Relocated to Switzerland to pursue a childhood dream of becoming a doctor — found love, built a home, and now navigating life and the Swiss healthcare system as a young medical doctor. I hope my first blog post helps motivate other young people to thrive for their dreams no matter their origin story. I look forward to connecting with you all and building a strong network with like minded people 🙂

The Journey Begins

Masvingo, Zimbabwe — the year is 2005. I am in third grade at Gokomere Primary School, and our assignment that morning is to draw how we imagine our future careers. Hesitant but hopeful, I pull out my sharp HB pencil and sketch a young woman with short hair, a white coat, and a name tag that reads “Dr. B.”

From that day onwards, my third-grade teacher called me Dr. B until the end of primary school. That small act of belief planted a seed in me. I started reading about what it would take to become a doctor, and in high school, I found myself drawn to the life sciences, physics, and mathematics. Growing up in a Catholic school, my values were deeply rooted in faith, and as the firstborn of two highly educated, loving, supportive Zimbabwean parents — expectations were high. So was my determination.

A Detour on the Path

Fast forward to 2016. I didn’t make it into the highly competitive medical school at the University of Zimbabwe. I took a gap year, unsure of the next step and uninterested in engineering or architecture. Then, through a family friend, I learned about the opportunity to study medicine in Ukraine.

I applied, got accepted, and spent months battling visa paperwork while watching former classmates enjoy their first year at university. I waited, hoped, prayed… and prepared.

Ukraine: A Second Home

In January 2017, I said goodbye to my family and boarded a flight to Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine — ready to begin the journey I had dreamed about since childhood. Ukraine quickly became a second home. I embraced the language, the vibrant culture, my studies, rotations, and the friendships I made with both local and international students.

One summer, I returned to Zimbabwe for an internship at the provincial hospital in Masvingo. There, I fell in love with caring for infants and newborns — many born in difficult circumstances or without family presence. Their fragility touched my heart, and neonatology began to call my name.

When I returned to Ukraine, another challenge awaited: Zimbabwe’s sudden foreign currency crisis. I could no longer receive financial support from home and had to take on student jobs while learning to balance survival, studies, and excellence. It was exhausting, but it shaped me.

The War That Changed Everything

I remember the morning of February 22, 2022, vividly. Helicopters echoed above my apartment building. My phone buzzed relentlessly with calls and messages from my parents. Our lecturers reassured us that the conflict would remain along the Russia–Ukraine border. But by midday, it became clear: Zaporizhzhia was no longer safe.

The following day, a small group of international students and I packed what we could and boarded a train toward Ivano-Frankivsk. We walked several kilometers through snow and biting winds to reach the Polish border, joining hundreds of fellow students trying to evacuate and wondering:

What now? Where next?

Poland offered me the option to continue medical school — but only if I restarted at fourth year. As a final-year student with one semester left, that wasn’t an option.

Then came an unexpected blessing — an email from a family friend, whom I now call my “Good Samaritan.” He helped organize my move to Bern. And just one week after the invasion began, I arrived in Switzerland.

Switzerland: A New Beginning

That spring, I resumed my studies online with my Ukrainian university. That summer, I interned in paediatrics at the University Hospital in Bern. There, another kind and perceptive physician saw my passion and helped me understand how a Zimbabwean medical student with no German proficiency could build a career in Switzerland.

I later became an exchange student at the University of Bern — while preparing for my final exams in Ukraine and still working online jobs to support myself.

Life moved quickly:

• In winter, I met the love of my life.
• I passed my final exams.
• I graduated with my Master’s in Medicine.
• In 2023, I began my doctoral studies, clinical research, and dedicated myself to learning German.
• A year and a half later, I married the love of my life in the beautiful Berner Oberland.
• And this year, I started my clinical rotations under the supervision of senior physicians, waiting — once again — for recognition of my foreign medical degree.

A Journey Still Unfolding…

My journey has been anything but easy. I’ve hesitated to share it, partly because it still feels filled with uncertainty, and partly because so much of it has been about figuring things out as I go — working with what I had, trusting God, and moving forward even when I didn’t know what was next.

I feel humbled and grateful to learn from experienced professors and specialists across paediatrics, rheumatology, neonatology, and now paediatric infectious diseases. As a junior doctor, I’m learning through mentorship, through practice, and yes — sometimes through mistakes.

I am especially grateful for new friendships, for the love I’ve found, and for the joy of building a home in Switzerland.

Why I’m Sharing My Story

My hope is simple:
to inspire other young doctors and medical students — especially those dreaming of working far from home — not to give up.

Your path may twist, pause, or break open in unexpected ways.
But with faith, perseverance, community, and courage, dreams can still take root.
They can grow in new soil.
They can flourish in places you never imagined.

This is only the beginning of Mountains, Medicine & Me.
Thank you for being here.