Swiss Life. The title of this piece isn't really fair. Switzerland is not a big country, yet it boasts four National languages, and four different cultures to go along with them. Switzerland is about the size of the state of New Jersey in the US. So Swiss life depends on where in Switzerland you live. The majority of Swiss speak Swiss German, not to be confused with "High German" or "Hochdeutsch" which is spoken in Germany. Of course, High German is taught to Swiss German kids in school and at University, but, the spoken language is Swiss German. Swiss German is not technically a written language; High German is the written language, and the language spoken by newscasters. Swiss German is a musical sounding language- lilting and full of that cchhh sound in the back of the throat, like you would hear in French when pronouncing the French "r". German people may sometimes have a hard time understanding Swiss German. It's THAT different. Some familiar Swiss German speaking cities are Zurich, Bern, Basel, and Luzern, to name a few.
The second largest region of Switzerland is the French speaking part. This is the region where my husband grew up and lived until he moved to New York at age 29. The Swiss French language is very much like French spoken in France, with very, very few exceptions. The words for the meals of the day are different, and a few numbers are different, for example. But overall, French people have no trouble understanding Swiss French speakers, and vice versa. The French speaking Cantons (think Counties) contain the cities of Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux, Vevey, and Neuchatel, to name a few.
The third largest region of Switzerland, with regards to language spoken, is the Italian speaking part. This is comprised of one Canton, called Ticino. Unsurprisingly, it borders Italy, and a few cities you may have heard of there are Bellinzona, Lugano, and Locarno. The Italian spoken in Ticino is much like the Italian spoken in the neighboring region of Italy, with very few exceptions.
And lastly, but very importantly, is the Romansh language- an old, Latin based language spoken primarily in the Canton of Graubunden, a mountain region in the east of Switzerland. It is thankfully still spoken, and is being kept alive.
The foods and culture of the people in the four regions understandably differ from one another. However, there are some aspects of Swiss life, regardless of the region, which are ubiquitous.
Cleanliness and transportation spring to mind.
I have traveled to many European countries, and I have been all over the US and parts of Canada. I have yet to find a country as clean and well ordered as Switzerland. It is sparkling. It is pristine. And I don't mean just the lack of trash lying around. I mean the sidewalks are perfect. You will never see an old person tripping and falling because there are no cracks or holes anywhere. The roads are meticulously paved at all times. You will rarely see a rundown shack of a building anywhere. Nothing is in ruins, except for the few actual ancient sites which are, in fact, ruins.
The transportation is heavenly. The trains and trams and buses are spotless and are remarkably punctual. The ease of transport from anywhere to literally anywhere in Switzerland means that young people have almost no motivation to learn to drive. In fact, it's not uncommon for young people to wait until their twenties to get around to obtaining a driving license. My older son will be 20 this year and it hasn't occurred to him to learn to drive. You can usually get from point A to point B faster, or just as fast by taking public transport. You can reach a remote mountaintop village without a problem by taking public transport. The trains are magic. They are quiet, have clean bathrooms, and comfortable seats. Transportation for the day may often include a telecabin (cable car), a boat, a tram, a bus, a funicular, or a train.
I live just outside the city of Zurich, and I am in love with the city trams. They are electric trams on tracks and they run everywhere you need to go in Zurich. They are wonderful. I enjoy traveling above ground in a city because I like to look at the sights.
There are some traits associated with Swiss people, but I prefer not to generalize about cultures. There are always exceptions, and regionally I believe there are some differences as well. For example, people in Bern are believed to be really sweet. And some Cantons have reputations for being drinkers, or more social, but this is all difficult to truly quantify.
I have felt very welcome since moving here in 2018. I find the Swiss to be friendly, helpful, patient, and very efficient. Of course, I am not unaware that I am a white woman whose experiences may differ greatly from someone who may not experience the same privilege that I have.
I tell people, in German, to please excuse my German. I tell them I am learning. People are so kind and speak slowly, or switch to English. Then, most often, they actually apologize to me for their poor English, which is remarkable. I live in their country, and they are apologetic for not speaking English better? That would never happen in the US. Ever. Not to mention the fact that their English is never poor. Most people can communicate in English fairly well. In the cities this is especially the case. But, don't ask a Swiss German to speak French! They would much rather speak English. And the same goes for Swiss French- they would rather speak English than German. I find this funny since Swiss German children start learning French in school at a very young age, and the same goes for Swiss French children learning German. But, neither has taken a shine to the other's language, generally speaking. I learned this early on when I moved to Canton Zurich. I didn't speak any German when we moved here and so I would ask people if they spoke French or English so I could communicate with them. Most of the people reacted quite expressively that they much preferred to speak English, which is a shame because I do like to practice my French whenever possible! But, no matter, I was grateful that they could accommodate me in English, and still do on occasion when my German fails me.
Living in Switzerland these (almost) five years has been a privilege. Of course, we were only here a short time when a worldwide pandemic hit, which absolutely sucked, but I can say that we are all happy with our decision. I've made wonderful friends, I've traveled, attended amazing cultural events like a small-town cowbell festival, and we have enjoyed the natural beauty of this remarkable country. I feel extremely lucky.
