I needn't have worried. Nobody ever spoke to me...
You haven't visited Geneva yet, have you ? You'll find the German part very warm
Anyway, regarding the 'cold' Swiss, all I can say is that one's mileage, clearly, can vary a great deal. I know some really sound Swiss people, with whom I can go a pint or six and talk bollocks all night without anyone checking her agenda or shunning me for not having known me since kindergarten. The frequency of sound Swiss people does seem to increase somewhat the further away you get from the Greater Zurich area, but even in the smoky metropolis there are some decent sorts.
Having said that, the culture in general is somewhat reserved. I like that. I've lived in Greece, and absolutely loved it, but one thing that used to get on my nerves was the fact that if I couldn't sit in a cafe or bar without being invited to talk about football or politics or whether I preferred Greece to England. When I was in a good mood, it was wonderful - I got horribly drunk at the expense of some very friendly, outgoing people on several dozen hundred occasions - but when I was in a bad mood, after a bad day at work or feeling a bit homesick, it was a bloody nightmare. In Switzerland this almost never happens: people are polite, will greet you as you enter the establishment, but then will leave you be to read your book or stare at the walls or play Angry Birds or whatever. Lovely! The same goes for trams, trains and out and about. You'll get a smile and a 'Gruezi' but no hassle, no unwanted conversation, no insistence on accepting yet another glass of firewater before you go (OK, I miss that last one just a little).
So yeah, on the surface, many of the locals can come across a bit cold by British or Mediterranean standards, but they're alright really. In most cases, I don't think they mean any harm by it.
Very few lasted more than a couple of years, especially those who spent all their time socialising practically only with their 'own'.
No wonder these people didn't last more than a couple of years. I'm surprised most of the English do...
That biartch...
vs
So sad when ex-pats come to hate their own and amazing wonderful country. There is just no need - you can love and appreciate both - differently. And this is what I love most - the differences, not the similarities
So many ex-pats dream of Switzerland changing to become more like 'back home'- what one earth is the point of travelling and going to live abroad, be it for a few years, or for a long time - it's the same as 'back home'???
2) I haven't come to "hate" my own country. I simply don't like it as much as Switzerland. And there is little 'amazing' or 'wonderful' about England. It's grey, wet, antiquated, crumbling and depressing. But at least the Brits have got a "great sense of humour!"...
They need it to live there without topping themselves.
Well, each to their own. I love England (overall - and yes some aspects/places are less savoury) - and a part of my heart will always be there- especially as my grand-children live there, as well as family and fantastic friends
Still does not change the fact that Swiss are colder than most cultures I have come across and overly complicated. I like Switzerland and Swiss despite their coldness but not because of their coldness.
1- Cold Swiss
2- Cat Meat
3- Backhand slaps
To do list- Dog meat.
When I had my baby last year, almost every Swiss family in my building brought me a gift. It was so sweet. And I can pretty much guarantee that never would have happened if I had been living in an apartment building in America.
But (theoretically), if a lack of emotions was to be responsible for the fact that there isn't much crime here or things like "road rage", etc. -- then I'm all for it!