CHAPTER 1
CHILDHOOD
2004-2012
Arnaud Sébastien Hürlimann, born on April 7, 2005 in Miri on the Malaysian part of Borneo island, has Swiss parents Aline and Alex. Due to their job at Shell, they moved frequently, living in Dubai when their first child Gregoire was born two years prior. Living in Asia until Arnaud was 2, the family then relocated to Switzerland in Nyon. Arnaud attended the Montessori bilingual school in Commugny, close to their home, growing up with caring parents and brother, enjoying family gatherings and extensive travels.
Arnaud discovering snow when moving to Switzerland
« I don’t have any personal memories, but looking at old photos shows me that we used to interact with many relatives, including some I no longer recognize. We also explored Switzerland extensively, as well as other nations. »
Arnaud visiting Paris with his family
In his youth, Arnaud journeyed to Germany, France, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Singapore, Malaysia, and UAE with his family. He began attending school in Geneva near his parents’ workplace at the Mosaic school in 2009, but he exhibited disruptive behavior in class. He belonged to the group of « popular kids », but his status quickly changed when he transferred to a different school. Arnaud was a daring child, always seeking out risky situations like climbing trees or engaging in experimental activities such as digging deep into the sand.
« As far as I can recall, the teachers struggled a lot to manage me. »
At age of 8, he went to a private school in Nyon called Moser. Unfortunately he had a tough time dealing with bullies at the new school. Arnaud stayed at the school for a period of 5 years, which allowed him to discover ways to prevent bullying, which were going to be useful for the next few years. Although Arnaud experimented with sports such as judo, tennis, and football, he held a strong dislike for them and actively avoided participating, unlike his brother Gregoire, which was already in love with all kind of sports. During this period, he was more interested in drawing and playing video games.y
« I got hooked on playing Minecraft, Angry Birds, and other games when I received an iPad at a young age. If I could do it all over again, the only thing I would change is getting access to this technology later in life. »
