Kristina Merolli Peerdeman, 34: consumer management specialist

Kristina Peerdeman is a woman on the go. You need to be determined to catch up with her, given her widespread interests, which include networking with expats. Working as a consumer management analyst for a multinational company, the Canadian expat travels a lot but she remains attached to her new-found home in Neuchatel. Peerdeman tells Swisster why she wouldn't trade her life in the Swiss city for anything. When Swisster first contacted Kristina Merolli Peerdeman to propose an interview, she demurred. “I am travelling at the moment, but what about the end of November?” The Canadian native is constantly on the move, both in her job as a consumer management specialist with a multinational company and in her life outside of work. 
Peerdeman, 34, has managed in her busy life to create a Neuchatel’s expat community group on the social networking website, Facebook, that has already attracted 35 members, while pursuing post-graduate studies and an active social life. After some gentle persuasion, she ultimately found a little space in her agenda to meet us at the “Café du Cerf,” a well-known pub for expatriates in the city. 
The Facebook group is aimed at socializing and exchanging views about life as an expat. But Peerdeman feels guilty that she hasn’t organized an event yet. Put that down to a scheduling issue. Peerdeman is curious and eager to welcome new expats but, she said with a smile, “I don’t have much time.”  Her daybook is full enough as it is. She plays tennis on Monday evenings, takes Dutch and sailing lessons, and has enrolled in two distance courses through the University of Toronto. On top of that, add in travel with her husband, time spent with her dog, Bojo, and socializing with friends. 
Born in Hamilton, Canada, Peerdeman studied social science and criminology at the University of Ottawa. She moved to Switzerland from Toronto seven years ago when her former employer, a telecommunications company, offered her a job in Neuchatel. Four years later, she was offered a position at a multinational in the manufacturing sector, where she has had the opportunity to travel throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America. 
Peerdeman’s plan was to move to Switzerland for one year to experience life in Europe. However, she met her future husband, an expat from Holland, “fell madly in love” and has stayed put. The pair are planning to buy a house in the Neuchatel area and she’s even interested in getting a Swiss passport, although she complains about the difficulties in obtaining one. 
Although she’s an outsider, Peerdeman seems to be more “Neuchâteloise “ than many real Neuchâtelois.” She is well versed in the history of the city and the great places to hang out. She closely follows local and federal politics, and controversies such as the debate about Valerie Garbani, the Socialist municipal councillor, whose difficulties with alcoholism and personal problems spilled onto the front pages of local newspapers. 
She remembers the last campaign of the Swiss People’s Party (UDC), particularly the posters with the black sheep. “Their opinions are strong towards foreigners, no ?” Peerdeman was also a big fan of the Euro 2008 soccer championship in June, when “all of us in Neuchâtel were Portuguese.” (The team from Portugal stayed at the city’s Beau Rivage Hôtel). 
Peerdeman acknowledged that Neuchâtel is a small city and that sometimes it’s quiet. On the other hand, she really likes the fact everyone knows each other. This is a “big change compared to huge cities like Toronto where you sometimes feel anonymous,” she said. She likes the quality of life and the relaxed attitude at work. “If I leave at 6, I do not feel guilty, in Switzerland life more than just work.” 
Her first “Fête des Vendanges,” or grape harvest festival, in Neuchatel left an indelible impression. Peerdeman said she had never seen that sort of atmosphere before. In Canada, drinking alcohol in the streets is forbidden. She is also adjusting to other cultural differences, for example, the closure of shops on Monday mornings. “It is unthinkable in Canada.” But Peerdeman has grown to appreciate the need for merchants to take time off. “People here emphasize the quality of life, and having time for yourself is part of that.”

Peerdeman has become a well-known figure in Neuchâtel, where she walks her pet pug Bojo, who is almost a local celebrity in the city centre. “Either people laugh when they look at him or say he is ugly, he has a face only a mother can love,” she said.