I hate that people automatically assume that you have a lot of money just because you're from Switzerland. Like no we also have to pay so much taxes and stuff is expensivee
Lia S. And i hate how swiss people always complain about stuff being more expensive here etc... yeah living here is lets say 2 times more expensive than in other countries, but you earn like 5 times more!!! :D
Caro Bee not only living, but also for example health insurance costs 400-500 francs at the very lowest. I don't wanna complain much because yes, in comparison to a lot of other countries we really do live good here and have high standards, I know and appreciate that, but also a good amount of people here honestly can't afford more than people from other countries where you earn less. And it just annoys me that when you tell ppl you are swiss they say you're rich or have a lot of money and then also for example wanna sell you everything like double the price it would've been if you said you were from Austria. Just because Switzerland has many rich people doesn't mean everyone is; both my parents are working, I'm the only child they still have to pay for and they are constantly telling me we're tight on money. And our place for living isn't expensive
mier hend dütlich nidrigeri stüre als zb unseri nochberländer: dütschland, frankrich und italie. je noch kanton hen mier 10-25% währends bi dene easy über 30% goht
Well I disagree with you on your first point I like to be left alone in stores and to not always have a waitress around me. I have a week-end job as a waitress myself and I feel like I'm annoying people when I turn up every five minutes asking if everything's alright. Besides, I guess the service in restaurants in the states and probably Canada too is only so good bc they depend on the tip, here wages are high enough.
I'd probably actually like #1 about Switzerland... I'm very get in/get out when I go into establishments and find friendliness and small talk annoying. I'd only be bothered if someone was actively rude to me.
most aren’t rude, they just don’t want to bother people, they let them look around and if they want get in/get out very fast that’s generally best. if a customer needs/wants help they can ask one of the staff and they‘ll be glad to help
well, I'm a student working as a part time waitress and I feel a little offended by your first point. I am very polite, always smiling and in a good mood. maybe you just weren't at the right restaurant yet😉
I've lived in multiple countries and I completely understand that you don't have to 100% love the country you live in. Every country has lots of pros and cons and we just have find the one that has cons we can live with :)
I live in Switzerland. I wear bold and alternative clothing. Sometimes I get treated quite differently for it. (And not in a good way. They stare disapprovingly and they mostly underestimate me.) Still, it's always important to stay true to yourself. You've only got one life. Also, it depends where you live in Switzerland. In some places, there are more alternative people than in other ones.
I'm swiss, I have lived in the US and I agree more the less with almost everything she said. I have my reserves on number 10 though. A decentralized system allows for a better management of cantons and take into account various sensibilities depending on the population. For a fact french speakers, swiss-italians and swiss-germans have very different mentalities and therefor you could not apply the same rules. Also, on the case of making friends, she is talking about the swiss german area of Switzerland. People are a little more open on the french and italian speaking parts. But still not that easy though. A little uptight.
One of the things I loved about living in Switzerland was the breathtaking beauty EVERYWHERE. So absolutely gorgeous! The chocolates! Organized! Also I learned to relax about dieting. Take it easy and eat less food and healthier foods and exercise a little. It’s a healthier approach to fitness I managed to get fit and stay fit.
Totally agree about finding friends - they stay in their own circle at the end of the day and the smaller the town, the bigger the ´incestual´(among friends) situation in dating
I guess that service personel in North America is mainly super friendly because a big part of their salary is tips: no smile - no tips. In Switzerland you're not obliged to tip because the wages are fine but we mostly do when service is good.
"hate" is a bit much...maybe "dislike"? 1.Bad Service - People here think it's annoying if your waiter is constantly interrupting you and your guests, if they want something they will call the waiter. Also people do not think highly of superficial "niceness" and "false" smiles; they can even feel uncomfortable and annoyed or even somewhat threatened because they suspect you of planning something underhanded while putting up a front of false niceness. 2.Yeah it's expensive; on the other hand, it encourages you to learn to cook.XD 3.Yeah..stuff is somewhat expensive...-_-; so one learns where to buy less expensive stuff...like germany or farmer's market or local shops, etc. 4.There is a saying in switzerland and europe, that goes something like this: "Earn a swiss person's friendship and you earn it for life." Make an effort, invite them to dinner at your home, or a local pub, find common interests, respect their ways of doing things and be patient; and before you know it they will open up to you. 5. Fast food means too much food at the ready, which end in obiecety. One learns to cook a good burger.XD or go to a restaurant that specialises on meats and stuff. 6. Being your definition of what is conservative is *also* a way of being oneself; they are all individuals and, luckily, do not conform to your or anyone else's definition of "being themselves". Just because they do not dress the way you like ("wearing weird outfits or bright colourful clothing", etc.) does not mean they are not themselves. They are a free people and have,to many people's surprise, individual agency. *PS: Diverse ≠ "people who look different from each-other"(cause that's stupid and racist); diverse = "Diversity of thought"*. th-cam.com/video/y0HKgs-0zDY/w-d-xo.html 7. You are not looking hard enough, there are many shops out there with a lot of different clothing. If you need "unique" stuff: do it yourself or go to a tailor. The Swiss consider clean and simple clothing as well as black and darker-coloured fabrics to be stylish and classy. So, like so many places around the world, fashion in Switzerland says, “when in doubt, wear black.” PS. www.weconnectfashion.com/articles/the-apparel-market-in-switzerland. 8. Swiss people tend to look for or find "vocations"/"professions" not "jobs"...most of them actually like their work. If you want to work less: ask your employer. 9. Nurseries are F-ing expensive. BUT: According to the Swiss School law there are no fees to be taken for the school system which includes kindergarten as long as the child lives within the Kanton respectively community (Gemeinde). Kindergarten is there to accompany the child for the last two to three years before their enrolment into primary school at the age of 5-6. It therefore does not really have a minimum entry age and it is not compulsory. 10. Switzerland is a federation. It works, is efficient and has worked well for a long long time. Yes they tend to say where the are from this and that canton or place, BUT the swiss from different swiss cantons consider each other and themselves as swiss before anything else. It is not true that cantons, and thus their people, do not care about other cantons; that is also a part of being in a federation with a federal government: you care about the other parties, but keep an optimal amount of sovereignty. I do not see the problem. PS. healthy rivalries are good for competition and profit. www.howtolearn.com/2012/11/healthy-vs-unhealthy-competition/
In Germany the service is similar but I don't mind that actually. North Americans are very entitled because of this 'customer is always right' bull and I've seen how atrocious guests or customers can be to service people. So I think they are treated here with far more dignity. Service is breif and to the point. I'm here for the food and layout of the restaurant not for the staff.
Swiss restaurants hire servers from all around europe and often with a limited contract durations. Yes, bad service is often resulting. Anyhow, the Swiss are having many small familiy owned and run restaurant as well where even the boss is personally coming to the table for a chat.
The boss personally coming to the table for a chat is NOT good service! I hate when they do that, especially when I'm still eating or in the middle of a private conversation. They can say hello, but not more.
So your comment just suggested that the bad service is because people from other countries work their and that she will get better service from Swiss only restaurants... That is called prejudice or xenophobia. Why do you think only Swiss people do a good job?
Well, I don't think number one is necessarily a bad thing, it's just different. I personally find the over-politeness in the US of waiters kinda annoying and especially insincere. It's not because we're rude, we're just not as expressive, and also we don't depend on tips in order to live (which I think it's kind of messed up. It's so expensive btw, because we pay them fair wages). Like it's nice if you get along with the waiter, but in the end, if they bring you the food and are not rude about it, they've done their job. Emotional work is not required.
The service and quality of food in Switzerland is quite good, I would say, but I agree on the making friends part - since I moved to Switzerland (from Germany) I did not really make any friends or even acquaintances; There is no real hope to find friends or even a partner here, and it can be quite frustrating to see people getting along so well but knowing that one simply can never befriend anybody. That being said, the overall quality of living definitely makes up for that! I'd rather live and die here knowing nobody than moving back to this shithole Germany :D
I got the feeling that bad service was due to not having a slavish devotion to money. Here in the US we have a "customer is always right" attitude toward service. I can state w/ absolute certainty the customer most often isn't.
What about if you live near a border town, can't you just do a weekly outing across the border into France, Germany, Italy etc. and get your food shopping etc cheaper?
I agree with the customer service thing. I'm a Canadian who has done a ton of travelling around Europe and I've noticed that in a lot of countries. The attitude of those working in restaurants ranges from indifferent to downright insulting. The thing that bothers me most is that where I've noticed the wait staff being really rude is in countries where their economy isn't doing well and they depend on tourism. But they see us as a nuisance instead of a good source of revenue.
I am living now since 2 years in swiss and I have no clue where you live there and what ppl you met but I have the completely opposite experience when it comes to the ppl or to beeing accepted for who you are and I also made friends right away... just saying
I‘m Swiss, born in canton de Vaud and live now in Lucern and I 100% agree with you!! I met my man in San Diego (he is Swiss German) and we really miss the services, the easy way to make friends etc... I live in Lucern since 9 years and still think hard to make friends.... love your videos 👍🏻
I do agree with some of the points even thought I feel you are stretching things a bit here and there. BUT the message I get from you is "I live in Switzerland and hate that it is not like the US/Canada". Reminds me of people moving next to an airport and then complaining about the noise... Many of the unmentioned things that are great in Switzerland are BECAUSE of the high prices: Low crime rates, low poverty, excellent public transportation, clean cities, stability and much more are bought with this. One can not have one without the other and considering where you live I would say you have made your choice between them...
I don't find that accurate about the service at restaurants and stores.. In Canada, I've had terrible service both in restaurants, the post office, malls, grocery stores. Literally anywhere. But then, there have been a few times that we've had amazing service. I that that totally depends on a variety of factors. And not just the location.
Romy Pierhöfer Lmao what you mean? I bet you go to the cheapest stores...everytime i go somewhere they say „Hello“ and are very friendly! Poor people here.
cuteprincess441 yes We as Canadians are experiencing bad service whereas it used to be friendly a high end service. Have you been to Switzerland to compare the service? Can you tell us about the differences you have found.
time has changed, canada used to be excellent in service and quality or price 10 years ago, now it has gone downhill in price as well as in service. Those people from restaurants are new there as well as uneducated.
cuteprincess441, service has been consistently lousy in Switzerland for me. While I agree that service in restaurants depends a lot on the restaurant itself and the individual waitress you get, I'm aware of what's so troubling in Switzerland. In most countries, pretty much anyone can get a job working as a waitress or a store clerk. In Switzerland, you have a thing known as the "Berufslehre" (a three- or four-year apprenticeship) that people need to go through in order to work as a waitress. You basically need a diploma to work as a waitress. That obviously makes them feel superior and they develop these horrible attitudes, but the one thing they don't seem to learn is customer friendliness.
Best fast food by far in Switzerland are Kebabs. It tastes super good, costs as much as the others but you get way more food, and the best thing is that it's not a chain, so all the profits go to the workers, who are generally there in a family business.
I'm of Swiss ancestors who immigrated to the USA in the late 1880s. I've been to my great grandfathers home town Zweisimmen (kinda south of Bern) about 4 times and love it there. My family has been living in the same house (added onto many times from a large one room hut) on the mountainside since late 1500's and the 7th generation is in there still. My great grandma was fro Zurich and I've been there too. I most enjoyed my many ski trips in Switzerland. I lived in Germany for near 8 years and my favorite trip was to visit my Swiss cousins. A beautiful town surrounded by mountains and a great ski area near ton! It's lovely!
Making friends in Austria is also very difficult. Also in Austria people stay friends with their friends from school or education. Foreigners have a tough time integrating.
I'm Swiss and South African and I can understand a lot of what you're saying, except that the things that bother you about shopping here are pretty irrelevant to me. I'm also not impressed with the food, particularly at that price, but then, I like African meals and avoid fast food whenever I can.I find the degree of self-satsifaction here pretty hard to take as well, and the tendency people have to keep their eye on what you're doing and correct you when they believe you're stepping out of line. It's unbelievable to me that anyone could have dogmas about how to hang washing, issue a dog with a Swiss passport - you name it...
moolikeachicken Im always confused when people say they never heard of paternity leave. Im in VA and the men get paternity leave like upto 2 months.Maybe we just have it in the south or maybe just VA idk.
moolikeachicken Insane. We have guaranteed maternity leave in the entire south. I would think its very inhumane and sexist to deny women time to heal physically and mentally and spiritually after having a baby. I hope you guys get your guaranteed leave soon.
@Ahava I am certain most in the South, Trump supporters especially, would rather you do away with it. In a Trump dominated world women will get no rights whatsoever.
Speaking of how burgers in Europe taste.... I visited Amsterdam a couple years ago, and ordered a burger. I'm from the US. I do NOT know what type of meat was in this burger but it not taste right! Lol! I swear it wasn't beef even though I think it said Angus on the menu. It tasted soooo weird!
As for what surprised me about Switzerland - I've only been to Geneva, and very briefly at that. But good grief was I ever shocked at what a McDonalds' meal cost there. It took my breath away!
You went all the way to Switzerland to eat at McDonalds that you could have ate at home? I do not understand why people from any country travel thousands of miles away from home just to eat the crap they could have had at home. It makes no sense. Every time I've been to Switzerland I just went to the market and got things (I looked for things that were local) to make sandwiches often with "biologique" ingredients and saved a bundle of money. Their cucumbers and cheese are delicious.
You're making an awful lot of assumptions with your statement and being quite rude about it. I didn't say I ate there, I said I noticed the price tag as being quite steep. There is something very interesting about seeing what things cost in different countries that you can equate to what you would get back home. There was no need to be condescending towards me - I was only making an observation about a price tag. You don't buy everything you see, do you?
Makeup Your Mind I know! McDonalds is really expensive in Switzerland. We were there in June and wanted to try some fast food, it was some holiday so everything was closed except McDonalds and a couple other places. We ended up going to a Swiss burger joint which was good. When you're travelling for long periods of time it's not possible to always go to a market, buy your own ingredients, and cook. We did that on several occasions in France and Italy. But you don't always have time for that when you're exploring. Besides, sometimes you get a craving for something particular or you want something more affordable. Also, there's not so much diversity in terms of restaurant offerings as we're used to in Canada. We personally don't go for the traditional Swiss foods which is why we were looking for a fast food place like McDonalds.
I‘m from Switzerland and I‘m allways shocked what MCDonalds cost in other countries😂 But I also have to say that MCDonalds isn‘t that expensive for us as to go to eat in a restaurant as Julia said in the Video😊
+Makeup Your Mind yes sorry to make the assumption you ate there. The rest of my comment wasn't directed at you but generally speaking, it is not something I understand.
Where abouts do you leave in Switzerland? I am British and Dutch and I live in Geneva and while I do agree with some, I also disagree with some of your points. Everything is ridiculously over priced as you said and the shops are all the same everywhere you go. But I find that making friends is quite easy and that people are very open here. I am a teenager and I go to an international school so I don't know what adult life is like here. Therefore I guess it makes sense that our experiences are different as well. I really loved this video though as I love watching TH-camrs who live in Switzerland and I love seeing your perspective on living here! Definitely going to go and checkout the Top 10 Things video! Thank you so much for making this video! 😊
I worked with Swissair for many years, and I did my best to remain in Geneva. As an American, Geneva is certainly the best place for native English speakers as it is truly an international city. Being in the Francophone part of the country is a huge plus, and in all deference to my friends in Zurich, the people are a great deal more friendlier and open.
glad you're enjoying life here. Your success is probably due to the circles you are enveloped in. That is, being in an international school, you all are expected to speak English, so integration comes naturally since you, like me, are british. However when you're not in that circle, it gets a lot stickier because you have to learn the swiss dialects before you can make friends, and since there are 0 swiss german courses/dictionaries due to it not being any sort of official language, this is close to an impossible feat. There's also a lot of pig-headed people who have forgotten how to speak high german due to not using it since leaving school, or are just so proud of their canton that they refuse to speak anything but dialect. I have come across many people who just plain refuse to speak high german, even if it means helping you to learn. I've been here 5 years now and am only just starting to get any sort of grasp on Swiss German, and I had a lot of high german down several years ago, with the B1 course passed rather easily.
That was so interesting! I have never been to either Canada or Switzerland, so I am always interested in learning new things :) I am wondering: What made you move to Switzerland? (If the question is too personal I apologize)
We visited last year California again after 18 years. I fel they‘ve changed a lot. Prices in restaurants, hotels were quite high and the service in restaurants / shops was not as nice as it used to be. And in supermarkets produce is expensiv.
Funny! I‘m Swiss living in Japan, moving back to Switzerland soon and some of the points (like society being conservative and the work-life balance) are things that really annoy me about Japan and are way worse here than in Switzerland. I guess it‘s all a matter of comparison :)
All of this is literally the same as Denmark. Everything here is so expensive, and we have to pay 25% extra on all imported products and i can only buy stuff from outside the EU if its below $11, otherwise we'll have to pay 25% extra + import fees, which is double the price and if its above $120, we also have to pay taxes to get it, which is 45%, so it sucks. And we only have like- MACs and Sephoras in like three cities and its just bad as a whole.
Well, you can remove all the import taxes and open your borders to massive immigration.You'll have plenty of MACs and Sephoras but then of course you'll have to accept miserables wages, insecurity, low standard of living and not even dream to buy make-up.
Why do you care what people think? If you want to wear a bright color, wear it. I was once in Germany ( in the country side) and I wore a faux fur hat, everyone looked weird at me, but I didn’t care because I felt good and that’s all that matters. If you feel good with yourself, why do you care what others think? Maybe if a few people will start going out of what’s considered “normal”, more will follow and the perception of people will change.
I am swiss and about money it's so true, the best example is McDonald's, a regular medium menu is between 15 and 20 dollars and only French fries coast 4 dollars so you absolutely don't go to McDonald's because its cheap
Honestly, I can't understand ppl complaining about working more and not having work-life-balance. First thing - this is a personal decision to make - also regarding how much you want to earn and which kind of profession you work in. Looking at the IT field it's been normal for a long time to work 10h/day or more when there is a project to finish, or some trouble to be fixed. (yes in your neighbor countries ;-)) That's just something you have to be aware of when you choose this profession. (Similar to the ppl working in hospital, it's normal to work in shifts.) So best thing is to be self employed, then you can create your own schedule ;-)
for a lot of people it's not a personal decision to make. Everyone's gotta work and make a living, and in a lot of jobs, you won't be able to survive if you don't work full-time. Even just working 80% makes your income so much lower, but the cost of living stays. You definitely won't be going on holiday if you work less than 4 days a week. a sales person for example, they could never survive on their salary if they didn't work full-time. I understand where you're coming from, but there's lots of people who don't work in IT or have the choice to be self-employed, but have to grind every day and still can't eat out ever. Switzerland is great if you're rich, but if you gotta make a living, ain't nothing a personal decision anymore.
I think a lot of what you said depends on where you live. Most of the things you criticise don't apply to my Kanton: Basel-Stadt. Except for the Kantönligeist xD
LoL of course there's better service in America, waiters in America are almost slaves ,shitty pay and they depend on the tip's, so yeah they better do a good service...
I was at Zurich good service at a restaurant and bar. People in the street not friendly, I was lost asking for directions and they ignore me. I had a better experience in France and italy
Love the video! I'm Swiss and love my country, but there are downsides, and I feel like you pinpointed them very accurately! One thing that strikes me about Kantönligeist: I was having a conversation online with an American guy I play with, and he told me about how proud of their country Americans are. I told him it wasn't like this here and he was very shocked. I then realised we don't emphasise "Swiss pride", but we definitely emphasize Kanton pride! Having been born and raised in Geneva, my favourite holiday growing up was l'Escalade. Also, people will have the opinion that those who are from Geneva are very "French", yet when they learn my mom is from Wallis they change their opinion quickly (and think I probably drink too much :P). Kanton really is very important here, much more than anything on a national level. Yet, we still share some Swiss values as a whole: hard diligent work, cleanliness and recycling, a neutrality that makes us appear tolerant while we sometimes actually are just silently judging everyone, punctuality and indeed a certain form of conformism. That's obviously not to say that all Swiss people are like that (heck, I don't fit in some categories here) but these are the values we're raised with, those that are held up by institutions, and any Swiss that would read this list would think "Ah, that's about my country".
I agree, I'm from Geneva and the things you mentioned really annoy me about Switzerland. The swiss moto is to give the image of a rich country where YOU will be rich if you come and work for them, but actually it is an excuse to suck you dry, take a big part of your money and maintain their riches that way. The "big salary" is just an excuse so that they can charge a lot of money for everything, the amount of CHF that goes into taxes, health insurance and rent is insane. They also hire a lot of people coming from abroad, not because of the international aspect, but because they can negotiate lower salaries with them and take a good amount of money for the taxes given that these people are not Swiss by nationality. On an average swiss salary you don't have that much left if you want to live comfortably and save money for vacation etc. Food is incredibly expensive that's why a lot of people from Geneva buy their groceries in France. Also, night life during the week is non-existent, because the working hours are so excruciating, I know a lot of people who work 10+ hours a day. The streets are kinda empty at 10pm which is sad compared to other cities like Barcelona, Paris, Rome etc. Take it from someone who's spent their life here, Switzerland is not what they want you to think it is, so don't be fooled.
About all the childcare services and also about everything being expensive. Keep in mind that yes. Everything is expensive. But. In terms of healthcare. Or also pention fund. You wont be out of money if you have an accident. If something happens to your job. If something happens to your house (natural disaster). In all these cases we are looked after!
As a swiss person I must say, this video aswell as the video where you list the 10 things you like about Switzerland is quite the most accurate video about Switzerland there is on TH-cam. I couldnt agree more with how you display everyday life in this country. Great job.
Have you ever considered moving to Germany? :) The service sector is also atrocious (guess that's a central European thing?) but in general life costs are sooo much lower and in bigger cities you have a lot of cultural/social/food diversity :) Especially in big media cities like Cologne, Berlin or Hamburg
One think I always struggled with when I lived in Switzerland on and off was how it's not a very lively county. If you want to party or go out there are very few options eve when I was in Geneva. I would love to move back when I am older. It's a beautiful country plus there is no other country that does Apfelschorle as well as the Swiss 😊
I don't know where in Switzerland you live. I live in the Kanton of AG, about half an hour from the German border and I usually do my shopping in Waldshut-Tiengen. You get the same products at a fraction of the Swiss price and German restaurants have much better service!
I agree so much! Very good points! I've lived in Switzerland all my life and I just started realising a few years back how awful it is and how many things are so backwards and we don't even think about it (like that we earn so much but can never eat out) soo thank youuu for thiss, it was so interesting too
That's so interesting! I love these kinds of videos from you Julia, you're just so honnest. I would love to see a 10 things you love/hate about Canada, being Canadian myself I would find that very interesting, especially since you have the kind of perspective that few have because of how you have dual citizenship and have lived in 2-3 different countries and all. (Also I laughed at the fast food one, again, so honnest 😂)
I agree with everything you said. Being from the Suisse Romande i'd like to add that I hate how so many things are only in german or badly translated into french. And having lived abroad for 10 years I hate how stores close super early here, specially if you work or study until later in the evening. It's so hard to do groceries, I really have to plan a head.
Yeah the opening hours have improved somewhat over the years, but here they close at 5pm on Saturday and I have to plan my weekend shopping very carefully :(
Being a Uni Student, with a job on the side. Having moved several times during my childhood, speaking french, english and portuguese fluently, I don't have the time now to learn german. Don't get me wrong, I love german, I understand a little bit, enough to get me by when I'm on holiday in Germany. And I'm not saying people from the german part of Switzerland should speak french. I'm saying that living in a country with 4 official languages, not just german, even tho it's the predominant language, I think it's a shame that things are so badly translated. My insurance sent me a contract in german, even tho I live in Suisse Romande, and my german is not good enough to understand specific words such as the ones used in a contract. Just little things like that that at the end of the day can be quit annoying.
yeah, defiently agree with that conservative norm thing. like here in norway its very much the same and its so tiering like jeez why do everyone have to look the same and act the same way? ive been to switzerland too sooo yeah... maybe its just a thing for super rich mountainous countries with lots of suburbia?
I was born and raised in the US (California) and moved to Spain when I was 18. I have now been in Spain for 17 years (wow, time flies by in a blink of an eye). There are some things i want to comment to in your video.1. yes, the US has that "friendly service, customer is always right" mentality, especially at restaurants. Not only that but, compared to Spain, the service is faster, the waiters actually listen to you more and you rarely have so many mistakes on your plate. In Spain I always have to send my plate back because something was cooked incorrectly or they bring me the wrong food, etc. But in Spain, a waiter makes a decent living. Not great, but at least minimum wage salary. In the US, a server does not make minimum wage and they need those tips to supplement their income. You don't get good tips if you make mistakes or are rude. 2. Correct, in the US people are more "fashion forward". In Spain you do have "groups" of fashion followers (like the punk people, the gunge people, the super posh, the athletic wear, etc) however there are a few differences: a) I never see people wear sports attire as streetwear (a.k.a. baseball/basketball/football/hockey jersey and basketball shorts. b) this may be due to social media or this stronger feeling of consumerism but i notice in spain that fashio shelfware changes every 3 weeks. You can go to chain stores, like Zara or H&M, and the turn around time on the fashion items you can purchase changes every few weeks (which makes haul fashion YT videos a waste of time to shoot or watch). c) you mention that the US has a diverse fashion range. I find it funny that you can wear bright yellow pants and a fushia shirt or even a transparent tops and nipple pasties and no one gives you a secong glance however, you pull out a breast to feed your child and you are publically shamed for exposing yourself (something that does not happen in Spain...or pretty much any country in Europe).
Karideplov i would think as someone who worked customer service in the US . We are friendlier because we dont want to be fired. And i know a lot of places in europe even customer service jobs lock you in with a contract so firing you isnt as easy as in the US.
In vielen Punkten muss ich dir wirklich zustimmen. Als Zugezogene hier neue Freunde zu finden ist extrem schwer. Und mich nervt es manchmal, dass man hier schon wie ein Alien angesehen wird, weil man roten Lippenstift trägt. Und das mit dem Mutterschutz ist auch so eine Sache. Ich finde 3 Monate nach der Geburt wirklich wenig... aber alles im allem haben wir es hier doch ganz gut getroffen ^^
Kantönligeist is specially problematic for the schooling system as soon as you change canton you may be faced with differences that can cost time for your children to cope with it.
We have the insane mark-ups in Israel too (with cosmetics especially), and it's absurd. Pretty much the same price range you described at least for makeup. We have "sales" which are essentially "this is a less horrible price for this item that you would have wanted as the normal original price". I buy pretty much anything I can online.
I have a question for you, is the tip for meals included in the total price when you go out to eat there? I’m asking this because maybe if it is included they don’t have to try hard to give good service because they’ll get a good tip anyways. Here in United States most of them try hard because they know their tip depends on how good the service is
Yes, the service is included, although rounding up the bill and tipping a little bit is normal, but not like 15-20% like in North America. I am a little bit on the fence about tipping because it's a way for an employer to pass on the costs of employment on to the consumers, and makes for a very fluctuating income to servers. On the other hand, it ensures polite service.
Julia's Life oh ok. Thanks for the reply! I hope all is well with your adorable puppy. I know how hard it is to have a puppy because we just got a boxer puppy five months ago. She’s 7 months now
tip is included, you do not have to tip if you don't want to. it is considered polite to round up the sum or to leave a few extra francs though if you liked the service. I think you made a good point!
Well actually you can't say tip is included because it doesn't work the same way as it does in the states. The waiters do get payed well so there is no need for a tipping. But normally you round up the sum for instance if it is 22.50 francs some round it to 23 others might be more generous and say 25.
Julia ich lebe in der Schweiz und bin mit all deinen Punkten einverstanden.. Ich lebe schon seehr lange hier (habe meine Ausbildung teilweise hier gemacht) und ich finde es immer noch sehr schwer, Freunde zu finden.
The first two points (cost of dining out and bad service) are very different where you are in Switzerland. It is a big diffence if you are in Zurich-City or somewhere in Bernese Oberland. And it is also dependent from the time. But yes... I was in Vancouver BC for three months and I was really amazed how friendy they are there. I would wish Switzerland would be so friendly too.
Hi Julia, I agree on every point, my +1 is the crazy expensive rental prices and the almost ridiculous process. I used to live in Geneva, and a friend of mine (she is originally from Florida) recommended us the Holy Cow Burger Restaurant, I think it is worth trying :)
I'd love to visit Switzerland, it's so beautiful. Have you ever been to Australia. I feel it's similar in costs but maybe a little less than Switzerland.
in österreich ist vieles ähnlich^^ obwohl ich glaub, dass wir zb was kleidung angeht etwas chilliger drauf sind, zumindest bei knalligen farben. wenn man alternativ is wird man ja überall blöd angeschaut. teurer is bei uns auch sehr viel als zb in deutschland und soweit ich weiß verdienen wir hier nicht mehr dort(?)
Das ist der Ö-Aufschlag, ist ja klar ;-) Und was das blöd anschauen betrifft, kommt das echt drauf an wo man sich bewegt. In Wien z.b. kann man froh sein, wenn die Leute beim durch-die-Straßen-hetzten überhaupt noch auf andere Leute achten ... (Wir verdienen weniger als D oder CH, dafür sind die Steuern auch höher... in Ö *heul*)
Also was kleidung angeht...sind wir eigentlich auch ziemlich chillig hier in der schweiz...die hälfte der dinge die,die gute dame erzählt stimmt so nicht wirklich :-)
Hi Julia, thanks so much for being so clear about some key aspects of living in Switzerland. I am thinking on moving there and this information is quite enlightening for what my approach will be if I decide to go and live there... By the way you look so amazing the choices of colors in your makeup are just amazing you look great! It is a bum that shopping is not so hot there, since everyone I know goes quite crazy jealous when I get some Swiss product and one would assume it was a different more exciting experience than what you describe... The sense of country is important, without that... You can't feel great or live well, and having nasty people serving you will get me in trouble since I demand excellent service all the time... Be well and take care!
the main reasons why the product prices are so high is because Switzerland is not in the EU and has to pay higher taxprices on imported goods...but luckely a proposal is in working process to lower these prices so i hope that there will be an improvment by the end of 2019. And by the way fathers get at least 2weeks off (payed) after becoming a parent depending on the company it can also be for longer.
So much of this is true for the Czech Republic too. Except that our mark-up probably isn't as high because/and our wages are low. Much lower than the EU average. And we don't have different laws for different regions, but regional identity is pretty strong in places.
I hate that people automatically assume that you have a lot of money just because you're from Switzerland. Like no we also have to pay so much taxes and stuff is expensivee
Lia S. And i hate how swiss people always complain about stuff being more expensive here etc... yeah living here is lets say 2 times more expensive than in other countries, but you earn like 5 times more!!! :D
Caro Bee not only living, but also for example health insurance costs 400-500 francs at the very lowest. I don't wanna complain much because yes, in comparison to a lot of other countries we really do live good here and have high standards, I know and appreciate that, but also a good amount of people here honestly can't afford more than people from other countries where you earn less. And it just annoys me that when you tell ppl you are swiss they say you're rich or have a lot of money and then also for example wanna sell you everything like double the price it would've been if you said you were from Austria. Just because Switzerland has many rich people doesn't mean everyone is; both my parents are working, I'm the only child they still have to pay for and they are constantly telling me we're tight on money. And our place for living isn't expensive
Girl come to Russia for a week, after that you will realize how paradise Switzerland is. 😎
Alex A yeah as said i know we have it v good compared to other countries
mier hend dütlich nidrigeri stüre als zb unseri nochberländer: dütschland, frankrich und italie. je noch kanton hen mier 10-25% währends bi dene easy über 30% goht
Well I disagree with you on your first point I like to be left alone in stores and to not always have a waitress around me. I have a week-end job as a waitress myself and I feel like I'm annoying people when I turn up every five minutes asking if everything's alright.
Besides, I guess the service in restaurants in the states and probably Canada too is only so good bc they depend on the tip, here wages are high enough.
Irgendwelchi schwiizr da?
jo haha
Ja
Joo
Nai die Schwizer chönd doch ka gschids Englisch...
pho.enix1 yes
I'd probably actually like #1 about Switzerland... I'm very get in/get out when I go into establishments and find friendliness and small talk annoying. I'd only be bothered if someone was actively rude to me.
the Netherlands is what you want, the Swiss are straight up rude
most aren’t rude, they just don’t want to bother people, they let them look around and if they want get in/get out very fast that’s generally best. if a customer needs/wants help they can ask one of the staff and they‘ll be glad to help
it's even hard to find new friends when you're Swiss.
well, I'm a student working as a part time waitress and I feel a little offended by your first point. I am very polite, always smiling and in a good mood. maybe you just weren't at the right restaurant yet😉
I've lived in multiple countries and I completely understand that you don't have to 100% love the country you live in. Every country has lots of pros and cons and we just have find the one that has cons we can live with :)
I live in Switzerland. I wear bold and alternative clothing. Sometimes I get treated quite differently for it. (And not in a good way. They stare disapprovingly and they mostly underestimate me.)
Still, it's always important to stay true to yourself. You've only got one life.
Also, it depends where you live in Switzerland. In some places, there are more alternative people than in other ones.
I'm swiss, I have lived in the US and I agree more the less with almost everything she said. I have my reserves on number 10 though. A decentralized system allows for a better management of cantons and take into account various sensibilities depending on the population. For a fact french speakers, swiss-italians and swiss-germans have very different mentalities and therefor you could not apply the same rules.
Also, on the case of making friends, she is talking about the swiss german area of Switzerland. People are a little more open on the french and italian speaking parts. But still not that easy though. A little uptight.
I think there is a big difference between the German speaking part of Switzerland and the French speaking part.
One of the things I loved about living in Switzerland was the breathtaking beauty EVERYWHERE. So absolutely gorgeous! The chocolates! Organized!
Also I learned to relax about dieting. Take it easy and eat less food and healthier foods and exercise a little. It’s a healthier approach to fitness I managed to get fit and stay fit.
Totally agree about finding friends - they stay in their own circle at the end of the day and the smaller the town, the bigger the ´incestual´(among friends) situation in dating
I guess that service personel in North America is mainly super friendly because a big part of their salary is tips: no smile - no tips. In Switzerland you're not obliged to tip because the wages are fine but we mostly do when service is good.
"hate" is a bit much...maybe "dislike"?
1.Bad Service - People here think it's annoying if your waiter is constantly interrupting you and your guests, if they want something they will call the waiter. Also people do not think highly of superficial
"niceness" and "false" smiles; they can even feel uncomfortable and annoyed or even somewhat threatened because they suspect you of planning something underhanded while putting up a front of
false niceness.
2.Yeah it's expensive; on the other hand, it encourages you to learn to cook.XD
3.Yeah..stuff is somewhat expensive...-_-; so one learns where to buy less expensive stuff...like germany or farmer's market or local shops, etc.
4.There is a saying in switzerland and europe, that goes something like this: "Earn a swiss person's friendship and you earn it for life." Make an effort, invite them to dinner at your home, or a local pub, find common interests, respect their ways of doing things and be patient; and before you know it they will open up to you.
5. Fast food means too much food at the ready, which end in obiecety. One learns to cook a good burger.XD or go to a restaurant that specialises on meats and stuff.
6. Being your definition of what is conservative is *also* a way of being oneself; they are all individuals and, luckily, do not conform to your or anyone else's definition of "being themselves". Just because they do not dress the way you like ("wearing weird outfits or bright colourful clothing", etc.) does not mean they are not themselves. They are a free people and have,to many people's surprise, individual agency.
*PS: Diverse ≠ "people who look different from each-other"(cause that's stupid and racist); diverse = "Diversity of thought"*. th-cam.com/video/y0HKgs-0zDY/w-d-xo.html
7. You are not looking hard enough, there are many shops out there with a lot of different clothing. If you need "unique" stuff: do it yourself or go to a tailor.
The Swiss consider clean and simple clothing as well as black and darker-coloured fabrics to be stylish and classy. So, like so many places around the world, fashion in Switzerland says, “when in doubt, wear black.”
PS. www.weconnectfashion.com/articles/the-apparel-market-in-switzerland.
8. Swiss people tend to look for or find "vocations"/"professions" not "jobs"...most of them actually like their work. If you want to work less: ask your employer.
9. Nurseries are F-ing expensive. BUT:
According to the Swiss School law there are no fees to be taken for the school system which includes kindergarten as long as the child lives within the Kanton respectively community (Gemeinde).
Kindergarten is there to accompany the child for the last two to three years before their enrolment into primary school at the age of 5-6. It therefore does not really have a minimum entry age and it is not compulsory.
10. Switzerland is a federation. It works, is efficient and has worked well for a long long time.
Yes they tend to say where the are from this and that canton or place, BUT the swiss from different swiss cantons consider each other and themselves as swiss before anything else. It is not true that cantons, and thus their people, do not care about other cantons;
that is also a part of being in a federation with a federal government: you care about the other parties, but keep an optimal amount of sovereignty. I do not see the problem.
PS. healthy rivalries are good for competition and profit. www.howtolearn.com/2012/11/healthy-vs-unhealthy-competition/
In Germany the service is similar but I don't mind that actually. North Americans are very entitled because of this 'customer is always right' bull and I've seen how atrocious guests or customers can be to service people. So I think they are treated here with far more dignity. Service is breif and to the point. I'm here for the food and layout of the restaurant not for the staff.
I like to quote a good integrated german friend: if u have problems with integration in switzerland, do the same thing he did... join a sports club.
Swiss restaurants hire servers from all around europe and often with a limited contract durations. Yes, bad service is often resulting. Anyhow, the Swiss are having many small familiy owned and run restaurant as well where even the boss is personally coming to the table for a chat.
Waiters from other countries are mostly the nicest!
The boss personally coming to the table for a chat is NOT good service! I hate when they do that, especially when I'm still eating or in the middle of a private conversation. They can say hello, but not more.
So your comment just suggested that the bad service is because people from other countries work their and that she will get better service from Swiss only restaurants... That is called prejudice or xenophobia. Why do you think only Swiss people do a good job?
Well, I don't think number one is necessarily a bad thing, it's just different. I personally find the over-politeness in the US of waiters kinda annoying and especially insincere. It's not because we're rude, we're just not as expressive, and also we don't depend on tips in order to live (which I think it's kind of messed up. It's so expensive btw, because we pay them fair wages). Like it's nice if you get along with the waiter, but in the end, if they bring you the food and are not rude about it, they've done their job. Emotional work is not required.
I'm Swiss and completely agree! Especially about making friends and the bad service!
I agree too!!!
The service and quality of food in Switzerland is quite good, I would say, but I agree on the making friends part - since I moved to Switzerland (from Germany) I did not really make any friends or even acquaintances; There is no real hope to find friends or even a partner here, and it can be quite frustrating to see people getting along so well but knowing that one simply can never befriend anybody.
That being said, the overall quality of living definitely makes up for that! I'd rather live and die here knowing nobody than moving back to this shithole Germany :D
I got the feeling that bad service was due to not having a slavish devotion to money. Here in the US we have a "customer is always right" attitude toward service. I can state w/ absolute certainty the customer most often isn't.
What about if you live near a border town, can't you just do a weekly outing across the border into France, Germany, Italy etc. and get your food shopping etc cheaper?
I agree with the customer service thing. I'm a Canadian who has done a ton of travelling around Europe and I've noticed that in a lot of countries. The attitude of those working in restaurants ranges from indifferent to downright insulting. The thing that bothers me most is that where I've noticed the wait staff being really rude is in countries where their economy isn't doing well and they depend on tourism. But they see us as a nuisance instead of a good source of revenue.
Making friends when you're older than twelve is soo difficult even when both people are from switzerland lol
Its also very very hard to make friends in the Netherlands. People have to make appointments to go visit their parents and grandparents
I am living now since 2 years in swiss and I have no clue where you live there and what ppl you met but I have the completely opposite experience when it comes to the ppl or to beeing accepted for who you are and I also made friends right away... just saying
I‘m Swiss, born in canton de Vaud and live now in Lucern and I 100% agree with you!! I met my man in San Diego (he is Swiss German) and we really miss the services, the easy way to make friends etc... I live in Lucern since 9 years and still think hard to make friends.... love your videos 👍🏻
I do agree with some of the points even thought I feel you are stretching things a bit here and there.
BUT the message I get from you is "I live in Switzerland and hate that it is not like the US/Canada". Reminds me of people moving next to an airport and then complaining about the noise...
Many of the unmentioned things that are great in Switzerland are BECAUSE of the high prices: Low crime rates, low poverty, excellent public transportation, clean cities, stability and much more are bought with this. One can not have one without the other and considering where you live I would say you have made your choice between them...
You obviously did not watch the intro or check out my video where I talk about the positive things 🙄
160fr zum ässä :D issisch du gold?
Gurl. It's like you are describing Norway. I moved 9 years ago, and I have experienced exactly the same.
I don't find that accurate about the service at restaurants and stores.. In Canada, I've had terrible service both in restaurants, the post office, malls, grocery stores. Literally anywhere. But then, there have been a few times that we've had amazing service. I that that totally depends on a variety of factors. And not just the location.
cuteprincess441 tbh in swotzerland it's really bad.. generally a lot of people are unfriendly here..
Romy Pierhöfer Lmao what you mean? I bet you go to the cheapest stores...everytime i go somewhere they say „Hello“ and are very friendly!
Poor people here.
cuteprincess441 yes We as Canadians are experiencing bad service whereas it used to be friendly a high end service. Have you been to Switzerland to compare the service? Can you tell us about the differences you have found.
time has changed, canada used to be excellent in service and quality or price 10 years ago, now it has gone downhill in price as well as in service. Those people from restaurants are new there as well as uneducated.
cuteprincess441, service has been consistently lousy in Switzerland for me. While I agree that service in restaurants depends a lot on the restaurant itself and the individual waitress you get, I'm aware of what's so troubling in Switzerland. In most countries, pretty much anyone can get a job working as a waitress or a store clerk. In Switzerland, you have a thing known as the "Berufslehre" (a three- or four-year apprenticeship) that people need to go through in order to work as a waitress. You basically need a diploma to work as a waitress. That obviously makes them feel superior and they develop these horrible attitudes, but the one thing they don't seem to learn is customer friendliness.
Best fast food by far in Switzerland are Kebabs.
It tastes super good, costs as much as the others but you get way more food, and the best thing is that it's not a chain, so all the profits go to the workers, who are generally there in a family business.
I'm of Swiss ancestors who immigrated to the USA in the late 1880s. I've been to my great grandfathers home town Zweisimmen (kinda south of Bern) about 4 times and love it there. My family has been living in the same house (added onto many times from a large one room hut) on the mountainside since late 1500's and the 7th generation is in there still. My great grandma was fro Zurich and I've been there too. I most enjoyed my many ski trips in Switzerland. I lived in Germany for near 8 years and my favorite trip was to visit my Swiss cousins. A beautiful town surrounded by mountains and a great ski area near ton! It's lovely!
Making friends in Austria is also very difficult. Also in Austria people stay friends with their friends from school or education. Foreigners have a tough time integrating.
I'm Swiss and South African and I can understand a lot of what you're saying, except that the things that bother you about shopping here are pretty irrelevant to me. I'm also not impressed with the food, particularly at that price, but then, I like African meals and avoid fast food whenever I can.I find the degree of self-satsifaction here pretty hard to take as well, and the tendency people have to keep their eye on what you're doing and correct you when they believe you're stepping out of line. It's unbelievable to me that anyone could have dogmas about how to hang washing, issue a dog with a Swiss passport - you name it...
Meanwhile, in America:
"What's paternity leave?"
😭😭😭
moolikeachicken Im always confused when people say they never heard of paternity leave. Im in VA and the men get paternity leave like upto 2 months.Maybe we just have it in the south or maybe just VA idk.
Ahava It's possible! I'm from WI, and we don't even have guaranteed maternity leave...
moolikeachicken Insane. We have guaranteed maternity leave in the entire south. I would think its very inhumane and sexist to deny women time to heal physically and mentally and spiritually after having a baby. I hope you guys get your guaranteed leave soon.
@Ahava I am certain most in the South, Trump supporters especially, would rather you do away with it. In a Trump dominated world women will get no rights whatsoever.
Speaking of how burgers in Europe taste.... I visited Amsterdam a couple years ago, and ordered a burger. I'm from the US. I do NOT know what type of meat was in this burger but it not taste right! Lol! I swear it wasn't beef even though I think it said Angus on the menu. It tasted soooo weird!
As for what surprised me about Switzerland - I've only been to Geneva, and very briefly at that. But good grief was I ever shocked at what a McDonalds' meal cost there. It took my breath away!
You went all the way to Switzerland to eat at McDonalds that you could have ate at home? I do not understand why people from any country travel thousands of miles away from home just to eat the crap they could have had at home. It makes no sense. Every time I've been to Switzerland I just went to the market and got things (I looked for things that were local) to make sandwiches often with "biologique" ingredients and saved a bundle of money. Their cucumbers and cheese are delicious.
You're making an awful lot of assumptions with your statement and being quite rude about it. I didn't say I ate there, I said I noticed the price tag as being quite steep. There is something very interesting about seeing what things cost in different countries that you can equate to what you would get back home.
There was no need to be condescending towards me - I was only making an observation about a price tag. You don't buy everything you see, do you?
Makeup Your Mind I know! McDonalds is really expensive in Switzerland. We were there in June and wanted to try some fast food, it was some holiday so everything was closed except McDonalds and a couple other places. We ended up going to a Swiss burger joint which was good. When you're travelling for long periods of time it's not possible to always go to a market, buy your own ingredients, and cook. We did that on several occasions in France and Italy. But you don't always have time for that when you're exploring. Besides, sometimes you get a craving for something particular or you want something more affordable. Also, there's not so much diversity in terms of restaurant offerings as we're used to in Canada. We personally don't go for the traditional Swiss foods which is why we were looking for a fast food place like McDonalds.
I‘m from Switzerland and I‘m allways shocked what MCDonalds cost in other countries😂 But I also have to say that MCDonalds isn‘t that expensive for us as to go to eat in a restaurant as Julia said in the Video😊
+Makeup Your Mind yes sorry to make the assumption you ate there. The rest of my comment wasn't directed at you but generally speaking, it is not something I understand.
I would LOVE to visit Switzerland it’s so beautiful!
You can also go to the Austrian alps. Just as beautiful, cheaper and the people are very friendly
Where abouts do you leave in Switzerland? I am British and Dutch and I live in Geneva and while I do agree with some, I also disagree with some of your points. Everything is ridiculously over priced as you said and the shops are all the same everywhere you go. But I find that making friends is quite easy and that people are very open here. I am a teenager and I go to an international school so I don't know what adult life is like here. Therefore I guess it makes sense that our experiences are different as well. I really loved this video though as I love watching TH-camrs who live in Switzerland and I love seeing your perspective on living here! Definitely going to go and checkout the Top 10 Things video! Thank you so much for making this video! 😊
Things are very different as a teen when you go to school. :)
I worked with Swissair for many years, and I did my best to remain in Geneva. As an American, Geneva is certainly the best place for native English speakers as it is truly an international city. Being in the Francophone part of the country is a huge plus, and in all deference to my friends in Zurich, the people are a great deal more friendlier and open.
Alex P try to go out in the real world with locals and not in an international school where most are foreign kids just like yourself.
Oh, how cool! I'm from Zurich, but I always wanted to visit Geneva :)
glad you're enjoying life here. Your success is probably due to the circles you are enveloped in. That is, being in an international school, you all are expected to speak English, so integration comes naturally since you, like me, are british. However when you're not in that circle, it gets a lot stickier because you have to learn the swiss dialects before you can make friends, and since there are 0 swiss german courses/dictionaries due to it not being any sort of official language, this is close to an impossible feat.
There's also a lot of pig-headed people who have forgotten how to speak high german due to not using it since leaving school, or are just so proud of their canton that they refuse to speak anything but dialect. I have come across many people who just plain refuse to speak high german, even if it means helping you to learn. I've been here 5 years now and am only just starting to get any sort of grasp on Swiss German, and I had a lot of high german down several years ago, with the B1 course passed rather easily.
That was so interesting! I have never been to either Canada or Switzerland, so I am always interested in learning new things :)
I am wondering: What made you move to Switzerland? (If the question is too personal I apologize)
We visited last year California again after 18 years. I fel they‘ve changed a lot. Prices in restaurants, hotels were quite high and the service in restaurants / shops was not as nice as it used to be. And in supermarkets produce is expensiv.
Funny! I‘m Swiss living in Japan, moving back to Switzerland soon and some of the points (like society being conservative and the work-life balance) are things that really annoy me about Japan and are way worse here than in Switzerland. I guess it‘s all a matter of comparison :)
Yes, Japan is more conservative, I agree.
Damn, you're hot blonde
Haha, I'm also Swiss living in Japan and I thought the same.
All of this is literally the same as Denmark. Everything here is so expensive, and we have to pay 25% extra on all imported products and i can only buy stuff from outside the EU if its below $11, otherwise we'll have to pay 25% extra + import fees, which is double the price and if its above $120, we also have to pay taxes to get it, which is 45%, so it sucks. And we only have like- MACs and Sephoras in like three cities and its just bad as a whole.
we dont have sephora at all in austria =D
Still cheaper
Well, you can remove all the import taxes and open your borders to massive immigration.You'll have plenty of MACs and Sephoras but then of course you'll have to accept miserables wages, insecurity, low standard of living and not even dream to buy make-up.
Why do you care what people think? If you want to wear a bright color, wear it. I was once in Germany ( in the country side) and I wore a faux fur hat, everyone looked weird at me, but I didn’t care because I felt good and that’s all that matters. If you feel good with yourself, why do you care what others think? Maybe if a few people will start going out of what’s considered “normal”, more will follow and the perception of people will change.
SilvanaMaria
Germany is nothing like Switzerland
Swiss one of the best country's in the world
3. on the other hand, people consume less that way.
10. its the biggest part of the whole culture.
I am swiss and about money it's so true, the best example is McDonald's, a regular medium menu is between 15 and 20 dollars and only French fries coast 4 dollars so you absolutely don't go to McDonald's because its cheap
Honestly, I can't understand ppl complaining about working more and not having work-life-balance. First thing - this is a personal decision to make - also regarding how much you want to earn and which kind of profession you work in. Looking at the IT field it's been normal for a long time to work 10h/day or more when there is a project to finish, or some trouble to be fixed. (yes in your neighbor countries ;-)) That's just something you have to be aware of when you choose this profession. (Similar to the ppl working in hospital, it's normal to work in shifts.)
So best thing is to be self employed, then you can create your own schedule ;-)
for a lot of people it's not a personal decision to make. Everyone's gotta work and make a living, and in a lot of jobs, you won't be able to survive if you don't work full-time. Even just working 80% makes your income so much lower, but the cost of living stays. You definitely won't be going on holiday if you work less than 4 days a week. a sales person for example, they could never survive on their salary if they didn't work full-time. I understand where you're coming from, but there's lots of people who don't work in IT or have the choice to be self-employed, but have to grind every day and still can't eat out ever. Switzerland is great if you're rich, but if you gotta make a living, ain't nothing a personal decision anymore.
I think a lot of what you said depends on where you live. Most of the things you criticise don't apply to my Kanton: Basel-Stadt.
Except for the Kantönligeist xD
LoL of course there's better service in America, waiters in America are almost slaves ,shitty pay and they depend on the tip's, so yeah they better do a good service...
Canada represent! I live in Switz right now too and can relate to some of these especially the service one
I was at Zurich good service at a restaurant and bar. People in the street not friendly, I was lost asking for directions and they ignore me. I had a better experience in France and italy
Love the video! I'm Swiss and love my country, but there are downsides, and I feel like you pinpointed them very accurately!
One thing that strikes me about Kantönligeist: I was having a conversation online with an American guy I play with, and he told me about how proud of their country Americans are. I told him it wasn't like this here and he was very shocked. I then realised we don't emphasise "Swiss pride", but we definitely emphasize Kanton pride! Having been born and raised in Geneva, my favourite holiday growing up was l'Escalade. Also, people will have the opinion that those who are from Geneva are very "French", yet when they learn my mom is from Wallis they change their opinion quickly (and think I probably drink too much :P).
Kanton really is very important here, much more than anything on a national level. Yet, we still share some Swiss values as a whole: hard diligent work, cleanliness and recycling, a neutrality that makes us appear tolerant while we sometimes actually are just silently judging everyone, punctuality and indeed a certain form of conformism. That's obviously not to say that all Swiss people are like that (heck, I don't fit in some categories here) but these are the values we're raised with, those that are held up by institutions, and any Swiss that would read this list would think "Ah, that's about my country".
I agree, I'm from Geneva and the things you mentioned really annoy me about Switzerland. The swiss moto is to give the image of a rich country where YOU will be rich if you come and work for them, but actually it is an excuse to suck you dry, take a big part of your money and maintain their riches that way. The "big salary" is just an excuse so that they can charge a lot of money for everything, the amount of CHF that goes into taxes, health insurance and rent is insane. They also hire a lot of people coming from abroad, not because of the international aspect, but because they can negotiate lower salaries with them and take a good amount of money for the taxes given that these people are not Swiss by nationality. On an average swiss salary you don't have that much left if you want to live comfortably and save money for vacation etc. Food is incredibly expensive that's why a lot of people from Geneva buy their groceries in France. Also, night life during the week is non-existent, because the working hours are so excruciating, I know a lot of people who work 10+ hours a day. The streets are kinda empty at 10pm which is sad compared to other cities like Barcelona, Paris, Rome etc. Take it from someone who's spent their life here, Switzerland is not what they want you to think it is, so don't be fooled.
About all the childcare services and also about everything being expensive. Keep in mind that yes. Everything is expensive. But. In terms of healthcare. Or also pention fund. You wont be out of money if you have an accident. If something happens to your job. If something happens to your house (natural disaster). In all these cases we are looked after!
I totally agree
As a swiss person I must say, this video aswell as the video where you list the 10 things you like about Switzerland is quite the most accurate video about Switzerland there is on TH-cam. I couldnt agree more with how you display everyday life in this country. Great job.
Honest opinion, HIGHLY APPRECIATED Julia! I feel locked in UK and I always wonder if Switz. Was a perfection.....
Damn right about the burgers. I live in Lausanne and everyone reckons "Holy Cow" is fantastic. It's not!! It's bland.
Have you ever considered moving to Germany? :) The service sector is also atrocious (guess that's a central European thing?) but in general life costs are sooo much lower and in bigger cities you have a lot of cultural/social/food diversity :) Especially in big media cities like Cologne, Berlin or Hamburg
My Swiss friend loves Mcdonald so much. Now I know that he has no choice hahaha
Yeah, the Swiss don't have a customer is always right policy. I didn't mind.
Wouldn't the higher import costs by not being in the EU account for the mark up you mention?
One think I always struggled with when I lived in Switzerland on and off was how it's not a very lively county. If you want to party or go out there are very few options eve when I was in Geneva. I would love to move back when I am older. It's a beautiful country plus there is no other country that does Apfelschorle as well as the Swiss 😊
Sounds like the “Japan of Europe”
Haha it kind of is!
FoodandTravelMom Except Japan takes good service super serious.
Andrew Yao Very true!
FoodandTravelMom
John Oliver: "Switzerland, the Japan of Europe."
I don't know where in Switzerland you live. I live in the Kanton of AG, about half an hour from the German border and I usually do my shopping in Waldshut-Tiengen. You get the same products at a fraction of the Swiss price and German restaurants have much better service!
I agree so much! Very good points! I've lived in Switzerland all my life and I just started realising a few years back how awful it is and how many things are so backwards and we don't even think about it (like that we earn so much but can never eat out) soo thank youuu for thiss, it was so interesting too
That's so interesting! I love these kinds of videos from you Julia, you're just so honnest. I would love to see a 10 things you love/hate about Canada, being Canadian myself I would find that very interesting, especially since you have the kind of perspective that few have because of how you have dual citizenship and have lived in 2-3 different countries and all. (Also I laughed at the fast food one, again, so honnest 😂)
The bad service and expensiveness in terms of eating out components are EXACTLY the same in here in Turkey. Love you btw Julia xx
I agree with everything you said. Being from the Suisse Romande i'd like to add that I hate how so many things are only in german or badly translated into french. And having lived abroad for 10 years I hate how stores close super early here, specially if you work or study until later in the evening. It's so hard to do groceries, I really have to plan a head.
Yeah the opening hours have improved somewhat over the years, but here they close at 5pm on Saturday and I have to plan my weekend shopping very carefully :(
OMG, any french speaking swiss knows about the bad german translations 😂😂
So true
Aline Romy ben...va apprendre l'allemand..
Being a Uni Student, with a job on the side. Having moved several times during my childhood, speaking french, english and portuguese fluently, I don't have the time now to learn german. Don't get me wrong, I love german, I understand a little bit, enough to get me by when I'm on holiday in Germany. And I'm not saying people from the german part of Switzerland should speak french. I'm saying that living in a country with 4 official languages, not just german, even tho it's the predominant language, I think it's a shame that things are so badly translated. My insurance sent me a contract in german, even tho I live in Suisse Romande, and my german is not good enough to understand specific words such as the ones used in a contract. Just little things like that that at the end of the day can be quit annoying.
Vaud vs Ticino. That would be epic.
yeah, defiently agree with that conservative norm thing. like here in norway its very much the same and its so tiering like jeez why do everyone have to look the same and act the same way? ive been to switzerland too sooo yeah... maybe its just a thing for super rich mountainous countries with lots of suburbia?
I think you might be living in the wrong country. Seems to me like you are an extrovert.
I was born and raised in the US (California) and moved to Spain when I was 18. I have now been in Spain for 17 years (wow, time flies by in a blink of an eye). There are some things i want to comment to in your video.1. yes, the US has that "friendly service, customer is always right" mentality, especially at restaurants. Not only that but, compared to Spain, the service is faster, the waiters actually listen to you more and you rarely have so many mistakes on your plate. In Spain I always have to send my plate back because something was cooked incorrectly or they bring me the wrong food, etc. But in Spain, a waiter makes a decent living. Not great, but at least minimum wage salary. In the US, a server does not make minimum wage and they need those tips to supplement their income. You don't get good tips if you make mistakes or are rude. 2. Correct, in the US people are more "fashion forward". In Spain you do have "groups" of fashion followers (like the punk people, the gunge people, the super posh, the athletic wear, etc) however there are a few differences: a) I never see people wear sports attire as streetwear (a.k.a. baseball/basketball/football/hockey jersey and basketball shorts. b) this may be due to social media or this stronger feeling of consumerism but i notice in spain that fashio shelfware changes every 3 weeks. You can go to chain stores, like Zara or H&M, and the turn around time on the fashion items you can purchase changes every few weeks (which makes haul fashion YT videos a waste of time to shoot or watch). c) you mention that the US has a diverse fashion range. I find it funny that you can wear bright yellow pants and a fushia shirt or even a transparent tops and nipple pasties and no one gives you a secong glance however, you pull out a breast to feed your child and you are publically shamed for exposing yourself (something that does not happen in Spain...or pretty much any country in Europe).
Karideplov i would think as someone who worked customer service in the US . We are friendlier because we dont want to be fired. And i know a lot of places in europe even customer service jobs lock you in with a contract so firing you isnt as easy as in the US.
In vielen Punkten muss ich dir wirklich zustimmen. Als Zugezogene hier neue Freunde zu finden ist extrem schwer. Und mich nervt es manchmal, dass man hier schon wie ein Alien angesehen wird, weil man roten Lippenstift trägt. Und das mit dem Mutterschutz ist auch so eine Sache. Ich finde 3 Monate nach der Geburt wirklich wenig... aber alles im allem haben wir es hier doch ganz gut getroffen ^^
Sounds like New Zealand lol the expensive dining out that is
I agree 100% with everything you said with exception of numner 8-work-life balance.
Kantönligeist is specially problematic for the schooling system as soon as you change canton you may be faced with differences that can cost time for your children to cope with it.
I love that idea of paying based on percentage of salary. That's a really good solution!
Ticino, the best way to enjoy Switzerland, friendly people, good food and sunshine ;)
What I hate most about Switzerland is that people can't / don't queue in a line but in packs. On second place: the climate
I agree on the bad service... BUT in the little cities or in villages I think the service is better.
Switerland is soooo much like Minnesota.... Aside from the burger thing.
The costs that you were talking about seems similar to Australia. You can pay $16-35 for a drugstore mascara.
We have the insane mark-ups in Israel too (with cosmetics especially), and it's absurd. Pretty much the same price range you described at least for makeup. We have "sales" which are essentially "this is a less horrible price for this item that you would have wanted as the normal original price". I buy pretty much anything I can online.
I love your honest, keeping it real videos :-)
That's so true. So I go always shopping in France
I have a question for you, is the tip for meals included in the total price when you go out to eat there? I’m asking this because maybe if it is included they don’t have to try hard to give good service because they’ll get a good tip anyways. Here in United States most of them try hard because they know their tip depends on how good the service is
Yes, the service is included, although rounding up the bill and tipping a little bit is normal, but not like 15-20% like in North America. I am a little bit on the fence about tipping because it's a way for an employer to pass on the costs of employment on to the consumers, and makes for a very fluctuating income to servers. On the other hand, it ensures polite service.
Julia's Life oh ok. Thanks for the reply! I hope all is well with your adorable puppy. I know how hard it is to have a puppy because we just got a boxer puppy five months ago. She’s 7 months now
tip is included, you do not have to tip if you don't want to. it is considered polite to round up the sum or to leave a few extra francs though if you liked the service. I think you made a good point!
Michelle Tarantino thanks...👍🏼
Well actually you can't say tip is included because it doesn't work the same way as it does in the states. The waiters do get payed well so there is no need for a tipping. But normally you round up the sum for instance if it is 22.50 francs some round it to 23 others might be more generous and say 25.
I'm a Swiss living abroad and I agree 100% with all of your 10 points.
Julia ich lebe in der Schweiz und bin mit all deinen Punkten einverstanden.. Ich lebe schon seehr lange hier (habe meine Ausbildung teilweise hier gemacht) und ich finde es immer noch sehr schwer, Freunde zu finden.
The first two points (cost of dining out and bad service) are very different where you are in Switzerland. It is a big diffence if you are in Zurich-City or somewhere in Bernese Oberland. And it is also dependent from the time. But yes... I was in Vancouver BC for three months and I was really amazed how friendy they are there. I would wish Switzerland would be so friendly too.
Its a confederation. "Kantonligeist". Which means they can govern themselves.
Only thing i love about it. It's very very beautiful
Hi Julia, I agree on every point, my +1 is the crazy expensive rental prices and the almost ridiculous process. I used to live in Geneva, and a friend of mine (she is originally from Florida) recommended us the Holy Cow Burger Restaurant, I think it is worth trying :)
+Edit Belánszky I have tried it twice, don't like it at all. Dry & bland!
I love your video ,very informative
I'd love to visit Switzerland, it's so beautiful.
Have you ever been to Australia. I feel it's similar in costs but maybe a little less than Switzerland.
They say the same thing about sweden, people are nice at first but its extremely hard to make friends
in österreich ist vieles ähnlich^^ obwohl ich glaub, dass wir zb was kleidung angeht etwas chilliger drauf sind, zumindest bei knalligen farben. wenn man alternativ is wird man ja überall blöd angeschaut. teurer is bei uns auch sehr viel als zb in deutschland und soweit ich weiß verdienen wir hier nicht mehr dort(?)
Das ist der Ö-Aufschlag, ist ja klar ;-) Und was das blöd anschauen betrifft, kommt das echt drauf an wo man sich bewegt. In Wien z.b. kann man froh sein, wenn die Leute beim durch-die-Straßen-hetzten überhaupt noch auf andere Leute achten ... (Wir verdienen weniger als D oder CH, dafür sind die Steuern auch höher... in Ö *heul*)
Also was kleidung angeht...sind wir eigentlich auch ziemlich chillig hier in der schweiz...die hälfte der dinge die,die gute dame erzählt stimmt so nicht wirklich :-)
Hi Julia, thanks so much for being so clear about some key aspects of living in Switzerland. I am thinking on moving there and this information is quite enlightening for what my approach will be if I decide to go and live there... By the way you look so amazing the choices of colors in your makeup are just amazing you look great! It is a bum that shopping is not so hot there, since everyone I know goes quite crazy jealous when I get some Swiss product and one would assume it was a different more exciting experience than what you describe... The sense of country is important, without that... You can't feel great or live well, and having nasty people serving you will get me in trouble since I demand excellent service all the time... Be well and take care!
the main reasons why the product prices are so high is because Switzerland is not in the EU and has to pay higher taxprices on imported goods...but luckely a proposal is in working process to lower these prices so i hope that there will be an improvment by the end of 2019. And by the way fathers get at least 2weeks off (payed) after becoming a parent depending on the company it can also be for longer.
I know quite a few fathers and they all only got 2 days off!
I’m also Swiss and Canadian
So much of this is true for the Czech Republic too. Except that our mark-up probably isn't as high because/and our wages are low. Much lower than the EU average. And we don't have different laws for different regions, but regional identity is pretty strong in places.