“We are moving from Zurich to Olten and I am afraid of getting lonely.”

Hello everyone,

I am facing a major life change and could really use your advice. My husband and I decided to move from the city of Zurich to Olten. He is originally from there and still has a few friends and family there. The fact that our child’s grandparents live there makes it a good idea to move there if we have to leave town. The whole thing is a big challenge for me because I come from abroad and have my circle of friends in Zurich, that is, in the city itself.

I think it is unfair that I have to leave my familiar environment, but we have no other choice because we can no longer afford to live in the city and our child will soon need his own room and we would like another one. This is simply no longer possible for us in Zurich with these rental prices and waiting times for cooperative apartments.

The problem is that I don’t know anyone in Olten and I’m afraid of becoming completely isolated. Our child will be starting kindergarten soon and I’m worried about having to sit home alone while my husband works or meets his old friends. I’ve already tried to be friends with them, but honestly, we have nothing in common and my husband and she basically just talk about old stories they once experienced. He also says that if they didn’t have that, there wouldn’t really be much to talk about. But that’s enough for him for a beer every now and then. Not for me, I have a lot of friends in the cultural sector and I travel a lot – constantly driving back and forth to the city is too tiring with a child.

Does anyone have similar experiences or can give me tips on how to find connections in Olten and build a new social community? Or make sure my old friends visit me regularly? I have experienced this in the past with other friends; people claim that you see each other regularly, but unfortunately the reality is that you see each other twice a year.

I don’t want this change to isolate me and put pressure on our family. Thank you in advance for your help.

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