Revelations about Switzerland

by The Flamingo

2019 is coming to an end and as the New Year is approaching, I’m prone to dwell on my revelations and maybe also make some resolutions. But this article isn’t about the resolutions I didn’t make and probably never will. It’s about the good things that I have learned to love about the expat life here in Switzerland over the past two years.

Moving from Dubai to Zürich was really extreme, without any exaggeration. It’s about as extreme as moving from the Maldives to Alaska. So for a time I struggled with this big change. From the sunny, golden beaches and azure sea of Dubai to the gloomy skies and hills full of cows and sheep of Zürich, you can surely understand where I come from. But about the differences between the two cities I will maybe write another article. 

There were lots of things I didn’t like about Switzerland and still have a hard time with. For example the language…the Swiss say they speak German, they really don’t. The Swiss German is a totally different language, not even a dialect. They don’t even understand each other when they have conversations…this coming from a German teacher. So this really gets on my nerves, being able to speak fluent German and not understanding a darn thing that is said back to me. Also the ridiculously expensive life here, which isn’t really worth the amount of money coming out of the pockets. The lack of competition in the economy is really concerning. The third big thing that bothers me a lot is the weather. You would expect, coming to live in Zürich, snowy winters and sunny summer days, not hot, but surely not like Edinburgh or Amsterdam. Well…the whole year round are about 50 to 60 sunny days. The winters are rainy, very cold and humid and if we get 2 days of snow we’re very lucky. Mostly it snows and melts right away. The summers are nicer than the winters for sure, but could use a little bit less rain and some days with maybe 27 to 30 degrees. There are a few more things that I find difficult to handle with their whole system and lack of cultural life for the middle class, but this is supposed to be a positive article.

Now, leaving the things that annoy me aside, there are lots of good things about life here and I try focusing on these, rather than the gloomy part. Coming from Romania, where I lived for 30 years, I know to appreciate the westen civilisation. This whole new life here really changed my lifestyle and the things I learned to love are pretty random, but nonetheless very important to me.

• Seeing my kid smile every day, telling me what a great time he had in kindergarten/school and that he can’t wait to go again the next day.
• Waking up every morning to the song of birds from the forest nearby, be it summer or winter.
• Not seeing abused or abandoned animals on the streets…ever, just fat and happy dogs and cats with collars around their necks. 
• Going on walks up the hill in the forest ten minutes from our apartment, although we live in the city.
• Having perfect and round moons that light up our terrace at night as if we had a huge street light planted right in the middle. 
• Seeing whole rainbows for the first time in my life after every storm. 
• Not being abused or sexually assaulted on the streets or on public transport by uncivilized strangers.
• Having an unlimited selection of cheeses to choose from.
• Leaving my house at 7 in the morning and by 11:30 being in my happy place…Paris by train has always been my dream.
• Reaching France, Germany and Liechtenstein in one hour. 
• Being able to go on day trips that are very rich in experiences, like for example seeing in one single day a little castle, a Chagall exposition, a spectacular waterfall, a mountain resort and beautiful views over two lakes. 
• Practicing my favorite sport all winter long: ice skating…and not just during the holiday season.
• Having my child breathe every day fresh, crisp air like we are on the mountainside (Zürich has only 408 m elevation above sea level).
• Taking a boat ride on the Zürich lake whenever I feel like it. 
• Finding a Christmas tree on every corner during the festive time, even on top of the cranes.
• Buying healthy food, not injected with crap, from any supermarket, even the cheapest one with the cheapest ingredients. (Switzerland has a policy against hormones and some forms of pesticides, which in the rest of Europe are still used.)
• Admiring the snowy cliffs of the mountains from my window.
• Not having dirty soles on my shoes, everything is squeaky clean.
• Not being a shopaholic anymore…for obvious life threatening reasons. Enjoying (or not so much) the new feeling of being content with what I have and not needing something more. Boy…is that a lie, if I ever heard one. But, positive thoughts and auto suggestion is the future! 

All in all, the lifestyle here is a pretty healthy one, especially for children, based on nature, good food, sports and some nice traveling. I sure miss some of the things I used to enjoy and now I don’t, for different reasons, but I also get to enjoy all the new stuff I have never experienced before. 

These are my revelations about Switzerland in my two years experience here. More about the pros and cons about living here in another post, when I get to bash the Swiss a little bit more. So Happy New Year, everyone! 

Photo from Flamingo‘s archive.