World Radio Switzerland Live in Zurich

To celebrate their two-year anniversary, World Radio Switzerland (WRS) is hosting live broadcasts of their drive-time show, The Wrap, all next week at the Movie Bar in Zurich from 4:30 p.m.- 7 p.m. I'll be discussing expat life on Tuesday's broadcast, and I'd love to see you there. It's my Swiss radio debut as myself (whew, do I know who that is?), as I've previously written and recorded stories for WRS under the illustrious persona of Laid-off Liz.

I'm trying not to make a fool of myself, so I'm looking for suggestions for the expat discussion. If anyone has a topic about expat life they'd like to hear about, please leave a comment here and I'll do my best to present it if the opportunity arises. Otherwise, I'll just have to rely on everything crazy that has happened to me in this wonderful country we all call home.

Hope to see you there!

WRS Live Broadcast
Tuesday, November 10
4.30 p.m.-7 p.m.
Movie Restaurant & Bar
Beatenplatz 4
8001 Zurich

And if you can't make it, be sure to tune in from home on Tuesday from 5 p.m. - 5.30 p.m. to hear me pretending to actually know stuff when in fact I usually walk around Switzerland clueless. You can listen live online.

Help. In the U.S., I Can't Walk Anywhere

The United States. So big. So sprawling. So much personal space. And yet. I felt closed in.

I was just in the U.S. for a week and I couldn't help but feel a little stifled by the lack of fresh air. Yes, the rainy weather didn't help, but neither did the fact that although the hotel I was staying at in Indiana was about 500 meters from a Wendy's (and I was really craving a frosty), there was absolutely no way to just walk there.

So I didn't go. Call me European, but I was pissed that I couldn't just walk the 500 meters to fulfill my junk food craving.

Maybe Switzerland has spoiled me. I live within 10 minutes walking distance of grocery stores, the post office, the library, the pool, the spa, the H&M, the McDonald's, and more. Having to drive in Switzerland is like having to take Amtrak in the U.S. You just don't want to do it.

And while I enjoyed stuffing my face at Lone Star Steakhouse, Subway, Dunkin Donuts and more, I didn't like the feeling of not being able to walk all that off. I want to consume like any American citizen, but then I want to be able to walk it all off Swiss-style. I guess I can't have the best of both worlds. And that's disappointing.

The closest I came to being European on my U.S. visit was walking a mile (excuse me, 1.6 kilometers) into town to get my hair cut. My mother was at work so there was no other car for me to drive (or public transportation for me to take), but I was happy to walk. But my mother-in-law was concerned. "Are you sure you don't want me to pick you up so you don't have to walk home?" she asked me at least three times.

"No," I told her, at least three times.

She thought I was just being nice. I wasn't. But see, as an American, it's hard to believe, but some of us (at least those of us spoiled by a European lifestyle) just want to be able to walk places. Is that too much to ask?

Scary Halloween Costume Idea: Migros Uniform

Ok, no offense to the good people who were probably forced to have their photo taken in kindergarten class style for this grocery store advertorial. But shame on the person that designed the uniforms.

Maybe this is unfair. For one reason or the other, grocery store uniforms seem to be created to be ugly on purpose. I can see no other reason to combine polyester, the color orange, and the purposeless, confusingly angled arm stripes. But why are ugly grocery store uniforms such a universal, worldwide phenomenon? Shouldn't the uniforms reflect the brand image? Do all supermarkets see themselves as lame? If I had to describe Migros on basis on uniform alone, I think I'd say, Happy Halloween (which at least, is appropriate for me to say today. But do you want to be saying that on say, Christmas?).

Yep, there's no doubt about it in my mind, Migros uniforms take the prize for being Switzerland's scariest grocery store outfits.

But I'm willing to discuss otherwise. Anyone got a good reason why the Coop uniforms are the worst? What do you think of the grocery store fashions in Switzerland? Or in whatever country you happen to be in? But more importantly, would you dress up as a Migros cashier for Halloween?

Entertainment in Switzerland: Housing Ads

I like reading the housing ads in Switzerland for three reasons:

1. The prices are so outrageous it's kind of entertaining. (4.5 room apartment in the middle of nowhere Aargau for SFr 844,000? Oh and that doesn't include a garage...that's an extra SFr 25,000).

2. I can understand most of the text.

3. You come across gems like this:


Come on, really. Who can resist a Geak Apero...Not to mention the art direction on this ad really matches my English translation of such a thing.

The Life of an Expat, Part 2

Last week (thanks everyone!) we had a great discussion about the expatriate phenomenon of the whole "life on hold" concept.

This week, over on ACC, I discuss The Life of an Expat, Part 2: The curse of loving two countries. The question of where home is. And how instead of feeling more international and educated from living abroad, most of the time, I just feel more confused. Do you? Join the discussion here.

And don't forget your chance to win a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family: 101 Incredible Stories about our Funny, Quirky, Lovable & "Dysfunctional" Families complete with essays by yours truly. Click here to enter your crazy family story in the comments for a chance to win.

Trailing Spouse, Moi?

Yesterday I was interviewed over at Beyond the Gray, which is a fabulous blog about living your most inspired life. I highly recommend checking it out if at some point in your life (at home or abroad) you found yourself struggling to achieve or to redefine your dreams. Maybe you'll relate to my story.

As a trailing spouse, identity can be a tough thing (because if you're like me, that last thing you want to be called is a "trailing spouse"). But if the career you had before isn't going to work out abroad (or you lose yours via a layoff like me), maybe there's something else you'd love to do and try. Maybe, in fact, this is your big opportunity for that something you used to put on hold.

A good example of someone who reinvented herself abroad is Toma Haines, who used to work in marketing in the U.S., but has since lived in three European countries and created a business that fits her lifestyle and her love--antique shopping. This month, her business, The Antiques Diva, was featured in Travel & Leisure. Talk about a success story.

So. It can be done. Just takes some dreaming. (And possibly some insert country here bureaucracy). So check out Beyond the Gray. And don't forget to take a moment to win a book complete with a few essays by yours truly.

And in the meantime, did you feel like you lost your identity by moving abroad or losing a job?

Shameless Self Promotion Day

Hello and welcome to Shameless Self Promotion Day. It's just a brief departure from our discussion of Switzerland to let you know that I'm excited (well who am I kidding, I'm practically peeing my pants) that not just one, but two of my essays are out in bookstores across the United States today in one of the best-selling Chicken Soup anthologies, Chicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family: 101 Incredible Stories about our Funny, Quirky, Lovable & "Dysfunctional" Families.

I don't know what having multiple essays in a book about dysfunctional families says about my family, but I want to take a moment to thank them for providing endless inspiration.

The first story (which is actually the first one in the book--you can read it by clicking on the "see inside this book" button) is about how my father wraps everything (including plastic lawn chairs) in plastic (oh, and happy birthday today, dad...you know what you're getting for the big day).

The second essay is about the DNA I've inherited from multiple family members that just makes me want to steal those butter packets from the table at Denny's (and also the DNA that makes living in Switzerland so difficult because of the lack of these kind of things to take.)

To make Shameless Self-Promotion Day slightly less shameful, I'm giving away a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family: 101 Incredible Stories about our Funny, Quirky, Lovable & "Dysfunctional" Families. All you have to do to win is leave a comment on this post about something crazy your family does from now until November 3. Craziest family story (in my opinion, of course) wins. You'll get the book and your story will be posted on my blog in a future post along with a link to your blog or website. Please keep stories to 150 words or less.