Rosa Angela de Oliveira Coulon, 44, is originally from Buzi, a small town in Mozambique. Since 2016, she has been living in Switzerland with her husband and their five-year-old daughter. Here, she works as a cleaning assistant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember that day vividly. It was January 11, 2016, and it was so cold that I caught a cold. Since it’s always hot in Mozambique, I wasn’t accustomed to the cold temperatures. Nevertheless, I immediately fell in love with this country. I can’t remember exactly why I chose Switzerland. However, the words of my chemistry teacher stay with me to this day: \u00abYou belong in Europe, not Africa.\u00bb And she was right: I am very happy here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, a few. In Chimoio, Mozambique, I worked as a secretary and receptionist at a local clinic for about four or five years. Then, I had the opportunity to work as a governess in Angola. But when I came to Switzerland, I suddenly found myself without a job. For a while, I had to rely on odd jobs to make ends meet. It was a difficult time for us, as my husband could only work part-time due to an injury. But I never lost faith: When one door closes, another one opens. And that\u2019s how it turned out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Initially, I worked for a cleaning company. I had many clients and only received positive feedback. One day, a client whom I now affectionately call \u00abmy angel\u00bb, explained to me that in this manner, I was actually working for the cleaning company, not for myself. She recommended quitt to me, and since 2023, she has been my employer, along with seven others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I get up at 5:45 a.m. every morning. I shower, get dressed, and drink coffee. Then, I prepare breakfast for my daughter and myself. At 6:20 a.m., I wake her up and make sure she’s prepared for the day. After she has eaten her fruit compote, I accompany her to the \u00abmorning table\u00bb and then head off to work. My shift starts daily at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 5:00 p.m. The tasks vary; sometimes I iron for six hours straight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Really good, especially with my older employers. One of my employers sometimes works from home. I like to arrive a little earlier on those days to have a coffee with her. I really appreciate those moments.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n My honesty. My employers leave money and jewelry out in the open. And where they last left their valuables, that’s where they’ll find them again. I don’t touch any of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I love tidying up and cleaning, especially when it comes to the bathroom. For me, it’s an absolute must that the toilet is sparkling white. I can’t stand it when it’s dirty. Personally, I want to feel good when I enter the bathroom. So it\u2019s very important to me that my employers feel the same way. This has also rubbed off on my five-year-old daughter; she once screamed when she saw a dirty toilet (laughs)<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cleaning windows. Just the thought of it gives me a headache (laughs)<\/em>. Of course, I do it anyway. And to make it easier for me, one of my employers was kind enough to buy me a cleaning device. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If I don’t have a book with me, I like to watch Turkish series on my way home. At home, I cook for us, and we eat dinner together. Later, my daughter and I follow our evening ritual, where I like to read to her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I enjoy swimming, even though I’m not really good at it (laughs)<\/em>. In Mozambique, I almost drowned twice. That’s why I was afraid to learn it. Nevertheless, I still like to spend time in the pool. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rosa Angela de Oliveira Coulon, 44, is originally from Buzi, a small town in Mozambique. Since 2016, she has been living in Switzerland with her husband and their five-year-old daughter. Here, she works as a cleaning assistant. How did you come to Switzerland? I remember that day vividly. It was January 11, 2016, and it…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":156266,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[391],"tags":[],"post_series":[],"class_list":["post-156294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-employee-news","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat do your employers particularly appreciate about you? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What tasks do you enjoy the most? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Is there anything you don\u2019t like to do? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What do you do after work? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What are your hobbies? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n