A few weeks ago, a couple who was supposed to stay with us was unfortunately unable to make it. They told us they had a friend who could take over their room and so Eric joined our community. Here is his story:
Tell us a bit about yourself? Who are you, where are you from/based, what do you do?
My name is Eric Nguyen from California and I am on the greatest adventure of my life right now.
I got a new job in May working in Sales and I couldn’t be happier because of the people I work with and the culture. Most importantly that I am allowed to work remotely anywhere. When I was hired to start in May, it was only supposed to be remote until June/July and then I’d have to be back in Irvine working a hybrid model (2-3 days in the office and a couple days remote).
I left for Colombia in May to stay at a friend’s I met at Hawaii at a hostel (my first ever hostel experience). I planned to only stay a month but then while I was there, Houzz announced we would stay remote until end of summer, so I extended my stay to 3 months in Colombia.
But then towards end of summer, they announced that we would remain remote until end of year. My high school friend was having a wedding at Lake Como in late August, and I had never been to Europe before, so I decided to go to the wedding and embark on a Eurotrip.
Last week, the CEO announced that all US offices are now permanently closed and I am fully remote permanently. I have no plans to return to the US any time soon!
How did you find out about Swiss Escape? Was it your first time with us? In Switzerland?
On my flight from Colombia to Italy, I met an American couple sitting next to me who also work remotely and told me about Swiss escape. Unfortunately they ended up not making it to Switzerland because of a family emergency back in Texas so they had to fly back from Italy.
They told me that I should take their place at Swiss Escape since I was also planning on going to Switzerland from Italy. This was my first time at Swiss Escape, since it was my first time in Europe and Switzerland :-)
Was it your first time coworking? Coliving or had you experienced a similar set up before? First time in coworking space. Definitely a different experience for me.
What was your first thought before coming? What did you expect?
I hadn’t looked into it too much. Obviously never heard of Grimentz, but I saw pictures and I was very excited as I am an avid outdoorsman and love hiking and trees. I honestly did not have a lot of expectations, as I figured I would have a great time regardless. How long did you stay with us and tell us about your stay in general? I think my stay was about 10-11 days I forgot. My room was very comfortable, particularly the bed. I had a great sleep every night on that bed! My stay, overall was nothing short of amazing as all my friends and family that saw my pictures and videos told me they were really jealous.
Hiking at Lake Moir to the Glacier was an incredible experience. Going to the Second Smallest Festival in the World at Zinal and meeting a lot of the Anniviers locals on my first Saturday in Switzerland is something I will never forget. The locals were so friendly and got me more than 10 drinks and refused to let me buy them drinks back.
Soufiane [our community manager] was great and resourceful. He made me feel welcome and my stay was amazing! I enjoyed the Raclette Party nights.
I learned a lot about Switzerland culture and enjoyed the small village escape from the big hustle and bustle of what I am used to. Got to reflect a lot of myself and my journey to end up in the Anniviers region. I did some hikes alone, so I learnt how to navigate around as trail markers there were different from what I am used to in America.
The other residents of Swiss Escape were great and we all had fun together. I actually performed well at work when I was there as I was able to work and relax. Sales can be stressful for most people. I was definitely less stressed being in such an incredible environment at Swiss Escape in Grimentz.
Would you recommend it to anyone? Would you like to come back? And/or try other coliving-coworking spaces?
I for sure would recommend it to others. I would love to come back to snowboard. I love snowboarding and always imagined my first time to Switzerland would have been to snowboard ;-) I know there is also Greek Escape and I would stay there later!