1.
Netherlands, Scotland, Texas, Australia
2.
Neuchatel, Bern
3.
2 months
4.
Researcher
5.
No idea yet, still have to find out what is like truly living here
6.
Sailing, windsurfing, hiking
7. No gardening on a Sunday?! Main criteria for finding an apartment: no churchtower within donging distance .

1. Country of origin / before coming to switzerland
Turkey

2. Place where you live in switzerland
Zürich- Männedorf

3. How long you have been here

4 months in Männedorf, 5 years in Basel before that.

4. Occupation
Management consultant, specialised in ERP package implementations and financial system design . I used to work for PWC UK and IBM CH before, now i work for a small size consultancy company

5. Do you intend to stay here.

For the time being yes, though I miss the sunshine and good food sometimes..

6. Any other comments you wish to make. eg hobbies, favourite things.
like to meet people and find new activities to enjoy

As I posted in my original thread, I am quite into Music, movies and books.. would be great to meet people with whom i can share these interests; share tips about new music in the market, live gigs etc.. Here is one from me: Muse has published the promo recordings from the upcoming album on theit web site, quite solid songs ...

7. Think of your time in switzerland. tell us the first thing that comes to mind.

high prices-- sorry , was doing my bills earlier :-(

1. Country of origin / before coming to switzerland
Canada
2. Place where you live in switzerland
Basel City
3. How long you have been here
3 Years
4. Occupation
I'm a student studying via distance
5. Do you intend to stay here
No. Soon a the wife finshes her medicine program here we'll go back to Canada
6. Any other comments you wish to make. eg hobbies, favourite things
Reading (love history),Camping,Snow,Gadgets (love cellphones),internet surfin
7. Think of your time in switzerland. tell us the first thing that comes to mind
It rains ALOT and the Jungfraujoch trains are crazy feats of engineering

1. County of origin / before coming to CH:
Netherlands, then New Zealand, then Australia, then back to Netherlands, then back to Australia, then here......
2. Place where I live in CH
Staefa, ZH
3. How long have I been here
Just celebrated 3 years here
4. Occupation
Product Manager
5. Do I intend to stay here
Yes, however have a habit of moving around a bit (see point 1) but for the foreseeable future: definitely!
6. First thing that come to mind about CH
Fit, healthy people; stunning countryside; cost of living surprisingly similar to Sydney (and much safer...); love being in the middle of Europe, great for regular weekend trips to neighbouring cultures

Yan Yan

1. Country of origin / before coming to switzerland
China, Australia

2. Place where you live in switzerland
Zurich

3. How long you have been here
I'm about to move to Zurich in 3 weeks time.

4. Occupation
Pricing actuary, working for reinsurance company.

5. Do you intend to stay here.
2 years

6. Any other comments you wish to make. eg hobbies, favourite things.
Food, Travel, Movie, Golf, Swimming

7. Think of your time in switzerland. tell us the first thing that comes to mind
Chocolate, Cheese, Skiing, Languages

1. Country of origin / before coming to switzerland
Northern Ireland, China, Australia (most recent to origin!)

2. Place where you live in switzerland
don't yet, but should be moving around mid July, will initially be in Basel, but planning to live across the border when (if) we find a place we'd like to buy.

3. How long you have been here
Umm, minus a month! (arrival mid-end of July)

4. Occupation
Long story... officially, teacher (have been teaching in Australian and international schools) but haven't been teaching for almost a year, instead have been freelance writing and working in an animal shelter.

5. Do you intend to stay here.
For the time being! Ciaran (hubby)'s job is permanent, so we'll see how it all goes!

6. Any other comments you wish to make. eg hobbies, favourite things.
Travel (to anywhere), seeing new things, meeting new people, writing, reading, anything to avoid boredom!

7. Think of your time in switzerland. tell us the first thing that comes to mind.
I'll keep you posted!

India
Calcutta
Since birth I have been here
Teacher
I wish I could visit Switzerland
Music, reading ,dreaming.

I guess this is a good a place as any to do my first post.

Oh - and hello everyone

1. Country of origin / before coming to switzerland
USA (Cleveland Ohio and NYC area), Sweden (for only a very brief time, unfortunately)

2. Place where you live in switzerland
Basel, but started in Zurich

3. How long you have been here
3.5 years

4. Occupation
Web Editor and business owner (record label and online music shop), sometimes photographer

5. Do you intend to stay here.
My husband's Swiss, so we'll probably stay here. Neither of us wants to move to the US.

6. Any other comments you wish to make. eg hobbies, favourite things.
Photography, music, interesting people and conversations, out of the ordinary things

7. Think of your time in switzerland. tell us the first thing that comes to mind.
Conformity.

__________________
Removals to and from Switzerland, Removals to and from Switzerland & the East Midlands and UK business moves

1. Canada

2. just outside Bern

3. only a week

4. currently an au pair, in my other life a university student

5. I`m only here for 6 months, but I may very well like to come back some day

6. reading, writing, soccer (right, I`m in Europe so football), running, exploring

1. Country of origin / before coming to switzerland
UK
2. Place where you live in switzerland
North Zürich

3. How long you have been here
6 years

4. Occupation
Aerospace Designer

5. Do you intend to stay here.
Yes. Long-term

6. Any other comments you wish to make. eg hobbies, favourite things.
- ragtime Guitar
- acoustic blues guitar


7. Think of your time in switzerland. tell us the first thing(s) that come to mind.

- Gherkins
- Arguing the principle rather than the reality
- the tram must go on
- paying individually
- conformity masquerading as expression
- appreciation of buskers
- bread with a one-hour half-life
- milk with a ten week half-life
- bank workers with less than half a life
- cheap cigars
- the irony of jazz-popularity in der Schweiz

1. Country of origin / before coming to switzerland
Been around a bit - London-Paris-Norwich-Cape Town
2. Place where you live in switzerland
Langnau am Albis
3. How long you have been here
In my 6th year - my how time flies when you're having fun!!
4. Occupation
IT manager/Financial Controller - but not in the boring financial world but in the world of SHOES!!
5. Do you intend to stay here.
So long as I stay married to my swiss wife!
6. Any other comments you wish to make. eg hobbies, favourite things.
Hiking-Skiing-Holidaying-would love to be playing Badminton again
7. Think of your time in switzerland. tell us the first thing that comes to mind.
Skiing accidents - plenty of them.

1. Country of origin / before coming to switzerland
New Zealand (via Central America)
2. Place where you live in switzerland
Neuenhof, Aargau
3. How long you have been here
13 days (after a 13 year absence)
4. Occupation
Unemployed (oh the shame of it)
5. Do you intend to stay here.
Not sure (I'm a swiss citizen so they can't boot me out). Will depend on work.
6. Any other comments you wish to make. eg hobbies, favourite things.
Socialising , meeting new and (sometimes) interesting people.
7. Think of your time in switzerland. tell us the first thing that comes to mind.
Castles, churches and more castles (a traumatic childhood experience)

Excellent forum by the way. Thanks, Arahia

I've just registered today and posted a short thread in this Introductions forum, but this one seems a good idea too:

1. Country of origin / before coming to switzerland
UK.

2. Place where you live in switzerland
Montreux.

3. How long you have been here
1 year, 1 month.

4. Occupation
SAP HR manager. In 'pooters.

5. Do you intend to stay here.
Yes. All things being equal.

6. Any other comments you wish to make. eg hobbies, favourite things.
I love motorbiking. Got a Ducati back home, hope to bring it over here. No doubt the Swiss authorities will complain about the noise, so I'll bring them some spare earplugs.

7. Think of your time in switzerland. tell us the first thing that comes to mind.
Quality of life. How much better than the UK???? Loads!



That's it for starters.

Adrian.

I registered a couple of days ago and after a bit of lurking made my first post today.

Country of origin
UK (Manchester then London)

Where I live
Baden AG

How long have I been here
6 1/2 years

Occupation
Process Control Engineer for a small Swiss/ Swedish company based in Baden and Oerlikon

Do I intend to stay here
Yes at the moment, life's a bit better than in the UK - Baden sure beats Catford.

Other things / hobbies
I like reading (every flat surface in the apartment has books on it), surfing and I watch Hockey (well an approximation of Hockey since I follow ZSC - God they were dire last season, I could play better than that bunch of overpaid prima donnas did!!)

Think of your time in Switzerland. tell us the first thing that comes to mind.

Clean, excellent quality of life, political life is a bit convoluted, well organised country.

1. Country of origin / before coming to switzerland
Turkey

2. Place where you live in switzerland
Thalwil

3. How long you have been here
since May 2005

4. Occupation
I am a project engineer in one of the research and development centers in Zurich.


5. Do you intend to stay here.
Yes

6. Any other comments you wish to make. eg hobbies, favourite things.
meeting new people, joining some activities to have fun, traveling


7. Think of your time in switzerland. tell us the first thing that comes to mind.
Rent a flat!

1. Country of origin / before coming to switzerland
Born in Paraguay (chinese parents). Moved to the US when 18 years old (Delaware, Washington DC, Maryland), and now here

2. Place where you live in switzerland
Geneva, lived in Basel for 3 years

3. How long you have been here
5 years

4. Occupation
IT Project Manager, IT Consultant, and plenty of IT Service Management roles (sounds boring I know...)

5. Do you intend to stay here.
Yes....until another country calls my name

6. Any other comments you wish to make. eg hobbies, favourite things.
I love meeting new people (wish I could make your drink nights), good conversations, traveling, reading, movies, hiking, knitting, etc.

7. Think of your time in switzerland. tell us the first thing that comes to mind.
The good stuff (beautiful scenery, awesome public transport, multi-cultural..)
The bad stuff (lack of customer service and as a woman, I feel like I stepped back 10 years , can think of plenty more for other time)

but anyway..... I am here and I'm determined to make the best of my current adopted country

1. Switzerland
2. Ebikon next to Lucerne
3. Since I was a sperm in my dad's testicle
4. Software Engineer
5. Australia or New Zealand are tempting...who knows
6. Married to a British women (don't ask what area of london...), 4 cats, 0 children, like books, drinks, food, travel, going out.
7. Too much bureaucracy, sour faces in busses on the way to work, way too simple humour, people are staring at you, women with dodgy haircuts, but also a lot of nice things

1. England / Montreal Canada
2. Zurich
3. 11 Months
4. Former Royal Marine now building a small buisness
5. Yeah Im married to a Swiss Girl
6. Have you tasted Raclette? Je that is the best food ever!.
7. I have observed that a majority of swiss people tend to look down their noses at you without looking first at themselves first (as most countries) and are they quick to blame others for their own shortcomings. Saddens me coz as a Londerner I think people have it very good here, they just have to open their eyes and look. But this is only the few people I have met, I mean where else in the world do you find mountain, Lakes and beer like we have in Swiss? Oh and I love that saying ' You may be Swiss but Im Eignossen'

1. Country of origin / before coming to switzerland
English, living in Australia.

2. Place where you live in switzerland
Zurich, somewhere under the fog.

3. How long you have been here
1.5 years.

4. Occupation
Beer taster.

5. Do you intend to stay here.
Just until my Qantas ban ends.

6. Any other comments you wish to make. eg hobbies, favourite things.
Still need to find a decent pub for seeing bands.

7. Think of your time in switzerland. tell us the first thing that comes to mind.
Sky TV is a lifesaver.

1. Singapore, India, US
2. Zurich
3. just over 2 weeks
4. IT, Senior DBA
5. For a few years atleast and see how it goes
6. Meet new friends and to find new stuff to do
7. Been only 2 weeks here...
Love the feel... but
It definitely is the worst apartment seaching practice I have seen in any country I have been,
especially if you are not white... just realised you are so bottom in the ladder that people cant even see you