Gosh time flies! I wouldn't know as there is no snow or cold here...
but I have not posted a new thread in a long time
So to mark my ___ day anniversary of leaving the holy(cheese) land I want to get lot's of ideas of how to bring Switzerland to Singapore (or HK where i'll be)
I'm not sure when my prison sentence ends here...or when i will be able to fly back to CH but i am missing the snow and guetzli a little here

I know there are a few members who have also left and some swiss abroad.
How to you keep the swissness alive? mr swissotter seems to be less homesick than me...go figure.
can someone send me a shipment of schoggibrot? (the migros one not coop)
any ideas for a swiss christmas here? (no fondue thanks) how do you swiss abroad celebrate?

thanks for listening

(mods not sure where this thread should be so move if needed , thanks)

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be the glitch you want to see in the matrix

I'm missing parts of it, too. Although it has been colder here in Manchester over the past few weeks than the majority of winters I spent in Switzerland...

I miss public transport that tells you what bus stop is next, has boards that show you when the next bus is coming and signs which list all stops of that bus and how long it takes to get there. I also miss clean drawers in washing machines in communal areas (I think I'm a rare one in the UK who has communal washing machines...), and a place to dry your clothes that's not in the apartment. Oh, and I miss silserbrot.

I'm not doing much in the way of celebrating this year, but I'm meeting some friends this week at an xmas market (I miss the one in Basel!) and pub, and will make sure to have some gluhwein.

On the other hand, I'm getting ready to head off to the dentist today, I don't miss Swiss dental fees (but I do miss my Swiss dentist, desperately!).

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yes, well considering we left within days of each other, i'm not surprised! difference is you are within flying distance (well cheaper flying distance!)
i will make some gluhwein - good idea (though might have to plop a few ice cubes in it...)

hope all is well in manchester!

I miss the smell of hot chestnuts when you're out & about, no decent gipfili here either.. my other half is coming back from Zürich on friday for Christmas with a suitcase full of Swiss goodies

One of my fav restaurants in Zürich do a great salad dressing, I would kill to get a bottle of that for Christmas.. have to wait until I am back next Summer to get my hands on some.

I would happily send you some snow for Christmas SO (i'll ask santa if he can bring it to you ) wish it wouldn't snow here, they can't do snow in Northern Ireland.. the Swiss do snow like no one else.

Aww miss Otter.
We miss you too and are waiting to see you again!

Your gluhwein will become sangria then!

And very true, I can be back to Switzerland in a couple of hours!

What? Time for an update...

If you are still in SG and need something from the Migros/CH - preferably something that cannot get me into jail in SG as chewing gum... - I still accept orders for Christmas.

Hk only for holiday ( to see my parents) trev I want itune vouchers please! See you soon !

I have been baking guetzli every year, at least as long as the nieces in my extended family were young enough to enjoy helping me with the task. Recipes are all over the net. Sometimes just to find some of the ingredients (like anise) was an adventure in itself. And me not exactly being a skilled guetzli-baker made the result of the effort a new surprise every year.

But since my nieces, having heroically survived my guetzli-attacks, have grown up and went off to university, they have no more time to help me taking the blame, when something goes wrong, and I really shouldn't eat so many guetzlis anyway, so the baking has stopped a while ago. Wouldn't mind giving it another shot, though.

just some update from here, we've been invited a few times to the swiss club but have yet to make it there AFAIK it is patronised by mainly austrian and german expats...so erm not too swiss...

there is a swiss butcher's here which sells rivella and toggi but at pretty exorbitant prices...

so aside from that and the ubiquitous lindt in all the 7-11's here there isn't much that reminds me of CH.

ok off to make sangria/iced gluhwein!

How long were you in Switzerand?

I'm having a fantastic time here, but when I return to London or if I could wrangle it so I spend a year working in Sg or HK there's nothing (apart from people) that I'd miss enough to need to replicate.

almost 8 years...i miss my friends actually more than the country
come over to SG or HK - we can have proper dim sum!

I get proper dimsum in London

I want black pepper crab.

Your post made me smile. I left Singapore for CH two years ago......I miss SG so much especially my friends......to me perfect would be the Lifestyle of Singapore with the way of life here. I do not miss the hot sweaty, rushing out the door moments. Singaporean speaking English and me not understanding them! I do miss the Sunday Champagne Brunches - have you tried The Fullerton? Or The Grand copthorne - my favourite.

I miss the ease of the educational system....I miss the Uncle (old man) who used to fill my lovely car with petrol and loved his face when I gave him his monthly tip! I also miss my car which would be perfect for here but not available in Europe!

And oh for a Char Siaw Bun! And a Pimms and Lemonade in the afternoons...my adorable maid..The Bukit Timah Saddle Club (you must try the brekfast at Rider's Cafe, they have a verandah and you are right in the Jungle especially if you are craving something Green!

And not forgetting the beautiful Island of Bintan heaven!

I am sure cold storage must have been playing Christmas songs for weeks by now

Try and go to the Christmas Tree lighting service (if it hasn't already happened) at The Britsh Club.

I haven't really helped you bring Switzerland to Singapore but you have certainly reminded me of my very happy time in Singapore! Happy Holidays

But probably still cheaper than Zurich

... yep.. the same thing happens in New Zealand - members of the Swiss, German and Austrian clubs are pretty much the same people

like einstein said, it depends on your perspective - from this angle, the South Africans, New Zealanders and Australians are all the same, and there is a HUGE difference between a Berner and Zurcher...

oh.. did you want Berner Rösti or Zurcher?

-thanks for sharing but i've been to one tea and that was it- i prefer to do local things (eat hawker centers, go to geylang ;-)
-cold storage has a million christmas foods and lots of deco and trees now so spot on!
-i don't mind the heat, except it's like this the whole year...
-i also went to a few fancy faires recently (sure you know about those) and they were nice esp for the charity stalls.
- not been to bintan yet but that's on my list
-if you ever miss anything from here pls feel free to PM me and maybe we can do a swiss-sing swap!

I am thinking exactly the same... but maybe there is a market abroad for an "evil Swiss neighbour service" for ex-expats: "For a small fee we annoy you with passive aggressive notes on your door/washing machine/letter box (current offer: three for the price of two) or make noise complaints to your landlord. Calls to the authorities cost extra."

Try the Peranakan food from the restaurants along the Joo Chiat/Katong area and perhaps the East Coast. They serve pretty authentic cuisine, and the food is tangy, aromatic and spicy. Mind you, one key ingredient is coconut milk and Peranakan chendol is very thick, not at all like the liquid Indian Muslim ones! Ask for ayam buah keluak, otah, appetizers e.g. jantung pisang kerabu.

Be careful when you are in Bintan (Indonesia). That beauty came at a cost to its locals, and fast tarnishing its reputation. I would give it a miss, and head to Bali instead.

Being in Orchard road for the Christmas light up is something you could do, at least once. Of all the shopping complexes there, I liked Orchard Central best. Its design concept is refreshing, but it is not a shopper's paradise. And if you want to find good bargains, head down to Chinatown. Most of the old timers speak Cantonese, though you see a lot of PRCs coming in and setting shop.

Ah..the library@Esplanade. They have a pretty decent collection of AVs and you can get recent DVDs from an international selection.

You can play most sports at the East Coast park e.g. all kinds of sailing, swimming, roller blading, cycling. If you are adventurous, you can cycle around Singapore in a day. For a day's outing to enjoy nature and the tropical weather (just your luck if it pours), there are fishing boats that will ferry you from Changi Village to Pulau (Island) Ubin. There, you can stroll, rent bicycles and enjoy the greenery around the island. It is quite safe too.

I have a tendency to write in blocks, but you get what I mean.

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“What if I should fall right through the center of the earth...oh, and come out the other side, where people walk upside down.” ~Lewis Carrol

It is good to hear from you after so long, Mrs Otter. Your reminiscing with nostalgia about your time in your former homeland is understandable, yet let me tell you that pining for its products will not ease your pain, rather exacerbate it. Indeed, what will you do after you have gulped your schoggibrot and consumed Mr Treverus’ iTunes vouchers? You will obviously go cold turkey again and ask for more, this time perhaps with a snappier tone and a disregard for your household budget. It is a dangerous spiral that every drug-addict has learned too late he should not have entangled himself in, so appreciate what your current place of abode and its surroundings have to offer. I understand that beef rendang is very much like Zürcher Geschnetzeltes with chilli and a glass of unpasteurised milk.

In the spirit of soothing the wound instead of twisting the knife in it, may I ask people to refrain from using the initials SG, which also happens to be the abbreviation for "St. Gallen", and hence might contribute to provoke further associations with Switzerland in Mrs Otter’s wistful mind?

It is -5°C here for God’s sake and the stores here bafflingly do not stock the adequate city clothes to endure this kind of weather. Let that be of some comfort to you.

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