Letisia Petrus
Virtual Internship
Special Award
Trip to Switzerland
June 24 - July 10, 2023
Switzerland
Great Trip as a reward
Another student from Namibia University of Science and Technology who qualified and participate in the second Virtual Internships project in 2022, was afforded an opportunity to experience and explore Switzerland by the Staub Kaiser Foundation, which financially supports the program. Letisia Petrus was offered a 2-week trip to Switzerland , as an award for her outstanding performance during her 13 weeks Virtual Internship.
June 24-25, Letisia’s Virtual host family welcomed her at Zurich airport. A weekend with family followed, during which she had an opportunity to network and experience some Swiss party life, as she attended a birthday party with her host family at the Albishaus restaurant and experience the authentic Swiss culture as she went for a *mini* walk along the lake of Zug. The family also enjoyed a Namibian dish “Oshifima” served with gravy, pork, and beans.
June 26, along with Karen Mueller Letisia visited the Swiss African Business Circle headquarters, where she met her former colleagues and discovered Bern. She later went on to explore part of Zurich with Karen.
June 27, was dedicated to visiting the B360 headquarters and exploring Zug.
June 28 A highlight among the many highlights of the trip was when the chocoholic Letisia visited the Lindt chocolate museum in Kilchberg, Zurich.
June 29, Marianne Egli (B360 Advisory Board Member and long-term voluntary expert) invited Letisia to discover Zurich. They explored the various parts of the town and the ‘Amazônia’ photo exhibition that features more than 200 photographs by Sebastião Salgado (also a highlight).
June 30 - July 02, Letisia spent some time with her host family recuperating from all the walking and attending a party with her family.
July 03-04, Rudolf Schmitt (member of the B360 board and long-time voluntary B360 expert) and Letisia met in Visp and took the bus to Valais Saas-Fee. The following day was accompanied by perfect weather – a refreshing breeze and astonishing views all along the rides, they took a boat from Thun to east Interlaken and from west Interlaken to Brienz. The trip then continued to Zurich by train.
July 05, she once again spent the day with her host family.
July 06, was spent exploring the Mediterranean part of Switzerland, Ticino to experience the perfect mix of Switzerland and Italy. Zelie Lam and Letisia took a train to Lugano where they explored the central part of the town, before continuing their journey to Locarno and then enjoyed a delicious Italian dish at one of the restaurants along the beautiful lake and of course the experience wouldn’t be complete without some creamy and refreshing gelato.
July 07, was once again spent with Marriane Egli visiting the Zoo in Zurich. An interesting observation made by Letisia was how the various parts of the zoo are structured and adapted to the environments where the animals originate.
After spending another day with her host family, Letisia returned back to Namibia on Sunday July 10. With newfound inspiration, motivation, memories, souvenirs, and new experiences.
B360 is certain that this trip and everything learnt and discovered made a lasting impact on Letisia. Therefore, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the Staub Kaiser Foundation for once again making this trip possible and to the Huber family, mentors and all the stakeholders for the contributions towards the success of this trip.
“It is said that the best way to learn is through experience or practice, this trip has taught me that this is not only applicable to academic or professions, but also to life overall. I have learned so much in two weeks; exploring the different places, meeting new people, and seeing how people act differently yet so similar from the people in Namibia was fascinating to observe and feel the difference in ambience as we explored the towns. The streets were also works of art from graffiti to architecture, it was an absolute pleasure to witness. But all this is just the cherry at the top of the cake, my perspective, knowledge and understanding of myself, others and the world has been deepened and broadened so much I feel renewed, bright, and fresh again” Letisia Petrus (B360 Virtual intern 2023).
Here is a small selection of the pictures taken during the time in Switzerland
