Swiss expats on living abroad: the Swiss representative
More Swiss people live abroad now than ever before. In this series, seven types of expatriates talk about the happiness they have found far from home. Part 7 of the series.
Nobody knows his name in Venezuela. There, he is simply “el embajador” (the ambassador), says Jürg Sprecher, 47. Since September 2020 he has been living with his partner in Caracas, one of the world’s most dangerous capital cities. Swiss diplomacy in Venezuela focuses primarily on humanitarian aid. Sprecher also represents Switzerland in other neighbouring countries and in the Caribbean.
This is the first time in his career that Sprecher, who is from Appenzell, has held an ambassadorial post, and in contrast to his previous diplomatic roles abroad he is no longer anonymous. Whereas he used to go unnoticed in Tel Aviv or Madrid, “today we carry a little Swiss flag with us wherever we go”, he says.
His job also involves a real balancing act: immersing oneself in the local culture without becoming tied to it, as he is posted to a new location every four years.
Sprecher enjoys being able to work in many different areas, constantly learning new things and bringing people together. The fact that he works abroad adds variety to his job. “It is both an honour and rewarding to represent Switzerland abroad,” he says.
This text was first published in SonntagsBlick and is reproduced here with permission.
Translated by Catherine Hickley
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