Why English Copywriters are needed in Switzerland, Part III

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Eight Things to Love about Switzerland, Part I

The Frau is celebrating eight years in Switzerland today. In honor of that milestone, she’s put together a list of eight things she loves about Switzerland. Today she’ll begin with the first four.

 

One: Freedom

This may sound strange coming from someone who hails from a country that bills itself as “The Land of the Free,” but the Swiss people are much freer on many accounts than Americans. As one of the world's oldest democracies, Switzerland can teach the rest of the world a bit about how to do democracy well. Number one tip? Don't allow only money to talk. The Swiss people have power no matter how much or little they earn because they have the freedom to propose a law themselves and force a national vote on it, as long as they can collect 100,000 signatures. 

Number two tip? Don't let lawyers rule the world. When this happens, as sadly is the case in the United States, it has huge implications for freedom on all levels of society. But when lawsuits aren't allowed to run rampant, it means healthcare costs are controlled (because doctors don’t need expensive insurance for sue-happy people), it means children learn personal responsibility young (two-year olds carry candles in parades in Switzerland and it’s no big deal), it means dogs can hang out in restaurants and public transport, and it means people can decide for themselves whether to dive into a swimming pool or walk into a construction site. When a society takes responsibility for its own actions instead of being allowed to blame someone else for them, true freedom reigns.

Two: Public Transport

The train connects to the bus that connects to the cable car that brings you to the middle of nowhere in time for lunch. But the broader result of a transport system that works is a less-stressed society. When you are 99% certain that your transport will be reliable, dependable, and hassle-free every day–even on days you need to work late–then you have less stress in your overall life. An easy, traffic-free commute has huge implications on quality of life.

Three: Vacation Time

Time off is sacred in Switzerland. You do not mess with someone’s vacation time here. You do not expect someone to work on Christmas Day. Or the week after Christmas, for that matter. And employers are required by law to provide a minimum of four weeks off for everyone. Crazy? Actually it’s more sane. Because here’s what The Frau has learned: A society that can relax and recharge properly is a more productive and happy one.

Four: Cities and Nature Together

You’re never far from a hiking trail, a lake to swim in, or a bike path in Switzerland, even in the center of Zurich. Cities and nature are not separate concepts in Switzerland. There are no such things as forest preserves. Just forests. And that is something else to love.

What do you love about Switzerland?

Achtung. Shameless self-promotion part. Do you enjoy reading about Swiss life? Then you might like The Frau’s new book, Swiss Life: 30 Things I Wish I’d Known. Available at fine online retailers and on Zurich’s most famous shopping street too (Bahnhofstrasse 70).

Here's why you should see the Knie

It didn’t sound like a good idea last night. Sit in a tent with hundreds of sweaty people and stinky animals on one of the hottest days of the year? Swimming sounded like a much better idea.

But The Frau had already bought tickets so The Frau went to the Knie Circus anyway. Too bad it took her eight years to go see it. Because Switzerland’s National Circus is fantastic. And that is no joke.

It comes down to this: One family. Eight generations of circus magic. The Knie Circus has stood the test of time—and for good reason. Be like The Frau and sit down with a bag of popcorn or an ice cream cone and you’ll be treated to a show that is both magical and personal as well as daring and sweet (it’s hard not to fall in love with three-year-old Chanel Marie Knie and her tiny white pony).

Part of what makes the Knie Circus special is the intimate family feeling it provides—several generations of the family are involved in the show, often performing as a nuclear family (for example, The Franco Knie family does the elephant show). The tent is also small by American standards contributing to the small-town feel and making even the back row a good seat.

While the circus is local and intimate, international acts add exotic flavor, like the Chinese Diabolo Girls.  This year’s clown, David Larible, provides non-stop fun and laughter—without needing any of Switzerland’s four official languages to communicate. His gestures, facial expressions, timing, and musicianship are superb.

The Knie Circus is the perfect show for both young and old and for Swiss and foreigners alike. It travels around the country throughout the year, performing at over 40 locations, including the hotspot of Wettingen, where The Frau went to see it. She highly recommends it.

Achtung. Shameless self-promotion part. Did you enjoy reading about Swiss life? Then you might enjoy The Frau’s new book, Swiss Life: 30 Things I Wish I’d Known, since her entire expat experience could practically be summed up as a circus. Available at fine online retailers and on Zurich’s most famous shopping street too (Bahnhofstrasse 70).

The Frau can read Swiss German

Attention, yodelers. Here is something The Frau had lost hope for…and yet, guess what? The Frau is reading...and getting the double meaning...of...wait...you guessed it...a Swiss German magazine headline! Not bad, since Swiss German isn’t even supposed to be a written language.

A South African colleague at her office in Zurich once reassured The Frau that she would start understanding Swiss German once she had kids. He was right.

This is proof.

Because here, yodelers, in the Via Magazine (freebie magazine available on Swiss trains), is a headline, “Schiffli fahre uf em See.” The Frau recognized it immediately—not only could she understand its meaning, but she also knew it was the title of a very popular Swiss children’s nursery song about a boat (all Swiss kids seem to sing it–even non-Swiss kids like Toddler M). 

Needless to say, The Frau was very proud of her comprehension. In fact, she was so proud that she must have looked ridiculous, grinning and gloating over such a simple headline.

It was definitely an Erfahren. Appropriate, since that was the title of the magazine section.

Achtung. Shameless self-promotion part. Did you enjoy reading about Swiss life? Then you might enjoy The Frau’s new book, Swiss Life: 30 Things I Wish I’d Known. It even has a section on language. Available at fine online retailers and on Zurich’s most famous shopping street too (Bahnhofstrasse 70).

Secret tip for saving money in Switzerland

Oh, yodelers. Lately, The Frau has been talking about things she wish she’d known about life in Switzerland, only to discover one important thing eight years too late.

As most yodelers know, tips for saving money in Switzerland can seem as secretive as a Swiss bank (pre-American government intervention, at least).

For the last eight years, The Frau has left Switzerland for several weeks at a time to travel or visit family in the States. Little did she know she could have been making money while she was gone.

Ja. By turning in her GA (Swiss Train Pass).

Here’s what The Frau should have done:

Before you go on a long trip, give your GA to your local SBB train station. You can do this up to three days before you leave. They then give you a travel card that is valid to use until you leave the country and upon your return, so you don’t need to worry about getting to and from the airport.

When you return to your home station, you simply pick up your GA and receive a voucher for use at any SBB. The Frau’s husband was gone for 13 days so he turned in his GA for the first time and here’s what he got:

A voucher for CHF 126.

The amount works out to be less than CHF 10 per day, and you also have to pay a CHF 10 fee just to turn it in, but it's still totally worth it if you’re going to be gone anyway.

The Frau is sad she didn't know about this offer years earlier since it certainly would have saved–at least her parents–a lot of money in train fare. 

But alas, The Frau’s loss is your gain. 

Enjoy reading about Swiss life? Then you might enjoy The Frau’s new book, Swiss Life: 30 Things I Wish I’d Known. It even has a section on Mutterhood. Available at fine online retailers and on Zurich’s most famous shopping street too (Bahnhofstrasse 70).

5 Great Places to go with Kids in Switzerland

Need a few ideas for what to do with your kids in Switzerland? Look no further. The Frau (and Toddler M) have done some investigating for you.

Technorama (Winterthur)

This Swiss science museum has something for everyone—even Toddler M enjoyed a full day there banging drums, watching electric trains, and making gigantic bubbles. Spread across many floors, The Frau was pleasantly surprised by its non-Swiss size.

Tip: When traveling by public transport, be sure to get the RailAway offer, which will save you 10% on both the entrance fee and the transport there. They also accept payment in REKA.

Paradisimo (Pfäffikon SZ)

BMW Bobby Car. Only in Switzerland.

This is possibly Switzerland’s most perfect indoor playground. Why? It’s inexpensive, it has separate play areas for babies versus older kids, and there is a cafe with Wi-Fi for parents. And oh, the Bobby Cars are BMWs. It wouldn’t be a Swiss experience otherwise.

Children’s Museum (Baden)

The perfect balance of toys and exhibit make this place a fun day out for more than just children. Think dollhouses from the last century, a room filled with puppet shows you can put on a play with, and an entire floor of wooden games to explore.

Tip: They accept REKA checks.

Transport Museum (Lucerne)

Climb on trams. Ride scooters. Watch cars from the decades go by. The Transport Museum is all about transporting you to, well, the world of transport.

Tip: RailAway will save you 10% off the admission and the train ride there.

Emmentaler Schaukäserei (Affoltern i.E.)

Emmentaler cheese (that’s Swiss cheese for all you Americans)—comes from here. At the Emmentaler Schaukäserei, you can visit the dairy, eat at the restaurant, shop for cheese, and let your kids play on the playground and admire the statues of cows. You can also combine a visit to the Schaukäserei with a beautiful stroller hike through the rolling hills. Start in Lueg and follow the signs from Lueg-Junkholz-Schnabel-Affoltern i.E. (3.5 km).

Anyone else have tips for having fun in Switzerland with kids?

Enjoy reading about Swiss life? Then you might enjoy The Frau’s new book, Swiss Life: 30 Things I Wish I’d Known. It even has a section on Mutterhood. Available at fine online retailers and on Zurich’s most famous shopping street too (Bahnhofstrasse 70).

Zurich Book Reading at Orell Füssli The Bookshop

What should you know about Swiss life?
Oh, how about that sometimes something in Switzerland is actually free!
Shocking, yes, but come to the free reading event and you'll be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy some cheese and chocolate (or more likely some pretzels and wine) for less than you'd spend for a packet of ketchup at the Swiss McDonald's.

The Frau will read from her new book, Swiss Life: 30 Things I Wish I'd Known
May 23, 2014 at 7 p.m.
Orell Füssli The Bookshop
Bahnhofstrasse 70
8001 Zurich
Hope to see you yodelers there!

30 Things to Know about Swiss Life

Grüezi People,

Whatever one should know about Swiss life, The Frau learned the hard way. But this is good for you, yodelers. Because The Frau is going to make your Swiss life a little easier (or at least a little funnier) in a just published essay collection.

It’s life in Switzerland. 

The not-made-for-TV version. 

What should you know about Swiss life? Well, how about the fact that you can be hired in one language and fired in another? Or the realization that your Swiss neighbor is not coming over to chat—she is coming over to clean your gutter? Or the reality that cheese is a homeopathic treatment—for lactating boobs?

Learned anything about life in Switzerland yet? Well, sit back, relax, and enjoy some cheese and chocolate. Because that, dear yodelers, is just the beginning.                                               

Swiss Life: 30 Things I Wish I’d Known is a collection of both published (The Christian Science Monitor, National Geographic Glimpse, Chicken Soup for the Soul Books, and Brain, Child) and new essays in which The Frau discovers that whatever she thought she knew about the land of a certain storybook mountain girl, she had a lot to learn about the real Switzerland, you know, the one on the world map.

Come to the reading on May 23. Get a free bookmark.

The Frau, joined by Geneva-based American author Anne Korkeakivi (author of An Unexpected Guest), will read from her book at Orell Füssli The Bookshop (Bahnhofstrasse 70, 8001 Zurich) on May 23, 2014 at 7 p.m. She would love it if you stopped by to say hello in any of your official languages of choice. She’ll even give you a free bookmark if you do.

But if you can’t make it, the print version of the book is now available on amazon.com. Kindle version is now available too. Alternatively, you can join The Frau’s mailing list to find out when the book is available at other retailers. Nook, Kobo, and other versions are also coming soon. 

Love,

The Frau

P.S. To celebrate the publication of Swiss Life: 30 Things I Wish I'd Known, The Frau is offering 30% off the print book on amazon.com to her mailing list members (see, great deals in Switzerland do exist!). To get the discount, all you have to do is join the book's mailing list by Monday, May 12. The code will be e-mailed to all mailing list members on Tuesday, May 13 and will remain valid for one week. The Frau says danke vielmal in advance for your support.

A minimum wage of $25 an hour?

Ah, yodelers, it’s the day of work when you don’t have to work and can think about whether the Swiss should vote for its workers to receive the highest minimum wage in the world (22 SF/$25 an hour) on May 18.

Would you say "ja" to $25 an hour?

$25 an hour? It seems extravagant to the rest of the world. But then again, the rest of the world isn’t paying $25 for a plate of mediocre Chinese food. Or 57 cents a minute to make a national phone call. Or $11 for a 15-minute train ride—in 2^nd class, no less.

That’s why the Swiss minimum wage should be put in perspective (and also why The Frau wishes the American government would put the salaries of its citizens working abroad in perspective too).

After all, Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world. But despite this, the country still seems to want to make it livable for everyone. The Frau likes this.

But is a salary of SF 4,000 ($4,533) a month livable in Switzerland? It seems crazy to the rest of the world that the answer might be no. But if you watch this video created by swissinfo.ch, you’ll see that with “low” salaries and high costs of everything from healthcare to food—even $4,533 a month can be a struggle in Switzerland.

That being said, how would you vote on May 18?