Inspiring Women SUMMER 2020

“Zooming” to Zen in Switzerland
RYLLA RESLER
Member: American Women’s Club of Basel
From: Washington, DC Lives: Basel, Switzerland
I grew up mostly in Branson, Missouri. I was a late surprise in
my family (11 years after my four sisters), and my dad retired
from the foreign service. He wanted to come back to family
(he had grown up in St. Louis) but didn’t want to be in the
big city. I think they thought a small town would provide me
with an idyllic childhood. However, because I was born in
Washington, DC, and had already lived abroad (in
Asunción, Paraguay) for three years, I actually found small
town life a bit stifling. I ended up doing a semester abroad
in Paraguay (my sister lived there and still does) and then
went to boarding school (Memphis, TN) because I was
eager to get out there into the world.
I attended university in New Orleans (Tulane) and then moved to San Francisco because it was a
city that had always fascinated me. I worked there for just over a year, and then due to my
mom’s illness, decided to move back to Missouri, this time St. Louis. I lived there until I met my
husband, David. He was in Cleveland and we were trying to get together, into the same city. We
ended up on a jaunt back to South America. He covered the Mercosur as his territory and took
an “extended business trip” to Paraguay where we lived for 11 months. It was a great way to
start our relationship together.
Because of living abroad as a child, and because my husband traveled all over the world for his
work, we were both interested in living abroad ourselves. Our kids were young and we were
eager to show them other parts of the world, have them learn about another culture and learn a
second language. David was traveling often to Switzerland, and so when the opportunity came
up for us to move here, we did.
We’ve now been in Basel for
over 11 years. We rented an
apartment just outside of
town for much of that time,
but recently bought a small
apartment right in the heart
of the city. My husband works
for Bayer now, and his office is
five minutes away. Our kids
are studying and working in
town. I teach yoga so being
in town is much more
convenient for me, plus we
are all enjoying the ease of
shopping, restaurants, and
almost everything we need
being within walking distance.
Teaching community yoga
54