She has a passion to cook and creativity is her middle name. Shinta is calm, organized and always ready to put her best foot forward – be it for our editorial team, the ad section or IT-connected work including social media representations.
Landing in Switzerland
My husband’s work brought us to Switzerland right after our son was born. I was eager to take a career break to focus on my child and was happy to trade city traffic and pollution for life in a Swiss village.
I didn’t know what to expect from Switzerland, naively thinking that the language barrier would be breached with a few sessions at the local Deutsch Kurs, and imagining us waking up every morning to a breakfast of assorted Swiss cheese, cold cuts and a glorious view of the Alps…
Three years in, we do wake up to a view of the Alps, we enjoy the occasional cheese platter, but more than that, we are grateful for things like the excellent public transport that is worth every rappen, local childcare that lets kids learn life lessons through days spent in the forest, public swimming pools, etc. Some things, such as using a shared laundry room, not being able to shop on Sundays or after 6 pm, etc., take a little getting used to. The language, after several sessions with different language schools, is still a tough nut to crack. But it’s all happening!
New roles along the way
My happy career break lasted around 10 months. I was itching to get back to work, but the job market in Switzerland is nothing like it is in India. I missed my day job, the exciting workplace opportunities I had, and the fast pace of life in Bangalore. Very soon, my Swiss dream was fading and I was looking for ways to break my routine as a stay-at-home mom! I began baking as a hobby. Soon enough, I was taking orders from friends. Thus began my home baking venture which I called ‘Sugar Rush’. I then began blogging about food, something I have always been passionate about. My blog, www.carameltintedlife.com is my space where I share my passion for food, particularly bakes and Indian food.
‘Namaste Switzerland’ materialised
Namaste Switzerland is more than just an online magazine….it is exactly what I was looking for when I moved to Switzerland 3 years ago. Perhaps, fate gently nudged me towards an unexpected path. I see ‘Namaste Switzerland’ as a growing community reaching out to inform, motivate and help each other as we live our lives in our adopted country.
Motivation
My motivation comes from my family: my son, who in his own way, teaches me to question convention and break the rules. My husband who sets high standards for both of us, and constantly encourages me to do more.
A message to our readers
If you are reading this, then I thank you for stopping by and visiting Namaste Switzerland! I hope you are inspired by our story. We would love to hear from you about ways in which we could help our readers more. We encourage you to spread the word about ‘Namaste Switzerland’ and help grow our community.
