One of my friends has family that works for the Swiss Embassy, and she once told me that the staff are only allowed to stay in one place for 3 years before being moved to the next location. The reason for this is that people start to "go local" after 3 years, and the Embassy doesn't want their representatives becoming too adapted to their host culture. I thought this was an interesting philosophy, and I do see the truth of this in my life.
Now that I've been living in Switzerland for over 3 years, I do feel like I've reached the point of being very comfortable here. My German, while not amazingly fluent and/or correct, is good enough for me to communicate with almost anyone, and I can hold long conversations without feeling totally drained afterwards. I've received many comments from my European colleagues that I am starting to dress more European, and, indeed, I now understand how to wear scarves and the general hue of my wardrobe is dark. I am a pro at Swiss public transportation, at finding the regions with the best weather on the weekends, at choosing really nice hikes, at packing, at showing up to parties the correct amount of fashionably late to match the country of origin of the host, at the three-kiss greeting, at what produce is in season when, at which stores carry the specialty products that I like to use, etc. I no longer think twice about carrying large amounts of cash on me and it's usually in at least 3 currencies. I know the points with the best views on many train rides, and which side of the train to sit on to see them. I now notice when the trams are running catywumpus (meaning a few minutes late, or when they send the wrong type of tram; seriously, an old tram on the 10 line- what are they thinking?), and I know when it's worth it to run for the tram and when it isn't. I am comfortable taking weekend off and using my vacation without feeling guilty. I have friendly relationships with my regular checkout people at my grocery store, and I just have a general sense of being comfortable here. I do not find life here so surprising anymore, which is fine. I have loved this experience of starting a life in a new place, and the adventure of becoming more and more comfortable in a foreign place.
It was the music of 100 cowbells, which was amazingly, ear-achingly loud. Once they had paraded past, they gathered in a circle and rang the bells together for a while:
It was bizarre, I'm not going to lie. I did some Google-ing, but I was not able to figure out exactly what was going on here. My best guess is that this was somehow related to the traditional "Aplabfahrt", in which the farmers celebrate a successful summer, dress up their cows, and parade them down from the Alps to the valleys for the winter. But there were no cows in this parade, just... humans dressed as cows? Anyways, it was a reminder that I have not yet exhausted the mysteries of Switzerland!
Now that I've been living in Switzerland for over 3 years, I do feel like I've reached the point of being very comfortable here. My German, while not amazingly fluent and/or correct, is good enough for me to communicate with almost anyone, and I can hold long conversations without feeling totally drained afterwards. I've received many comments from my European colleagues that I am starting to dress more European, and, indeed, I now understand how to wear scarves and the general hue of my wardrobe is dark. I am a pro at Swiss public transportation, at finding the regions with the best weather on the weekends, at choosing really nice hikes, at packing, at showing up to parties the correct amount of fashionably late to match the country of origin of the host, at the three-kiss greeting, at what produce is in season when, at which stores carry the specialty products that I like to use, etc. I no longer think twice about carrying large amounts of cash on me and it's usually in at least 3 currencies. I know the points with the best views on many train rides, and which side of the train to sit on to see them. I now notice when the trams are running catywumpus (meaning a few minutes late, or when they send the wrong type of tram; seriously, an old tram on the 10 line- what are they thinking?), and I know when it's worth it to run for the tram and when it isn't. I am comfortable taking weekend off and using my vacation without feeling guilty. I have friendly relationships with my regular checkout people at my grocery store, and I just have a general sense of being comfortable here. I do not find life here so surprising anymore, which is fine. I have loved this experience of starting a life in a new place, and the adventure of becoming more and more comfortable in a foreign place.
However, the Swiss still can be strange and surprising. Yesterday after my hike, I had some time before my train, so I wandered into town. When I came to the main square, there were bunches of people lining the street, a line of elderly people in wheelchairs sitting in the sun, and tables of drinks. Everyone seemed like they were waiting for something, so I figured I would join in. A few minutes later, I heard this massive noise approaching from around the corner, and then was treated to this spectacle:
It was the music of 100 cowbells, which was amazingly, ear-achingly loud. Once they had paraded past, they gathered in a circle and rang the bells together for a while:
It was bizarre, I'm not going to lie. I did some Google-ing, but I was not able to figure out exactly what was going on here. My best guess is that this was somehow related to the traditional "Aplabfahrt", in which the farmers celebrate a successful summer, dress up their cows, and parade them down from the Alps to the valleys for the winter. But there were no cows in this parade, just... humans dressed as cows? Anyways, it was a reminder that I have not yet exhausted the mysteries of Switzerland!
