I was suppose to be moving to Austria next year but instead i am now moving to Switzerland?
Can anybody tell me what switzerlang is like?I will be going there as a senior in highschool and living with a a swiss family in the german section. What are the differnces between Switzerland and America?Is there anything about the country that might shock me? What do the teenagers do for fun or after school? Will it be hard learning swiss german cause I dont know any german yet exxcept like 12 phrases and Did you like it there?What are the best places to see and go to? I will be living there for about 11 months
Studying Abroad - 3 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
I don't know a terrible lot, but I do know that the standard of living is so much more expensive in Switzerland. Swiss German is pretty much the same as German anywhere else, except maybe some slang phrases, which aren't *that* important to learn unless you're planning on living there for a long time. Something that could be considered shocking about there is that when you ask someone how their day is going, you'd better have time to listen. It's not like America where you can just say "What's up?" as a greeting and walk away. When you ask someone "Wie geht's?" in Switzerland, you'd better have time to stop and listen to them tell you how it's going for them, even if it takes an hour. Anything less is rude. Also, punctuality is very important there. If you're five minutes late, they'll understand (If you're American), but they will be very disappointed. Um, I know there's less drive-in restaurants there, because it's Europe first of all, and second of all, eating is considered very important, and it should take a long time, not 5 minutes on the go. Switzerland has about 3 official languages, and most people there know 5 or more, so if you don't know that many, you might get the feeling that you're being looked down upon. Again, most people are very gracious and accepting because they know you probably didn't have the same opportunities that they did, but they really do consider people that only know 1 or 2 languages kinda dumb. It sounds unreal, I know, but it's true. I hope I helped.
2 :
Switzerland is not part of the European Union. You better make sure that you carry your passport with you when you expect that you might cross the border to Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy, or France. All of these have a common border with Switzerland. Switzerland is a very small country with 4 (four) official languages: Swiss German, French, Italian, and Rhaeto-Romanic. Everybody speaks as least two of these. Most people speak more than that and additionally English. Swiss German is a spoken language only. There are major differences between Swiss German and "normal" German in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Many Germans don't understand Swiss German. Don't be surprised when you think that you might hear Scottish English, the accent is really close. Swiss French differs only slightly from "normal" French. The most visible difference are the numbers from 70 and up (France: soixante-dix, etc. -- Switzerland: septante). Public transport can be found in nearly all settlements. As a student you can expect that public transport is quite sufficient and you will not need a car. Going places inside of Switzerland you can nearly always use the train. Switzerland is the country with most train connections in the world. The minimum age for a drivers license for cars is 18 years. The minimum drinking age for wine and beer is 16; for hard liquor the minimum age is 18 years. The overall standard of living is very high. Even in very old houses you will find modern baths with hot and cold water, showers and bathtubs. Gas and electric stoves are common. Electric stoves are often more advanced than the ones sold in the US. Ceramic cook tops and induction cook tops are quite common. Washing machines are mostly front loaders. Dryers are available but not every household uses them. Drying laundry on clothesline is very common. Central heating is standard. Air conditioning is not very common and not really needed except for one or two weeks max. Windows will operate differently. They open to the inside and mosquito screens are extremely seldom installed. If there are shutters at the windows these are installed outside and open to the outside. Health care is a hybrid of public and private. There are multiple health insurances to choose from which are private companies, but everyone is to be insured - the insurances can not refuse to insure as long as the person is living in an area where the insurance does their business. Teenage afternoons are spent doing one or more of the following: * homework (seldom, but theoretically you should do it) * hobbies, sport, etc. * hanging out together * private music lessons or playing in a band
3 :
I was going to answer this question - but both of these answers you have already received are very good. Its been a long time since I visited Switzerland, but I would say it is going to be hard for you to decide which person you are going to give the 10 points to. Good Luck!!!
Read more discussions:
