My first time... on the social city tour

The ‘Putting Down Roots’ tour, led by Nicolas Gabriel, began early on a Saturday morning. The name of the tour is symbolic of the city guide’s own life, as he has had to uproot himself several times due to frequent moves.

From the Central Library to the Zurich High Court and on to the Herberge zur Heimat, these were all formative stages in Nicolas Gabriel’s life story. And thus the central theme of his city tour. According to him, although he had no physical home during his time as a homeless person, he found refuge in a spiritual home: books. Hence the stop at the Central Library.

The High Court is included in the city tour because of his law studies in Zurich. Nicolas Gabriel’s promising career was derailed by mental illness. Driven by an irrational fear of the then-emerging HIV virus, he became increasingly isolated. This led to the loss of all his social contacts and his job. After a troubled marriage, he returned from Biel to Zurich with no money and no job. From then on, he lived on the streets – for 16 years.

He retained his good will despite his own precarious situation: in the evenings he helped out in a care home or volunteered to collect rubbish around the area where he slept. Thanks to his legal background, he wouldn’t allow himself to travel without a valid ticket.

2 francs a day. That was his budget, if he had one at all. He started earning money again by selling Surprise newspapers. But the turning point in his situation came thanks to ‘SIP’. SIP is an acronym for Security, Intervention and Prevention. Through this, he was given a room at the Salvation Army. We also got to see a similar hostel at the end of the tour.

It is a tour that makes you think. Nicolas Gabriel’s life and mine pass by the same corners – yet could not be more different. The fact that the Central Library could be such an empowering place was baffling to me as a recent school leaver. Not avoiding a homeless person, but walking alongside them, is a valuable experience.

I look forward to taking part in the eight further tours organised by Surprise. And I recommend them to everyone else too.