Why I love Switzerland,


I actually get embarrassed and a little angry when people around me slag-off Switzerland or Swiss culture, of course when things aren’t going to plan stress takes hold and a polarized negative view can dominate your life. However, I know when I have it good, so to speak. I have lived here for 6 years now and after working for a nightmare British born boss, although I felt I did my job over and above the average person, this was never noted and now I find myself unemployed again. I pray to find work under a straightforward Swiss person.


I also have difficulty in learning the language. To me, I’m quite proud of my German language progress but here in Switzerland I’m probably at the same level of a 10 year old learning English. Swiss people are a highly educated race who don’t suffer fools gladly and neither should they. This is the main reason I can not find a job. Still, some people who are used to having it easy in their own countries arrogantly think that the Swiss are just hanging around waiting to give away job opportunities to anyone just because they ask.


Why would or should they when their own people have studied hard for years, this attitude I’ll never understand.


In England if I opened my mouth to speak, my working class accent would instantly exclude me from certain positions or social groups, here I am just English and have never felt any class prejudice. I have been welcomed into the Basel community on my personality alone, something unthinkable in England.


I also feel safe and secure all the time and have experienced life on a level unknown to me previously. A level of selflessness and compassion, where people that ask a question actually listen to your answer and give honest opinions back. The Swiss won’t just agree for the sake of it, or say what you want to hear. This I can respect totally, I’m sick to the back teeth of moaning liberals, who expect life to be fair and cry because they feel misunderstood. life is not fair. However, in Switzerland it is constant, get used to that and half the battle is won.


Socially, the Swiss are great hosts, any excuse for an Apero they’ll have one. A dry humor that shocks even a mouthy person like myself, shows me how intelligent even a lay-man is. Laws here are amazing, and new law can be enforced within a month and if it seems not to be working, will be changed immediately, not debated again and again, this I admire greatly. In England, if they tried to make a new law, it can take years because just because one person comes up with a lame excuse that it doesn’t fit 0.1% of the community, then the debates start over again.


My only complaint is, there really is nothing for free here, except maybe the views, which are boss. I really do hope to find work soon but in the meantime I am going to be thankful for my permission to stay. Thank you Basel Statt. xxx

Yep - there is a lot to like but I think it just all boils down to a clash of cultures. It can't be a coincidence that just about every expat I ever met had the same sorts of gripes (which also crop up on this Forum all the time).


If on the other hand you have a compatible sort of approach to life/socialising, you're not going to want to live anywhere else as CH has one of the highest standards of living in the world.

I think that since many of the English-speaking foreigners came from well developed rich countries though, that doesn't mean as much as it could ... Foreigners from poorer countries who find themselves living in Switzerland seem much more forgiving of the downsides of Swiss life.

Gav

I feel a bit like the jerry maguire moment.....thank god...someone finally said it...that feeling makes people great maaan.

I agree to most points...

just watch out if Lob takes you to a crowded restaurant for lunch, you may not ne longer for teh EF world

Notice how few replies there have been

Well im skiing this weekend, but first a walk a drinks in the sunshine.....God love you Zurich (Switzerland)

There are few replies for the same reason that good news doesn't sell newspapers. We agree, but it hasn't fired us up...

Can't people just say, "hey I am in this country now, so thats how it works" ?

If I was in another country i wouldnt rant about their system all the time. What for anyway ? It leads nowhere except unhappiness.

I think people rant out of superiority complexes. "These little swissies don't tell ME what to do" ! am I right ? Probably yes ...

And for those who still rant. Thats a really spoiled behaviour you've got there ! Sometimes I can't believe what I am reading on this site.

I absolutely love CH and I ain't leaving anytime soon! I am starting to class CH as my home even though my German is dodgy. UK feels like an alien place to me now.

I'd also like to add my name to the list of people who like living in Switzerland. I couldn't say that I "LOVE" it, but I certainly like it a lot. However, there are aspects that I would say that I love, which include: the road cycling, the transport system, and the beautiful scenery.

I would have replied earlier but had to
a) change the text from rather large to normal
b) remove the unnecessary quoting

I love this place - otherwise I'd not be here. Do remember that more people will post complaints than post praise

And CS_owns...... - we've never done lunch. I've no idea what you're talking about

I always tell people I'm not a prisoner here. I can go wherever I want. But I don't want. "Home is where the heart is and my heart's right here."

I last visited the UK in August and it will be August 2007 when I next go there. If I didn't have friends and family there, I doubt I would spend valuauble holiday time there at all...

Sorry about the quoting....not sure I like teh term snip though......

Well we weren't at the same table...still counts though, right? ...right?

And well lets see if we can turn this into a love in...its Valentines Day soon, and you know....

I'm going to get the biggest card and give it to Switzerland, I wont go as far as a dozen roses as well, it costs too match. Take note all....

...love isnt always perfect

A simple : "I like living here" would suffice.
dave

OK so then so would I dont like living here, and its OK here.

Well, thats settled then forum closed.....Its all been resolved.

I often wonder how they fill books with comedy, and stories, when you can say..bloke got murdered, the butler did it, the end.

Come on Dave, go on, just let it out.... its ok.

Well that was fun.....borat style (not!)

How do you feeeeel?

The reason many English-speaking expats are slagging off certain aspects of life in Switzerland is that in their source countries, those things were actually done better in their view. And there's a lot of stuff that really COULD be done better in Switzerland but the inbuilt resistance to change stops it happening.

As for the 'Why I HATE Switzerland' thread, that was started by one person with a real bone to grind. The subsequent people posting in it don't hate Switzerland at all, but they are complaining about certain things. All in all I only see one or two people in the entire Forum that clearly hate Switzerland.

I think you'll find that people have been 'spoiled' by previously living in modern, prosperous counties that are often more progressive in social and consumer matters. As I noted in another thread, those who came to CH with nothing or from a very poor background are much less likely to grumble than those who came here to earn even higher salaries than before, due to the shortfalls in the Swiss educational system not producing enough qualified people to fill certain skilled jobs.

Gav

I think it's great living here, not like the 'Nanny state' of UK. I heard this morning that the schools were closed due to the snow as 'the children may slip on the ice, or be hit by a snowball' Pleeeease!!

...as opposed to school closed because the teacher wants a day off. Yes seriously.

dave

Yes it is slower than their source countries. I can tell. But are the people actually aware of what they are slagging ? Of course people are used to their habits in their own country but can I simply ridicule a nation like CH without ridiculing myself ?

Now is that good or bad ?

Because of a shortfall of qualified people ? Rather a growing economy don't you think ?

Ummm, no actually. Because of a shortage of qualified people. This is certainly no secret in Switzerland, even the Swiss will begrudgingly admit this if pressed. Just a few days ago there was an article on this very subject on Swissinfo. As for economic growth - yes, there has been a bit of growth recently, but generally the word hasn't been associated with the Swiss economy for some time.

But anyway, what I wanted to say is that there is plenty of room for an "I love Switzerland" thread on this forum, but I seriously doubt that the "Complaints Corner" is the best place for it. Therefore I'm going to move the thread and the optimists can now weigh in without wondering if they should be complaining or not

Cat - just to balance this a little... As we both know the UK pretty much shuts down at the slightest hint of a snow flake, leaf on a track etc, nothing to see here, move along etc.

BUT my local Swiss school has adorned their grassed areas with ugly signs which say "Stepping on the grass forbidden". While I was photographing these signs (in outrage) a teacher came out and told me that the reason was to stop the children slipping on the grass. The teacher thought it was a load of rubbish. So just because Swiss kids get to run around in expensive designer clothes and not school uniforms, don't assume that they aren't being nannied (or bullied for that matter).

In my opinion the swiss kids are extremely pampered.

I have only been here since late August 2006.

I can not think of a single, seriously negative experience compared with London, where I'd spent all of my working life until now. Certainly nothing I could attribute to being a result of dealing with "The Swiss".

No statistically significant deviations so far...