OK, got it--it seems to have plopped some random information into my profile--for example under "knowledge of Switzerland" is says "Swiss." (?)
I wanted to ask also--is there some particular reason why I can't edit posts? I made an error on a thread concerning a customs form, and when I went back I couldn't edit it to correct it.
Sorry for straying off topic. On the topic of the dutch and Swiss:
We lived on the dutch border for years--near Emmerich, the first German town on the Rhein.
The dutch people used to come over for ice-cream on their bikes along the Rhein promenade and speak only in dutch--so I I'm not sure they are any more considerate.
Driving a German-tagged vehicle as an American around that area of the Netherlands was a real experience. I won't go into details, but I experienced a lot of less than friendly treatment due to the assumption I was German. It was always funny to see their faces when they found out I was an American--like night and day.
I've really enjoyed my time here--I've spent the summer doing some research and using the facilities of the Uni Basel library--they've been very friendly.
Unfortunately, I'll be packing up and heading back to Germany in a few weeks, and Switzerland will become my "zweite Wohnsitz" again. But I'll be lucky enough to spend most of my weekends back here.
I really do like it here, and my experiences over the past year or so have been mostly positive. I've lived overseas for a long, long time, so I can appreciate the benefits (and drawbacks) of Switzerland.
As I don't care for football at all (and I am not tall, don't care if you are a little late showing up, don't complain about the weather that much either) you can throw all the German-Holland football jokes at me
. So much for generalizations. I've noticed, living in NL/UK/FR/CH, that the actual skill of nationals may differ a bit, but the willingness to speak another language (and the confidence with which they do so) varies enormously. Speaking with French friends, they're English is roughly as good as that of Dutchies when they're in their early 20s. Dutchies continue being exposed to English, however, and grow more confident over time, whereas French (can't speak for the Swiss) seem to progressively forget they ever spoke English...
Let us not forget, the Dutch ran an extensive global trading empire for about 300-400 years (and for the country's size, it punched way above its belt compared with other European nations in its ability to sustain such an empire). Dutch people are very savvy in terms of global commerce.
The Swiss, on the other hand, have had a very different historical experience.
The Dutch basically have the German work ethic mixed with the British sense of humor.