My little niece (not Hannah, the other one), thought my hubby was Swiss, despite the broad Lancashire accent.

My friend was a classic brag by association she used to introduce us all by what we had on a night out, this is sarah she has a bmw, this is louise she has a audi... ummm i had a fiesta at the time was 19 and I loved my car this never got mentioned lol but my flat did!!

If people know we are living in CH the first question they seem to ask is so do you speak swedish... umm no ....

Think yourself lucky! My darling mother once introduced myself and my two sisters to a group of her friends thus: This my eldest daugher, who is married; this is my youngest daugher, also married; and this is my middle daughter (me) who is a spinster!!! Technically incorrect, anyway, since I was divorced at the time.

Wait a second... Wasn't there a thread were you said you were a male, and LiB was actually saying he always thought you were female because of your avatar?



Am I messing it up with someone else?

Is that not Swiss Cheddar?

I think it is normal. People used to introduce me as the "Soviet" one, then the "bassplayer", there is always something that friends will figure out, some accessory info they will attach to you so they can brag about their "important" friends when introducing, no matter how absurd and really unimportant it is.

I don't care if folks get attached to the idea of me being in Switzerland or not, they know I get homesick plus are mad I am far, so they don't rub it in too much...However, what can always kill me, is this "she is doing her PhD" thing. Makes me want to puke...

__________________
"L'homme ne peut pas remplacer son coeur avec sa tete, ni sa tete avec ses mains." J.H. Pestalozzi

“The only difference between a rut and a grave is a matter of depth.” S.P. Cadman

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." A. Einstein

Word...

Try being Swedish but living in Switzerland... It confuses people everywhere, I have given up already..

That sucks... do you miss the weather from Swaziland?

da

though, in soviet Russia, cheesburger had you

People usually introduce me as the weird one..wonder why?

he he - I don't think that LIB can be in any doubt as he has met me.

And I too cannot make up my mind as to the gender of SC!!!

I can attest, there is no doubt, that Nicola is 100% woman...as a matter of fact, I wish more women, be it young or old would be as easy on the eye as she is.

Careful there - easy on the eye is hard on the heart and all that!

The easiest solution I found to the "lives in Switzerland" problem was to stop visiting the US about 5 years ago.

Answering OP's question, there is a lot of bragging by association but at the same time there are a lot of attempts at taking me down a notch or two, trying to prove to me that life in CH is not so great after all (they imagine it to be great - I don't put these ideas in their heads). Some were ecstatic that we are not allowed to have our own washing machine in our building and always make sure to ask me with this hypocritical compassionate look if I had got used to not being able to do the washing whenever I want to.

Certainly dear corby...but one who has mastered the art of feminology knows and recognizes quality when he sees it and therefore, should be able to not only obtain a cheerful and pleasant person on the inside but also have the added luxury of somebody who is generally speaking, physically appealing. (or in other words, I'm just full of $hit)

Au contraire, LIB. You speak wisely.

However, to go back to the OP, I have moved so many times in the last six years that my friends often introduce me as 'This is Nicola, who is living in ... remind me, where are you living now?!'

It's funny you started this thread. Everybody, family, relatives, friends back home refer to us as "the Swiss"! Will the Swiss be coming for Christmas? How are the Swiss doing theses days? and so on and so forth, I don't really mind but my son grew sick and tired of it and complained to me.

It works both ways! When my wife and I visit family in Switzerland and stay with my sister, she
starts calling friends shortly after our arrival to tell them that the "Les Américains sont arrivés".

Okay, so come up with alternatives. I frequently find it useful when being introduced to people I don't know, to have a clue given by the introducer - it then gives a conversation starter to save the embarressing silence that can occur straight after the introduction. So, depending on circumstances , being tagged with being the foreigner, the musician, the relationship, the job or the sport tag, are often very helpful for starters.