Angela

February 16 2007

-Where were you born?
Denver, CO, USA, but after that, I lived in Houston, TX, Newark, DE, Cambridge, MA, and New York, NY

-In which country and city are you living now?
Zurich, Switzerland

-Are you living alone or with your family?
With my dog :)

-How long have you been living in Switzerland?
Almost three years, since June 2004

-What is your age?
28

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Switzerland?
It was sort of random, actually. A friend mentioned a job opportunity in Switzerland when I was half-heartedly thinking about changing jobs, and so I applied. I had never considered living in Switzerland until they asked me to join them. I ended up taking the job because the organization does interesting work, the lifestyle sounded great, and they allow dogs in the office.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
No, my organization arranged it for me.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
No, Switzerland requires all residents to get insurance, and it’s not difficult to sign up. Changing insurers later on, however, is trickier. You can only switch once a year, at the end of the year, with certain forms.

-How do you make your living in Switzerland? Do you have any type of income generated?
I’m an attorney at an international organization. I’m not sure how hard the job search process is, since it was the only job I applied for, and ended up taking.

-Do you speak the local language and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
I didn’t know any German before I came here, but now I can read German, and I speak some (bad) German, but English is widely spoken. I would rather be able to speak more, but it’s a difficult place to learn German, since they speak Swiss German (local dialect that varies from city to city) and they switch to English if they realize you’re an English speaker. My organization’s working language is English, so there are few opportunities for me to use more than a few lines of German.

That said, I can get by in German and French, if necessary, and I do think it’s a good idea to at least be aware of the local customs, since the Swiss really place a high value on conforming to their rules and customs. The Swiss (and Zurich in particular) have some really fascinating local festivals and traditions that are worth checking out – Fasnacht, Sechselaueten, Knabenschiessen, to name a few old ones, and Street Parade and Zurifaescht, to name some modern ones.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
Yes, I do miss my family, and I definitely miss New York (where I was living before). I miss big city life – the diversity, the convenience, the wide variety and availability of whatever it is you want. I miss the food (especially ethnic food) and the shopping, the concerts and museums.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
Nothing concrete. I wouldn’t mind living in Paris, London, New York, or San Francisco next. Travel is always in the plans. While living here, I’ve tried to leave the country at least once a month for weekend trips, and the generous Swiss vacation allotment allows for good long vacations, as well.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
I rent a 1BR apartment with a terrace, on the top two floors of a building in the very middle of the center of old town (probably the most expensive neighborhood in Zurich); it costs 2700 CHF/month (about US$2200, depending on exchange rate). Cheaper than Manhattan, but more expensive than most places, I think.

-What is the cost of living in Switzerland?
Expensive!! Restaurants, bars, and grocery stores are more expensive than almost anywhere else.

-What do you think about the Swiss?
They tend to be very proper but very reserved. They are polite but not particularly warm or friendly.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Switzerland?
Positives – it’s clean and everything works the way it’s supposed to. Public transportation is amazing here. It’s very safe. Lots of vacation time and sane working hours. Really easy to travel anywhere in Europe, even for just a weekend!! Switzerland is very dog-friendly – my dog goes on trains and trams, to restaurants, bars, shops (and my office) and no one raises an eyebrow. Cheese and chocolate.

Negatives – locals are not particularly interested in integrating outsiders into their social network. Cost of living. Food and shopping aren’t as good as in big cities. Not a lot of diversity, it can feel a bit provincial (minorities and women are still somewhat second-class citizens).

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Switzerland?
Make sure you have a job that brings in enough money to support living here. Travel travel travel a lot, it’s the best part of living here. Check out all the local festivals, they’re charming and lots of fun.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Switzerland?
An American in Zurich: a tongue-in-cheek blog about life in Zurich
Expats in Zurich a Yahoo! Groups site