i see so many threads and comments about the "downsides" of life in switzerland or switzerland compared to threads which people use to basicaly put switzerland down compared to thier own countries......

this begs the question ...... What are you doing here then?

personaly i love the swiss lifestyle compared ot back home in liverpool uk it's quiet polite and relaxing..... everywhere you go there's something beautifull to look at.

it has been said (which i agree with) that people like myself have a much nicer view of switzerland because we're married to a swiss person and came here through love.

i'd just like to see some people just actualy appreciate the place because my attitude here as it was back in jolly old england with foreigners is if you dont like it here and the way things are stop moaning and just go home lol

As much as I'm sure the Swiss people enjoy our flattery, they might also be interested in hearing what doesn't work so well. This isn't directed at you, but I've noticed a tendency for some Expats to act more Swiss than the Swiss, valiantly leaping to their defence at the most minor of perceived slights.

in my experience its people from the uk more than any other country who love it the most (probably because most of the uk is like a clockwork orange these days) .. i agree there are plenty of good things about switzerland, but there are many downsides too. i've never understood the love it or leave it mentality. people just need to vent their frustrations, it doesn't mean they hate the place.

I think by "love" you have are talking about people know about the good and the bad and feel there is more of the former.

That does not mean there are not any bad aspects. Of course, good and bad are all subjective. For example, when I moved here I got advice from people that it was a "quiet and boring" place, but it is not all that boring and I prefer "quiet" to "loud and rowdy". Their negative was my positive!

My pet peev on this board right now is when people point out one of the negatives they get dogpiled by people who tell them their complaints are unfounded, wrong or insulting. Often times the complaints are coming from ignorance, but the responses look more nationalistic than educational.

When ex-pats move here they are bound to become frustrated with all the things that are different than where they came from. They need to let off some steam so they complain on the board that speaks their language. Why is this so surprising?

You must also remember that when people get frustrated, depressed, angry etc about their situation here, they come here to sound off. Unfortunately, not enough people post their good experiences of living in Switzerland.

Hey, i'm having a great time here and so are most of the other expats I know. 6 years and counting.

Maybe the ones who enjoy themselves are off out, um, enjoying themselves too much to be posting here!

Human nature I suppose to be so. Personally speaking I feel very sad when I see what has happened in the last 12 years of Socialism in the UK. So I can understand how it feels when someone from there comes over and moans about their situation. However, once one has started work, one gets into a Swiss routine and one begins to realise that there is a lot less crime here, the public transport works a lot better etc etc, and slowly one should have much less to moan about.

yeah, everyone knows swiss public transport is great - unfortunately there is a little more to life than public transport! the fact that most people go on about how great transport is highlights switzerlands cultural shortcomings. i disagree with your claim about low crime; the swiss are just good about pretending to have a perfect society.

I don't think Switzerland has cultural shortcomings - there is a lot of culture happening, but you sometimes have to search it out.
The pace of life here is slower and quieter and I can see that it could be boring for young singles.
Yes, there are good and bad sides, but despite my tendency to pessimism, I try to see the good. And compared to the UK, this country has a lot of that....

i understand people can be frustrated i mearly feel that those eg the thread i read switzerland compared to australia go on about australia is better than switzerland near enough hands down and i think to myself if that is so then why not stay in australia and if they came to taste swiss life and didnt like it enough then why stick with it and do nothing but complain......

i also find thread like the fourth reich a little too much i mean come on the canadian guy who started the thread wanted nothing but to make out switzerland is a neo nazi negative place which is far from the truth....

as a biker im often stopped by police to check exhausts a legal and stuff and annoying as it may be at the time is it not a good sign that there is soooo little trouble here the police have time to waste on noise polution problems

ouch! the truth hurts....

Funny -- I was thinking the same thing this morning after reading the posts recently. I've been trying to figure out if I've been moving around under a lucky star here in Switzerland. I've found this country to be delightful to live in. I haven't experienced any truly negative situations and have found the Swiss to be friendly and helpful. I do, however, make sure that I try to respect all their customs and don't really question the way they do things. I am the outsider here and I see it as my duty to fit into their society and not the other way around.

I agree on the 4th Reich thread -- that turned my stomach the second I began to read it. CD seems to think because he pushed the limits and lost that makes the Swiss nazi like -- I find his thread and comments offensive. Then again - I find most of his comments offensive - but freedom of speech rules here too so I just ignore him.

i was begining to wonder if i was alone not liking that guy too much because of his views......

all be it freedom of speach there's also bounderies and he loves to cross them.....

it sure is nice to see more positive people on here

In my opinion, CD is one of the most amusing posters on the board.

Read his posts like you'd read the Daily Mail, and you'll see what I mean.

Top bloke, he is.

a small indication could be the number of groans/thanks a person has (but that again is another long controversial topic...)
there are positive posts...just have to search for them...

Perhaps those of us who conform, or pretend to, should be grateful when the vocally aggressive types are vocally aggressive on the Forum. A rant here may prevent them venting their anger and frustration on the Swiss natives and ruining the reputation of the entire ex-pat community.

If critical posts bother anyone too much, one can make whole sections of the Forum invisible (they appear only on the New Threads format). One can also ‘block’ a specific Thread or even a specific person, so that the Thread or a post by this individual is not shown.

Anyway, one of the problems of having lived in various countries is that we pick out the best things about each one and would like to have them all, even if, in reality, the different qualities are sometimes incompatible.

By the way, I like it here!

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Longbyt

The last thread about the exhaust really made me laugh

i do beleive that people only get what they deserve

Switzerland is a great place to live. It's not perfect, but its beautiful.

I love the way the Swiss keep things running smoothly. I hope they don't let up, with the economic downturns and all. I also hope they learn to loosen up more. They can be quite beautiful when they are smiling. But the scowling is soo last century.

Exactly - Check my join date, and then my number of posts