ll be based in Geneva, Switzerland for at least two more years.

I had first moved here in July 2019, when I accepted an offer to work at an international organization. My original job was a two-year temporary contract, which meant it was set to expire at the end of this July. While I probably could have renewed this contract, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. The team environment has been difficult in various ways, and I have been really unhappy.

In March, I had an interview with a different international organization in Geneva. Then it was radio silence for a month and a half. Guess I didn’t get it, I thought. I was already pretty down in the dumps and this made me even sadder. I tried to make myself feel better by taking lots of walks, painting, and seeking out a new therapist. And gradually I did feel better.

But then one day in mid-April, I received an offer! It was such a huge relief; I felt a weight lifted off me as I finally was able to give notice.

If you think 1.5 months is a long time to make an offer, fun fact: I literally first applied for this job back in 2017, and had been waiting for the actual offer to come through since 2018. There’s a whole story behind this complicated career path that I may share on this blog one day, assuming I don’t break any HR rules. (Think along the lines of the recruitment process for the U.S. foreign service, except it’s for something else.)

Today I received and signed my official contract. I am so grateful for many things:

• That I was able to get a new job in the middle of a pandemic — a huge privilege.
• That my new salary is about a 22% increase over my current one.
• That my new boss is a decent person (according to the people I’ve spoken to informally).
• That I get to stay in Geneva, a place I have genuinely loved calling home. (And that I don’t have to relocate and look for a new apartment!)
• That I will be able to get back to train trips around Switzerland and Europe soon.

Feeling cautiously optimistic about the future.