Welcome to Switzerland: Your Intercultural Survival Guide
International Relations and Study abroad Service
Date: 5 October 2026 / 17:30 - 19:30
Room A11, Red Building, West Campus Lugano
Studying and doing research abroad is an inspiring, fulfilling experience that can often be life-changing. At the same time, it can feel challenging at first, until you start to identify and understand the cultural particularities of your host country.
Welcome to Switzerland: Your Intercultural Survival Guide is the workshop you wish you'd had on day one.
In an interactive and informal setting, we will explore Swiss cultural norms together and share practical strategies for feeling at home in a new cultural context — or at least for making sense of where you've landed.
A chance to find your way and to meet people who are going through the same experience: REGISTER HERE
Get to know our guide through these intercultural challenges: Dr. Paula Nestea has lived, studied, and worked across several countries, and her own experience of adapting to new cultures has shaped both her professional path and her research. Holding three nationalities, she brings a unique perspective to the intercultural field, combining lived experience with academic research to help bridge cultural divides and foster inclusion.
She studied Philosophy at the University of Bucharest, completed a research Master's in Management at HEC Montréal, and earned a PhD in Occupational Health from Grenoble Alpes University. Like a large proportion of the Swiss population, she is actively involved in volunteer work, an experience that further deepens her understanding of intercultural encounters and community engagement.
The event is organized with SIETAR Switzerland and will be held in English.
Stay with us after the event for a tipically swiss aperitif!
Please help us avoid any food waste, register only if you intend to participate and inform us if you can no longer come.