Reddit reviews Swiss Watching: Inside Europe's Landlocked Island

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1 Reddit comment about Swiss Watching: Inside Europe's Landlocked Island:

u/[deleted] · 3 pointsr/EDC

Many people will not understand you even if you speak in High German, we speak Swiss German which is a kind of dialect. You can only learn it by socialising with other Swiss people, so it's a bit weird at first since there are no real Swiss German classes you can take. So, if you want to learn it, just have contact with Swiss people and you will learn it very quickly, since it's much easier than High German.
You can't have haircuts on a Monday, since every hairdresser is closed. ;)
Most people know basic English, but it's hard to find Swiss people that actually know enough English to have a conversation.
It's very safe during the night, in the big cities it's a bit more dangerous since many youths look for unprovoked fights when in a group. It's very rare to get mugged or beaten up. If you live in medium cities, you can basically go outside at 2 in the morning for a walk and you won't see a soul. So it's pretty safe.
The Swiss from the German Cantons are a bit xenophobic when it comes to different nationalities, but if you come from a English speaking nation or a rich nation you won't see many people acting stupid towards you. Just don't mind if people will look at you when you speak English with someone, they are just very curious. Just learn the language to the point of being able to communicate, follow the laws and be nice, and you won't have any problems.
It's very hard to have a gun if you are not a Swiss citizen, all that stuff of people carrying machine guns and rifles are exaggerated, you might see some people carrying a ammunition free assault rifle, but you won't see anyone carrying a pistol. You can have a gun, but only after doing many, many tests, paying a lot of money and finally you will only be able to have it at home.
Everyone drives very slowly. That's why I use the public transportation which is excellent but a bit expensive.
Beer is cheap, many local bars will sell you home-brewed beer, you can drink beer at age 16.
Very easy to get a job if you have qualifications. Almost no unemployment.
The French speaking part of Switzerland is more open minded than the German one, the Italian speaking part is very laid back.
Most jobs that require a qualification will earn you at least 4500 Swiss Francs if you have a basic job that still requires qualification. It's not unusual for people in internships receiving 3500 Swiss francs a month.
It's beautiful outside, go for walks often and during the weekend you might want to consider to visit the mountains and see the nature.
Very hot during the summer and very cold during the winter, but all houses have central heating.

I think it's all I can remember, you will see many things that you might get angry with but you will also have many positive experiences.
You might want to get this book, it will help you see many of the weird things about Switzerland and prepare you for everything. Or if you want something more critical of Switzerland, you might want to get this one..

Have fun and PM me if you want to know anything else!

P.S. The Swiss in the German Cantons have a bad sense of humor, any joke that makes you think a bit before understanding it, or jokes that seem illogical will not make them laugh, but if you play a video of a guy farting, expect everyone to piss themselves by laughing too hard.