Le puzzle de la Cinquième Suisse: 1/800 000
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Susanne Brigitte Burger, New Zealand
23.09.2025
The “Fifth Switzerland” is a colourful, varied and multilingual puzzle with well over 800,000 pieces. Today’s puzzle piece is …
… Susanne Brigitte Burger aka Sue or Susy, 75, in New Zealand, since 2000. Pensioner, used to be an office administrator, accountant and PA. She and her husband live with a four-legged companion: Her name is Candy.
Sue with Candy. Photo provided
In which location or country would you say, ‘This is my home’?
My home is now New Zealand. We have even moved into a so-called Retirement Village, which will be our last home as long as we live.
Is it possible to have several homelands?
Yes, in my opinion certainly. I have lived in Switzerland for 50 years and I felt home in various parts of Switzerland. All these memories and experiences came with me to New Zealand. They are all part of me and have for sure some influence on me living now in New Zealand.
How and when do you show your Swissness in your everyday life?
Being accurate and punctual is very much appreciated here in New Zealand business but not everybody lives by it. Having these traits of accuracy and punctuality means that sometimes one has to be very tolerant in order to avoid too much stress – just keep smiling!
Do you ever feel like a foreigner when you visit Switzerland?
Reading the newspapers and watch TV reports, I think I might feel like a foreigner. However, I’ve never been back to Switzerland since 25 years and I’m not going to.
Do you have any specific expectations of Switzerland?
To be quite honest, yes, the expectation that I’ll be able to receive the AHV till the end of my life because I have paid into this solidarity fund all my working life and then another 14 years from New Zealand, based on the income we generated through our businesses.
Are people in your country of residence aware of Switzerland at all and, if so, in what way?
Yes, most of them know where Switzerland is (from their oversea’s experience) and don’t mix it up with Sweden … all rave about the beautiful country, the chocolate and the special cheeses – astonishing as New Zealand has some real great cheese varieties too – and the train connections all over. But everybody realises that Switzerland is a relatively expensive country to travel in.
What role would you like Switzerland to play in the world?
I’m still hoping Switzerland will be able to keep up with being neutral. I’m not sure whether it’s going to be possible nowadays, but I still hope.
My favourite memory of Switzerland …
… is the walk from Grütschalp to Mürren on a mid-September sunny day – have a coffee half-way and travel back with the railway late afternoon.
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