Dissecting The Swiss Life

By Sarah Pauson

Switzerland remained a myth.

A critical view about life in Switzerland.

Reliving a bloody past and exploring an uncertain future, Dissecting the Swiss Life  proves that there's more to Switzerland than banks, skis, francs and cheese.

The behaviour of people, opinions and much more shows how it really is to live in Switzerland.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sarah Pauson
• Release date: Mar 11, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224465545

Book preview

Ein Bild, das Natur, draußen, Schnee, Himmel enthält. Description automatically generated

DISSECTING THE SWISS LIFE

by

SARAH PAUSON

SARAH PAUSON

[e-mail]

www.sarahpauson.com

Table of Contents

[Chapter 1] — Introduction

[Chapter 2] — Behavior

[Chapter 3] — Education

[Chapter 4] — Money

[Chapter 5] — Children

[Chapter 6] — Racism

[Chapter 7] — The most expensive country in the world9

[Chapter 8] — Lawyers and judiciary system

[Chapter 9] — The Neighbors

[Chapter 10] —The health system

[Chapter 11] —The Swiss and the obsession for weight

[Chapter 12] — Patriarhat

[Chapter 13] — Respecting rules

[Chapter 14] — Different stuff

[Chapter 15] — Sources

CHAPTER 1- INTRODUCTION

This is not a happy introduction to the Swiss world. If that is what you expected, you chose the wrong book! It's not a book about travel in Switzerland, it's a realistic picture of Swiss life. It's critical, methodical, naked through spread out in front of you. It's how I experienced Switzerland in my many years of living in this country.

I started to write this book after twelve years living in Switzerland. As a person, you have to live many years in this country to realize how things here work. It is not enough to be here for three, or five years – you need ten years or more. People don't let you so much as look at their garden;  they don't make friends easily, if ever, so you have to experience many different situations to understand how people react. 

I travelled a lot in my life and saw many cultures and people. But the fact is that, when you move to a new country, the stuff that you encounter is unexpected. You can be as prepared as you wish – still, new things sweep you away. 

These are my observations in all these years living in Switzerland. And not only mine, but also many foreigners that I’ve met complain about the same stuff. Sometimes it is bad because many foreigners don't like to criticize the Swiss in their faces. Maybe they are scared of deportation, or they think it's rude, but many ideas about the perfect system are spoken behind closed doors. The Swiss still believe they live in the most perfect world. They also have a way of not complaining when things go badly. For example, what in other countries is called corruption in Switzerland is called business. What in other countries is called nepotism in Switzerland is business as usual or how things work. What in other countries is called expensive or overpriced in Switzerland is called normal pricing. What in other countries is called bureaucracy in Switzerland is called normality and professionality.  

They don't complain no matter how many envelopes they have to open every week; the mailbox is full, and people have to read and answer all their mail. Not only do they have the most written and printed mail in the world, but if you go on the official website, they proudly announce that the Swiss Post is the best in the world. What has that to do with the modern world? When everything has to be digitized? The waste of paper is humongous. Not to mention it is the most expensive post in the world. A simple package weighing two kilograms, sent in Germany, costs around 27 Euro. But of course, nobody mentioned that in their proud announcement. And sometimes, this package arrives after three weeks from Germany to Switzerland, two neighboring countries. This has happened to me many times. If I try to send it to other countries or other continents, the problem gets even bigger. They are not that fast, and they are not cheap.

If they are sent and delivered in the same country – Switzerland, of course – mail can arrive on the same day. But guess what? The same is true in most developed countries, it's not special. But of course, nobody tells you about the other side. They have a way of only telling you stories about the good side, pretending the downsides don't even exist. This happens in many fields, which I encountered during my residency in Switzerland. 

Many situations strike you when you meet them. I came here open minded from a country getting through communism, from the East Block. I expected a well-developed country, that proudly presents itself as the best in everything. Who makes a mockery of each country, their system, how things don't work or their financial situation, their corruption, or the laziness of their people.

If you are only a tourist, you will never see this situation. First of all, you don’t understand their language, and second of all, they will never speak to your face, criticizing your behavior or your look. (Which they do quite often – they don't like overweight people). Switzerland has many tourists, who they receive all the time with a smile. As long as you are spending money in this country, they are all smiling. But when you move here and try to adapt, they give you the cold shoulder. You are good enough only to spend money and then go back to your home. This creates a huge discrepancy. You ask yourself, What happened to all the warm people who try to explain everything, helpful and smiling? Seems like they don't care anymore once you want to move to their country. They get pretty racist. They explain that everything new scares them, and that they are not used to so many changes. But then why do they open their arms so much to foreigners?

Many questions have come through my mind during these years. You wonder if you don't get it, if you cannot adapt, maybe it's a problem with you. Then I started to talk with many foreigners, immigrants, or expats. And they have the same opinion as me. I am not the only one. In fact, the majority have the same opinion. Different people, from different countries and continents. 

It's not easy living here – in fact, it can be a nightmare. Some of our readers might ask, Why didn't you go back to your country? If you are an expat or an immigrant, maybe you already know. After so many years, you cannot anymore. You’ve lost touch with your country. You have the feeling you don't belong to any country anymore. You are something in between. Like an alien. Your pension fund is here, your connection to the work field. If you don't get a contract from here to another country (and that's the case only in very well-paid jobs), it is very hard. Your education may not be recognized. 

You will find more from this book about how things work in Switzerland. I am not going to write about the good stuff. There are many books about it which praise this country a lot. Some of them are commercials to encourage you to travel to Switzerland. Which is not bad, in the end – the nature is very beautiful. If you can afford it, you should visit! But keep in mind it is very expensive. 

You will learn here a little bit about Swiss behavior, reactions, and traditions. This book is helpful for new immigrants or expats who want to move to this country or for the ones who visit and want to see behind the curtain.

CHAPTER 2 - BEHAVIOR

Regarding behavior, there are some environmental paradoxes. For example, Switzerland is celebrated for its commitment to environmental conservation, but this chapter delves into the paradoxes and contradictions that plague the country. There are investigated issues such as excessive energy consumption, the controversial use of nuclear power, the impact of tourism on fragile ecosystems, climate change (it's getting too dry and hot), waste management, and deforestation. In recent years, there have been many protests and calls for action on environmental issues, particularly from younger generations. Still, not so many actions have been taken.

Another topic is the press freedom challenges. Despite Switzerland’s reputation for being a country with a free press, there are still concerns about media ownership concentration, censorship, and self-censorship. Media looks to be manipulated, as it's influenced by the people with money and power. Of course, this issue exists in many developed countries, but still there are concerns about that and it’s not publicly accepted.

A weird thing in Switzerland is the fact that most houses in Switzerland have an air raid bomb shelter in the basement. It looks like that. They’ve almost never had a war, except some internal disputes, in the last 700 years – it has been quiet. On the other side, who wants to attack Switzerland? It's hard to access, they have no resources, most of it is formed from rocks and mountains, and not that many people live here. But still, people are scared and prepared for an eventual war. Not only do they have these bomb shelters so the whole population can get to safety, they also have food inside, blankets, and a filtered air system. The food is changed all the time when it expires. Isn't it crazy? The people who live in blocks have common shelters, sometimes bigger in specific places. 

Once a year, a siren test takes place (in February) to test if they still work. It takes around 30 minutes and it’s very annoying. This is for an eventual war or a natural disaster. Even though such a circumstance doesn't exist – tsunamis, tornadoes, and earthquakes are almost unheard of. 

Swiss people are very tidy when they recycle and put their old paper and carton on the collection day together with a rope, perfectly packed. The community wants that from you. If it's not perfectly arranged, they will not pick it up. If you go to recycle yourself, it will cost money, otherwise to throw it in the normal trash is quite expensive. Every bag costs around 3.5–5 CHF for 35 L. So, you must be very careful what you throw away. 

Every community has an official book with the date for when they will recycle old cartons, old iron, or used furniture. It's a few times per year. In this case, you don't have to pay. Sometimes people prefer to give furniture away for free so as not to have to carry it and recycle it themselves, which will be more expensive for them.

They recycle everything. For example, a yogurt cup is made out of plastic (separately recycled), all the information about the yogurt is written on the carton (carton recycling) and the lid is made out of aluminum (alu recycling).

You must never throw a PET bottle or a glass bottle in the normal trash. There are people who check your garbage and, if they find something which is not correctly disposed of, they’ll try to find the culprit (this happened to my neighbors).

Or never throw away plastic with paper – for example, a magazine that still has the plastic cover on it. They check and give you a fee. 

Every big gas station or community block has open recycling places. There are also special places to recycle everything, but for most of them, you have to pay. They are usually open until noon or a few hours later. On Saturday, you will find a lot of people recycling. This is how they spend time on a Saturday. 

Regarding the open hours, it’s a nightmare. Sunday is like a holiday. It is very boring. Most shops are closed. The only shops which are open are gas station shops and convenience stores at big train stations.

There is a rule. Every shop can open four times a year on a Sunday. Most shops use it in December. A few use it for Easter or New Year’s.

Being open 24/7 is not common here. Most big shops close at 8.00 pm (in the city, 9.00 or 10.00 pm). Smaller ones (like bakeries, and butcher shops) close at 6.00 pm.

Stores are closed at lunch, most of them between 12 and sometimes 2.30. Every company and practice are closed, though the supermarkets are open. The post is also closed at lunch.

You can’t land at or depart from the Zurich Airport after 11 pm and before 6 am.

A weird fact is that every Swiss citizen gets iodine tablets when he lives near a nuclear power plant (50km radius). They will get it for free by post, paid by the state. When the tablets expire, they will send it again. 

When you have a dog and you want to use a train, your dog also needs a ticket like you (half the price). This does not apply for small dogs, when they are in a special bag for dogs. And they have to remain in your arms in the bag.

People in Switzerland don't use curtains. You can see them in their home at any point, sometimes also walking naked from the shower. They have louvers of course, but they use it more for the sun. You can stalk almost anyone you want. :) 

I guess boredom is, no matter how inclined you are to enjoy yourself, part of the deal when moving to Switzerland. Swiss people are cold. They aren’t as extroverted as people from Latin countries. They aren’t as funny as British people. Individualism becomes a kind of poison in this society. Now, it's harder to communicate with people you don't know.

It’s hard to befriend Swiss people. Younger generations are much more open and, as with the older ones, they’re usually very polite and reasonably friendly, but it’s hard to get past the surface. Have a look at this hilarious video. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCSQwPv6Z-k

Also, they don't have a sense of humor. They laugh when somebody tells a joke, but still, they never make a joke themself. 

If you want friendship, you usually find it between expats, who are very friendly. In big cities like Zurich, Lucerne, or Geneva, you’ll find many expats, luckily, but in small, remote regions, they are not as plentiful. The locals look down on you like you are a poor foreigner (most of the time, you have more money and you are better educated as an expat), coming to Switzerland to take over his country. But you are good as long as