I live in Oberwallis, and much as I love the surroundings, I can’t stand the locals, mainly the older generation (particularly the older men) the younger generation are better, mostly.
So grumpy, so judgemental, so just mean. I live in constant anxiety of accidentally upsetting someone and feeling their wrath. Fortunately there is also a lot of internationals living here, but you still can’t completely avoid the arseholes who seem to be unable to discuss any issues pleasantly.
If my husband didn’t have a good job here and we didn’t own our apartment I’d have been out of here a long time ago.
I need some survival tips other than just popping a Xanax.
Sorry if this offends anyone, my anxiety is just sky higher right this second. Please be as nice as poss I’m having a really shitty day
Sounds like my extended family, uncles and the like. There are no punches below the belt. Remind them of dead people, divorces, addictions, overdoses, bankruptcies, etc. Everything is legal. Just strike where it hurts the most and enjoy the newfound respect.
We men are thick-skulled. Sometimes a little shaking is needed to come back to sense.Mind the white hair, every one of us has a 15 YO inside.
Oh numerous things over the years. A few examples;
I used to work aa a ski instructor and got yelled at for stopping near a corner with a large group in front of my clients. In fact I only had a couple of clients and we were in a safe place, the people above me who had stopped in an unsafe place were nothing to do with me. Yet The Swiss instructor went mental at me in front of everyone.
I’m actually terrified to walk my dog here as he’s a bit spritely and all the Swiss seem to disapprove of him, despite me having control of him all the time. Go back to the UK and everyone wants to stop me and pet him and it is just such a better experience being with my dog in the UK and even France.
I made an error today, which admittedly I was in the wrong, but I tried to be as considerate as possible. I was out for a run in spiked running shoes so I needed to stay on snow and ice as tarmac would damage the spikes. I came to a section where the only place I could go for 200m metres was alongside the langlauf track. I langlauf myself so I know no-one wants footsteps on the piste, so for just 200m , I walked on the very narrow edge between the classic tracks and the deep snow where absolutely no-one skis and I did no damage to the piste and I got absolutely screamed at. I know I was technically in the wrong but I was 100% doing zero damage. Tried to explain my side but the yelling just kept coming.
I have to say, this is one of many reasons we left CH…and it wasn’t just the oldsters, it was the young entitled ones too. OH is very good at dialects, and he would rip them a new one, but it was just another annoyance. I have never ever had this happen in AT.
They understandably offer no protection in these she-said, he-said situations.
It’s unpleasant but not much you can do.
I’ve heard that it’s ok to punch someone here if they say something obnoxious to you here under some weird selber-shuld type law (i.e. you deserved it).
There are recorded cases of this so be careful what you say and do if someone has a go at you and you respond with with insults.
(I suppose you could punch them).
If my end with them keeping quiet next time they decide to not mind their own business.
I think the point I’m trying to make is shouting back can lead to escalation but on the other hand, some people need to be told when they are being out of order.
Either way, I know how Island-Monkey feels and it seems to be quite often here where you are having a lovely time on some activity and some a-hole ends up spoiling that for no real reason.
I find this as well and figure that they feel absolutely comfortable at putting a woman in her place but would be very unlikely to have a pop at a bloke in a similar situation.
Not even sure this is unique to Switzerland. My own experiences would suggest it isn’t.
