SwissCommunity 1/800 000 The “Fifth Switzerland” is a colourful, varied and multilingual puzzle with well over 800,000 pieces. Today’s puzzle piece is… ... Úrsula Schläppi, 60, an educator specialising in early childhood and disability, who lives in Colombia, maintaining active links with both cultures and working in Cartagena de Indias. What does “homeland” mean to you? It’s where my family and friends are, where I was born and raised. Switzerland with its landscapes, rich tones, history, seasons, nature and mountains, is very important to me. In Colombia, it’s also my friends, nature, the sea, the mountains, the country’s impressive biodiversity and the different landscapes, some unique in the world. Is it possible to have several homelands? I’m convinced of this and feel very privileged. Having several homelands doesn’t mean that they need to be the same or in competition with each other. Loving one homeland doesn’t mean you stop loving another. How and when do you show your Swissness in your everyday life? It’s always noticeable, my appearance, my accent, among other things. I’ll never stop being Swiss, in the perception of people in my other homeland or in my own perception. What is it like for you being connected to more than one country? I’m grateful to have two homelands. Sometimes people ask me if I still know where I feel “at home”. My answer is always the same: I have two places where I feel at home. It’s an enriching circumstance; it “broadens one’s horizons”. Getting to know a country with a different culture forces you to reflect, learn and even question your own ideas and positions on many issues and things. It means relearning a language, culture and history that are different from those of one’s native country. What references to Switzerland do you have in your home? Quartz from the Grimsel Pass region (BE/VS), pictures of the Wellhorn, Wetterhorn and Engelhörner (BE), books by Swiss authors and Swiss chocolate in the fridge. Switzerland and you: What is your current relationship status? Very close. I travel to Switzerland once or twice a year. It’s important for me to maintain my contacts with family and friends. Do you have personal contact with other Swiss Abroad? Yes, and I have more contacts on the other side of the “Röschtigraben” than I did before, when I lived in Switzerland. Is regularly meeting other Swiss people important to you? Yes, because we share the same cultural background. It’s not even about the language, because with many of them I speak the language of my country of residence. www.revue.link/puzzle Every “Swiss Review” is your own little home from home, regardless of where you live in the world – giving you that priceless sense of proximity to Switzerland. But “Swiss Review” also costs money. And our magazine faces a challenging future, given that further cuts in federal funding are likely. Parliament is currently debating measures to this effect. Our magazine and other OSA offers are set to bear the brunt. But this is where Switzerland’s strength comes into play – the grassroots strength of its citizens. Can we count on your support? It would mean a lot to us. FILIPPO LOMBARDI, OSA PRESIDENT DANIEL HUNZIKER, OSA DIRECTOR Donate via credit card: www.revue.link/creditrevue Donate via PayPal: www.revue.link/revue Bank account for donations: IBAN: CH97 0079 0016 1294 4609 8 Bank: Berner Kantonalbank Bundesplatz 8, CH-3011 Berne BIC/SWIFT: KBBECH22 Beneficiary: BEKB Bern, Account 16.129.446.0.98 Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, FAO Mr A. Kiskery, Alpenstrasse 26, CH-3006 Berne Reference: Support Swiss Review Email: revue@swisscommunity.org SWITZERLAND FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME We need your help for it to remain that way. 35 Swiss Review / February 2026 / No.1
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