CultureShock! Switzerland

Max Oettli

Description

CultureShock! Switzerland is your companion to settling down in the land best-known for watches, chocolates and the Swiss Army knife. Despite its small size, Switzerland has a rich geographical landscape, and holds a unique position in history by virtue of its location and neutral political stand. Discover why there is more than one national language to accommodate the different cultural and ethnic groups, and why the Swiss identify closely with the canton (province) in which they live. From dealing with the authorities on tax and immigration issues to appreciating the food, culture and recreation, this book provides the practical information you will need. Let CultureShock! Switzerland help you get the most out of your stay and make it a fun, fruitful experience.

Sujets

• Suiza
• Switzerland

Informations

• Publié par: MarshallCavendishM
• Date de parution: 19 août 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789814435932
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

This second edition published in 2012 by:
Marshall Cavendish Corporation
99 White Plains Road
Tarrytown, NY 10591-9001
www.marshallcavendish.us
First published in 2009
Copyright Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Request for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196. Tel: [phone], fax: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail]
The publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this book, and specifically disclaims any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose, and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
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Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited. 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196 Marshall Cavendish International. PO Box 65829, London EC1P 1NY, UK Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd. 253 Asoke, 12th Flr, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Marshall Cavendish is a trademark of Times Publishing Limited
eISBN: 978 981 4435 93 2
Please contact the publisher for the Library of Congress catalog number
Printed in Singapore by Times Printers Pte Ltd
Photo Credits:
All black and white photos by the author except pages 15 and 26-27
(Photolibrary). All colour photos from Photolibrary. Cover: Sculpture of giant fork in Lake Geneva at Vevey (Photolibrary)
All illustrations by TRIGG
ABOUT THE SERIES
Culture shock is a state of disorientation that can come over anyone who has been thrust into unknown surroundings, away from one s comfort zone. CultureShock! is a series of trusted and reputed guides which has, for decades, been helping expatriates and long-term visitors to cushion the impact of culture shock whenever they move to a new country.
Written by people who have lived in the country and experienced culture shock themselves, the books provide all the information necessary for anyone to cope with these feelings of disorientation more effectively. The guides are written in a style that is easy to read and cover a range of topics that will arm readers with enough advice, hints and tips to make their lives as normal as possible again.
Each book is structured in the same manner. It begins with the first impressions that visitors will have of that city or country. To understand a culture, one must first understand the people-where they came from, who they are, the values and traditions they live by, as well as their customs and etiquette. This is covered in the first half of the book.
Then on with the practical aspects-how to settle in with the greatest of ease. Authors walk readers through topics such as how to find accommodation, get the utilities and telecommunications up and running, enrol the children in school and keep in the pink of health. But that s not all. Once the essentials are out of the way, venture out and try the food, enjoy more of the culture and travel to other areas. Then be immersed in the language of the country before discovering more about the business side of things.
To round off, snippets of basic information are offered before readers are tested on the customs and etiquette of the country. Useful words and phrases, a comprehensive resource guide and list of books for further research are also included for easy reference.
CONTENTS
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Map of Switzerland
Chapter 1
First Impressions
Welcome, and Don t Forget to Shut the Door Behind You
Personal Experiences
Small is Beautiful
Chapter 2
A Tour of Switzerland
The Shape of the Land
The Myth of Cleanliness
History in 5 Easy Sections
A Peasant Confederacy
Chapter 3
The Swiss People
National Characteristics
Townies and Rurals
Chapter 4
Swiss Society
Perceptions
Playing Soldiers
Virtue and Vice
Trouble in Toyland
A Comedy of Manners
Chapter 5
Welcome On Board
Papering It Over
Fixed Abodes
Banking
I m the Taxman
In Sickness and in Health
Schooldays
Transport
Shopping
Chapter 6
Food and Entertaining
How the Swiss Feed
Shopping for Food
Swiss Specialities
What do the Swiss Drink?
Eating Out
Dinner Invitations
Chapter 7
Enjoying Switzerland
Getting Some Air
Art and Culture
Swiss Feasts
Chapter 8
The Swiss Languages
Swiss-German
Swiss-French
Learning the Languages
Chapter 9
Working Life
Wages
Hours of Work
Appearance
Generally Speaking
Chapter 10
Switzerland at a Glance
Famous Swiss
Acronyms in Switzerland
Places of Interest
Culture Quiz
Do s and Don ts
Glossary
Resource Guide
Further Reading
About the Author
Index
DEDICATION
I lovingly dedicate this book to my wife Simone, and our sons Jean Ren and Lucas.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you to the helpful editors at Marshall Cavendish who made this project worthwhile. Thank you also to various people in Switzerland for giving me valuable feedback.

Switzerland doesn t exist.
-Slogan for Swiss presence at the 1992 World Expo in Seville

WELCOME, AND DON T FORGET TO SHUT THE DOOR BEHIND YOU
You ll enjoy Switzerland. It is a pocket-size country with a rich and varied landscape, four national languages, and an impressive mixture of different cultural and ethnic groups. This is largely related to its unique position at the rather rocky nexus of a historically quarrelsome continent.
If you like water, Switzerland has some of Europe s longest rivers springing from its mountains, and numerous lakes, from chilly, clear, high-altitude puddles to the biggest one in western Europe. If you like mountains, it has more peaks than any other country in Europe, and thousands of climbing, walking and skiing routes.
If you like conviviality, there are caf s, concert halls and other places to hang out catering to all imaginable tastes. If culture is your thing, Switzerland boasts some of Europe s finest museums; most cities have many theatres and concert halls, and there are half a dozen fine orchestras, and countless jazz and pop musicians to listen to. If you like food and wine, the variety is rich and full of pleasant surprises.
If you re picking up this book, you have probably decided to come to Switzerland: you want to come here to study, you have a job lined up, or your partner has, and you want a little help to find your way around. Well, you re in luck. Switzerland is a pretty straightforward place, and once you ve grasped the codes that govern daily life (similar in many respects to those in most European countries), you ll quickly find which levers to pull to get the goodies you want.


What you must bear in mind, though, is that Switzerland is a country where people tend to identify closely with the cantons they live in-and that you ll be living in-and that from canton to canton, there are differences not just in language, but also in the more subtle values that people live by, and expect you to conform to.
The Swiss are on the whole a rather discreet and private crowd, and transgressions, such as your baby throwing a tantrum in a quiet restaurant, can have some rather unexpected consequences. In Italy, say, you d be likely to have the little brat passed around a few mammas and returned to you calmed; here you re more likely to get icy stares from the blue-rinse brigade.
The other thing you must be very careful of here is to have your own life in order, in terms of having your papers sorted out, your home address on the municipal register, and all that very slightly Kafkaesque stuff. You are in a small and rather well-policed country here, and you cannot hide behind another identity as you might in a mega-city like London, Rome or Rio.
But assuming you are more or less sorted, you ll have a lot of freedom and latitude and the country is yours to enjoy and live in-whether you ve just stepped off a train from Bucharest or Beijing, or you trace your ancestors back to old William Tell himself.
Here You Are
You ll probably find it quite easy to find your way around when you arrive here. Our biggest cities are a few huts compared to Los Angeles, Kuala Lumpur or Hong Kong, and you ll be able to find the landmarks, main roads, rivers and lakes that sort out your directions within a day or two. Your bank card will probably work at the countless corner cashpoints. You ll find prices clearly marked on anything you may want to buy. Lost? Ask your way. It happens to me all the time, and most people here are proud of their linguistic skills. You will almost certainly find someone who speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish or some of the Eastern European languages quite quickly.
It is best to find some form of accommodation before you arrive. You should not count on locals to put you up at their homes, unless that has been arranged previously, as most people here live in rather small flats. Locals may, however, be able to help you find accommodation for the first few weeks. My wife and I put up for three very pleasant weeks in a university residence while waiting for our Geneva flat to become free.
You will quickly pick up lots more advice if you are in a work or study environment-about the nuts and bolts of the place, how to get around, how to sort out the initial formalities and all that. Making friends is a rather slower process, but it will come, it will come.
Where Are You From?
Mano