Due to move out to Switzerland in a few week but with all these laws and regulations I might sack it off!
OP, Paysycat refers to the airbrush cheek kissing, normally 2 in most parts of Europe, in Switzerland it is 3 times. Very regular thing for a female to do on meetings acquaintances of both sexes, if one is the male on receiving end, then the same.
It can be a bit different man to man, I will leave that to a male to expand.
...so, yeah, please do sack it off, on our behalves (sp?)
Then your ass is covered if any future mistakes are found by someone with nothing else to do but re-peruse your initial application.
Some tongue in cheek stuff is half true too, as well as bloody funny. Like dealing with the Gemeinde and getting to to check what they say.
It might help to think of Switzerland as Japan - lots of customs you wouldn't imagine. Lots of discretion is expected in public, but anything goes in private.
Its a wonderful place and you soon get used to the rules, and lauding your own skilled conformity over others... :-) or at least helping them understand the new rule they just discovered.
Soon the new rules will no longer make you upset. You will develop a sort of Alpine, Confucian forbearance.
But, some thing which are true:
1. You can only pick mushrooms on certain days and times, and must bring said mushrooms to the Gemeinde for sorting and inspection by and expert. This prevents death and unwanted hallucinations. I have also heard you may need a permit and that there is a regulation mushroom basket to use.
2. You do need a permit or license to play golf (theory and practical exams), ride a horse, go fishing, sail a boat etc.
3. If you get fined for not having a ticket on a train, then bloody well make the most of it and move to the first class carriage, something I did once from Geneva to Zurich. Train regulations change in December each year and you need to find out yourself. For example, until 2 years ago, you could get on an intercity train (not suburban ones) and buy your ticket form the conductor. No longer... hence how I was caught out.
4. You cant make noise on Sundays or after 10 pm and yes, neighbors can be very particular and they tend to call the police before asking you nicely.
5. The reason the Swiss act like little policemen about every little rule. Why? Well, spend so much effort adhering to them all - written and unwritten - that they don't like people coming along and messing it up. Especially foreigners. The pity is they assume you know the rule and are flagrantly disregarding it, and rarely offer a helpful suggestion.
6. You cant leave your engine running when you are not in the car.
7. You need winter tyres. Common sense as cold snaps (and ice) come unexpectedly, but if you have an accident and its under 6 degree C, you can be fined.
8. Recycle pretty much everything, including appliances (which you can return for free to any appliance store or certain Gemeinde recycling stations) and cars (unless you sell it for export - all the old cars go to North Africa or eastern Europe).
9. You are insured to the hilt whether you like it or not.
10. Look people in the yes when you clink 'cheers' and kiss Right, Left Right.
11. Everyone does their job properly and takes pride in it. Its probably the best thing, and is why everything "just works".
I am sure there is some kind of comprehensive and fairly current guide around for all this stuff... the www.ch.ch site covers a lot, as do these forums.
Good luck and Welcome to Toytown, where everything is perfect and just fine, all the time.
10pm sounds frightfully early...I doubt I'll be investing in a drum kit living in an apartment but I do like watching TV that late.
My husband likes video games and likes them loud; he has invested in bluetooth headphones to solve this problem. This also pleases me too
Another thing I have been told off for, hanging towels etc out to dry over the balcony rail. Not allowed! It may be my balcony, but other people have to look at it from the outside so it must not look "untidy" (y) this took me aback but I can kind of see their point, fair enough
The working/school life starts much earlier in Switzerland than UK, does vary a bit Canton to Canton. In Canton Thurgau children are in the Gym at 7.30am on school days.
TV is not a problem, it is things like jumping up down, loud noise, washing machine etc
Hmm... That will be tough for me. I'm terrible at getting up early even after years of starting work at 8.20. My internal clock just won't shift- I see 11pm and something says I can't sleep yet <_<
One thing that has come to mind... Is drinking on the streets/in public ok here? (That's one where Britain is usually the weird country that says no! )
In Britain meanwhile the instant image is tramps getting wasted on white lightning and special brew, so it is looked down on and illegal.
I wonder where Switzerland stands.