Swiss Expat Story: Kevin in Victoria, Canada

by MySwissWorld & Swiss Food Box Team

Helvetic post 11

We welcome you to our newest interview in our weekly series. Here we interview each week somebody from the community and learn a bit more about their lives.

This week, Kevin tells us more about his life in Canada. As a manager at a roofing company in Victoria, British Columbia, Kevin Spahn has called Canada home for the past 20 years. However, Kevin has strong ties to Switzerland, where he spent most of his childhood and still has family living in different parts of the country. Despite missing the amazing food and beautiful spots to visit in Switzerland, Kevin and his family are happy living on Vancouver Island and have no plans to leave in the near future. In fact, Kevin dreams of taking his wife and three children back to Switzerland for a vacation within the next few years. 🇨🇦

Thank you very much Kevin and we are looking forward to shipping your two free boxes next week! 🎁😀

What is your name and where are you living now?
 
My name is Kevin Spahn and I live with my wife Priscila and three children in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada). Professionally I am employed as a Manager in a small office of a roofing company, and this already for almost 15 years.
 
What is your connection to Switzerland? Have you been born there, or do you have some roots in Switzerland?
 
Even though I was born in Richmond, I spent most of my childhood from age 1 to nearly 15 in Switzerland, specifically in Buchberg (SH), Bülach (ZH) and lastly Höngg on the outskirts of Zürich. My father, two aunts, one uncle, and several cousins all still live in different parts of Switzerland.
 
What is the thing that you miss about Switzerland the most?
 
Besides my beloved family members, I miss the amazing food, traveling by train, and gorgeous spots to visit that I used to enjoy seeing while living there. I have especially fond memories from downtown Zürich, Grindelwald, St. Moritz, Schaffhausen, and Belalp in Blatten.
 
What do you think is better or do you like more in your new country?
 
Living on Vancouver Island - first in Nanaimo for ten years (where I met my Mexican wife of 21 years), and now Victoria for the past twenty - has been a true blessing. The climate is the mildest in all of Canada, and so many recreational and family oriented opportunities exist throughout the year. The fact we can ski on beautiful Mt. Washington and see the ocean from the highest peak is spectacular - the west coast is also special, where the massive grey whale can be spotted during the appropriate time of year.
 
Do you have any plans of returning soon? For vacations or permanently.
 
God only knows where else my wife and I might live someday, but we do not intend to leave Victoria any time soon and our focus is on the safety, education and overall wellbeing of our three children - two girls and a boy in the middle. Each of the kids has been to Switzerland once for a visit and they loved the experience - I dream of the five of us going there for a vacation within the next two to three years; perhaps for my father's 80th birthday which would be truly special.

MySwissWorld

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