Is Switzerland really that boring? - Page 3

starshine · #41 10.10.2010, 22:27

	Quote:	adrianlondon
	Yes ... and no. I'm from London and the buzz (night life, bars, restaurants, cafes, shops, just walking around) is very obviously missing from here. But that's to be expected as the population of London is greater than that of Switzerland. However, and this is a personal thing, I like meeting new and interesting people. Admittedly not all expats fit into that category but a lot do. I've got friends in Basel from this forum, from couchsurfing.org (they tend to be a bit wacky!), the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars in Basel (don't ask), Facebook and the University. A very diverse bunch of people, most of whom have travelled and worked in many countries. In London I sometimes find my "old" friends a bit boring, especially once I'm back there after a few months of living abroad. Here, I can meet people who, for random examples, own a chain of restaurants in Belgium, are studying neuroscience, are musicians, teachers, IT consultants, a Japanese guy who'd spent 3 years cycling around the world, a chef etc etc. Now, all the above must exist in London but when the population of a city is 8 million people tend to clump together. In other words, I don't meet such a diverse bunch of people all in one group/place when living in London. So, (wow, what a long post and not even one sarcastic or witty comment about shop opening hours!) it's not being in Switzerland that I find exciting, it's working away from home. You'll also notice that all my friends are expats or travellers of one sort or another. I don't speak any German and haven't integrated. I don't feel I need to, or want to. I'm happy as it is. Of course, I like to think that even without integrating I'm adding to the richness of Basel in my own way. That I can believe. I usually move on after 12 to 18 months.

oh god, yes
of course i come from the middle east , the middle of the mid east conflict
and i adore cows donkeys chickens but after a while it does get to you
the people 's glassy eyed stares, the only communication mode a heavy drink, the cold air, the very very shallow boring topics; shall we build a mosque with a tower or not?
etc etc
it depends on your attitude
i just decided that if you cant beat them join them
but lately as the light fades away and autumn sets in i have been really
reconsidering packing up and moving south
deep deep south

good luck
i suppose if you read james joyce and practice what he preaches
this place could be tolerable ---

but then again i have never really been the welcome wagon lady type
so could be i am wrong
and this is a really exciting place and i am just a wall flower...

#42 10.10.2010, 22:47

Is England boring?
What about the US?
or indeed France or Italy.
Switzerland is a very small country - but life in Zurich, Lausanne or Geneva will be very different. And life in a small village in the mountains will be very different - and a village in Upper Wallis will be very very different from one by Lake Geneva. Switzerland is small, but very varied, linguistically, culturally, etc, etc, etc. Like in London will be different to life in Torquay, or Stoke or North Yorkshire- or indeed Arizona, Maine or NY, a small village in Dordogneshire or Paris. Stereotypes just won't do.

As said above- if you come to CH just for a higher salary and some sort of promotion, with no intention of throwing yourself into a new way of life, learning the language and trying to understand how people tick (NO not all Swiss are the same) - it will be boring. I'd say only boring people get bored. Hope you enjoy and keep your mind and heart open (as many Swiss people do (but not all) I promise). Hope you enjoy your stay here.

MathNut · #43 10.10.2010, 23:02

	Quote:	starshine
	good luck i suppose if you read james joyce and practice what he preaches this place could be tolerable ---

Just for information's sake: James-Joyce-who's-buried-up-Kirche-Fluntern, or another, readable James Joyce I haven't heard of?

Duncheg · #44 10.10.2010, 23:02

boring or not... clean, quiet, polite, nice peaceful lake views...
however, there is something in the air that makes it unbearable sometimes

#45 10.10.2010, 23:04

	Quote:	Duncheg
	there is something in the air that makes it unbearable sometimes

You've been to Canton Schwyz, then?

starshine · #46 10.10.2010, 23:05

	Quote:	MathNut
	Just for information's sake: James-Joyce-who's-buried-up-Kirche-Fluntern, or another, readable James Joyce I haven't heard of?

yes
oh dear , apparently james joyce is buried
not much of a role model then is he ?
i suppose a point well taken...
he used to live here though and apparently loved it or it drove him to drink
either way

starshine · #47 10.10.2010, 23:07

	Quote:
	You've been to Canton Schwyz, then?

apparently it gets around and around ...
call it the sound of silence...

MathNut · #48 10.10.2010, 23:08

	Quote:	starshine
	yes oh dear , apparently james joyce is buried not much of a role model then is he ? i suppose a point well taken... he used to live here though and apparently loved it or it drove him to drink either way

Married for three months, I know the feeling!

edit: it was a joke, dear, I was only... stop... where are you going with the teapot?

#49 10.10.2010, 23:08

	Quote:	starshine
	he used to live here though and apparently loved it or it drove him to drink

... down the Odeon, where all the best people drown their sorrows (and joys).

Perhaps that's why all his books were so dreadful?

adrianlondon · #50 11.10.2010, 01:05

	Quote:	biff
	No I'm not!

You jumped on a train to Luxembourg for no apparent reason and cycled back. Wacko!! *jealous*

araqyl · #51 11.10.2010, 11:19

In the last few months I've observed a change that makes the place more 'interesting' ... occasionally I bump into people as I'm going about my daily business who I know. This is the big lack I initially noticed as, living in the same general area of a city for about 30 years, I couldn't go a day without bumping into at least a half-dozen people I knew. Now I have met enough people in various places and 'circles' that I now bump into them in "different" situations. Makes the place feel more like home.

H.RIHANI · #52 11.10.2010, 11:25

That is Not true ! the Swiss People are friendly, honest, and helpful, on Top of that they respect their invironment and keep their Country very clean, any One who live in Switzerland should appreciate how advanced and well organized the is the Country which is because of its dedicated and cooperative People.i wish you luck here, Don't worry. you will find a Lot of Friends:-)

#53 11.10.2010, 11:33

	Quote:	Duncheg
	however, there is something in the air that makes it unbearable sometimes

It's OK. That was just DB and he's supposed to be better now.

#54 11.10.2010, 11:34

	Quote:	H.RIHANI
	That is Not true ! the Swiss People are friendly, honest, and helpful, on Top of that they respect their invironment and keep their Country very clean, any One who live in Switzerland should appreciate how advanced and well organized the is the Country which is because of its dedicated and cooperative People.i wish you luck here, Don't worry. you will find a Lot of Friends:-)

Do they capitalise the initial letters of nouns in Arabic, too? I thought that was just German. In fact, do they have capital letters in Arabic? Just wondering. (It looks like you're sort of randomly shouting when you do it in English.)

Anyway, no, I don't find Switzerland boring. Some of the Swiss, yes, but definitely not Switzerland. I also find some Australians boring, and some English; also some Abyssinians.

#55 11.10.2010, 11:38

I just can say that, since I'm reading expats posts on this forum, I find my country to be more and more interesting.....

Thanks guys, some more posts and I will tour the German part

Bits and Bobs · #56 18.10.2010, 16:47

	Quote:	Mud
	Switzerland is the birthplace of Absinthe. Don't let the French fool you. And Absinthe is a sure fire way to make friends and* get drunk, both very quickly.*

How´s that for a fact! Neuchâtel to be precisely... Haven´t seen much of any Absinthe around here though, but a few beers, wine and a few more B52´s set my landlady back quite a few CHFs the other day.. She was quite lively by the end of our first "Flat" meeting!

My judgement; Not boring at all!

#57 18.10.2010, 16:50

	Quote:	baba tenor
	I am starting masters at EPFL this September. I was just surfing the web about Swiss people and meeting new people in Switzerland and I came across many offensive posts complaining about not being able to make friends there because all CH people are boring and unfriendly. In my opinion, if one is not able to make friends, he should blame it on himself. I mean, everyone can make friends if they smile and spend some effort to be social, independent of the country, right? I would like to hear your opinions on this topic, especially if you have been in CH for some time and would like to share your experience.

Not ALL Swiss people..but, seriously, if you are here you should be able to see for yourself, as in some things are hard to explain until you actually live through it.

ticino · #58 18.10.2010, 17:20

I spoke to a German colleague today who has been to CH for a few weeks (on a short assignment, he will move back soon). He noticed that - when speaking to people here about life in CH - one of the first things that always comes up is high salaries and low taxes (even from locals). His impression was that most people only stay because of the money, but actually are quite miserable otherwise. Made me think, because I fear he's right.....

So - yes, it is rather boring and lonely unless you make many expat friends.

#59 18.10.2010, 18:13

	Quote:	Bits and Bobs
	How´s that for a fact! Neuchâtel to be precisely... Haven´t seen much of any Absinthe around here though, but a few beers, wine and a few more B52´s set my landlady back quite a few CHFs the other day.. She was quite lively by the end of our first "Flat" meeting! My judgement; Not boring at all!

Absinthe comes from Neuchatel Canton, but more precisely from the Val-de-Travers, Couvet, Motiers, Boveresse and Fleurier. Pernod was invented in Couvet, but production was later moved across the French border to Pontarlier.

#60 18.10.2010, 18:25

	Quote:	ticino
	So - yes, it is rather boring and lonely unless you make many expat friends.

And what about the locals ? I'm sure that, if you put some efforts to it, you could find some friends among them.