Goodbye Switzerland

The time has finally come to leave Switzerland. It has been an epic year, I've seen beautiful Switzerland (amongst other countries) and have met really great people. As with ever when moving into a flat with random strangers, you never know how it will turn out. I was fortunate enough to find myself in an apartment full of cheery people (with equally sociable neighbours), with whom I became great friends over the period of one year.

Boat trip on Lake Lugano.

I spent my last day in Switzerland in Lugano with two good friends, which is in the Italian-speaking part of the country. With a Mediterranean climate and surrounded by mountains and lakes – indeed like many Swiss towns – it made a nice way to round off the exchange year.

Lugano is situated in Tecino, the predominantly Italian-speaking canton of Switzerland.

Swiss towns and cities, due to their small size, tend not offer many sights to see, but you'll often find a lake to see! We took a boat trip on Lake Lugano and spent the rest of the time eating. A very laid-back place and many houses along the lake looked completely cut off from the outside world. Sublime...

The sleepy streets of Lugano.

I'm now on my way back home, taking my time by hopping off the train in Paris for two nights. It's been sad to leave Zurich, but I also am looking forward to going back to Aberdeen and studying properly for once – and not like an exchange student! I want to thank everyone in Zurich who made my time as special as it was, I'll miss everyone. And I want to thank YOU too for reading these blog posts. I hope I didn't waffle on too much.

;-)

Zurich Street Parade

Who'd have thought? The world's largest, and perhaps wildest, outdoor techno parade in Zurich; a relatively quiet and small city in one of Europe's most conservative countries. Famous DJs from both Switzerland and abroad held sets in the parade, which started at 1pm and went on well into the night.

The parade's moving stages are called 'love mobiles'.

950,000 people took part in the free festival this year, including me and two good friends. Many of the other festival-goers were dressed in crazy costumes, some much more revealing than others. Indeed, skimpy outfits were the norm and seemed to not just be limited to girls, a few older gentlemen could also be seen sporting little more than leather hot-pants, unfortunately.

Each moving 'love mobile' had their own DJ, all of whom playing better techno music than the last.

Not only were the streets teeming with ravers, loads of yachts and boats covered the lake, gathering closest to Utoquai bridge, part of the parade's route. In the hot August Sun, there would have been nothing better than cooling off in the water whilst listening to the music. Shame I can't quite afford a nice yacht in Zurich just yet...

All ages could be found at the parade, some enjoying the music more than others.

From the hotel balconies lining the streets, dressed-up dancers could even be seen making the most of their prime position. I did however also notice some older hotel guests, seeming as though they weren't originally aware of the huge techno extravaganza taking place, looking on uncomfortably in bemusement. A hilarious sight to behold!

Lake Zurich bustling with yachts of techno enthusiasts.

The hot Sun combined with the music and only drinking beer was not particularly conducive to keeping you fit. Nevertheless we spent a good eight hours there and I now have the buzz to go again next year! Maybe next time I'll wear a costume myself, although perhaps I'd best avoid the more skimpy of costumes...

Alp Horns, Cow Bells And Yodelling

The 1^st of August was the Swiss National Holiday. All across Switzerland people celebrated the founding of the Helvetic Confederation. Zurich, which usually is adorned by Swiss flags anyway, showed its national and cantonal colours even more proudly yesterday.

The 26 cantons of Zurich represented in the parade.

A parade made its way along the Bahnhofstrasse, showcasing stereotypical Swiss types – donning traditional dress and brandishing cow bells and alp horns. Aesthetically, the parade was beautiful indeed, although acoustically less so - a brash mix of trumpets and eccentric yodelling.

Alp horns are quite unwieldy instruments.

At the end of the parade, a stage, equipped with the biggest flag I have ever seen in my life, was the scene of a speech, a rifle-fire salute, flag juggling, alp horn playing and yodelling extravaganza. With so many national symbols, I thought it might have been uncomfortable, as a foreigner, being there. Thankfully, the event was completely free of politics and tourists were very much made to feel welcome.

The stage at Bürkliplatz.

The Swiss are quite keen when it comes to fireworks. I can only really make a comparison to the 5^th November in the UK (Guy Fawkes night), but there were much more explosions to be heard over the skies of Zurich last night than I've ever heard back at home. Although this might have something to do with the cheap price of fireworks – and the ease of access to them here – despite the earlier, not-unconcerning exploits a Swiss friend told me he got up to as a teenager...

My Final Month In Zurich

Time flies when you're having fun. A saying I've always found to be true. I now have less than a month left in Zurich before I finish my year abroad. I was at home for a little while but I just had to come back and spend my summer over here – partly because I actually wanted to have some warm weather (a rare phenomenon in the UK) and also so that I could start with my reading for next year without the distractions of home life.

Relaxing by the Limmat river.

Of course, I don't plan to spend the whole time here doing something productive! There are still parties and barbeques going on as well as the Zurich Street Parade - a crazy music festival (on the 11^th) which transforms the orderly, Swiss city into a huge rave! Best of all, unlike many things in Switzerland, it's free!

The pristine Lake Zurich looks rather inviting in hot weather.

Besides, I can use the odd break, reading my prescribed literature on National Socialism for the new semester in Aberdeen is only bearable in small doses. In many respects, this year has been a bit of a break in general, in anticipation of the hard work waiting for me for honours the next two years.

The lake at night, looking over to the Utoquai bridge.

I'm leaving Switzerland on the 14^th of August and I've already had to say goodbye to a few friends. I'm going to miss this place and the people, all the more reason to come back here at some point - I'm already looking forward to the ski season.

Getting Hold Of Chuffs

Zurich is often quoted as being the most, or close to it, expensive city to live in globally. High standards of quality, high salaries & production costs and low levels of competition all contribute to keeping Swiss prices sky high. Students can feel the pinch at the best of times, not least here in Zurich. However with Swiss economic prosperity come opportunities that can allow students to afford to live here.

Swiss Stock Exchange: You don't have to work in banking and finance in order to be able to afford to live here as a student.

Before even considering looking for jobs, students of the ETH and the University of Zurich are able to accept invitations to participate in paid surveys. Many of these surveys take the form of economic themed games on a network, enabling the more successful of players to earn quite a decent amount. As I discovered, even if you have a run of bad luck, you can still take home pay equivalent to a acceptable hourly wage. Maybe I should try my luck again...

The Swiss Franc (CHF) – affectionately called the 'Chuff' amongst British expatriates in Switzerland – is a strong currency: allowing the Swiss to afford to travel abroad and import.

Thanks to the ETH; jobs and internships in the Swiss technology industry are abundant in Zurich. For those of us not studying technology based degrees, there are also a number of other positions available, for example on the university market place platform.

I have been lucky enough to find work in English tuition. Anyone currently on a year abroad, whether you're in Switzerland or France or Germany, can make the most of this opportunity. By knowing the local language (allowing you to translate expressions and understand your client) as well as English, students and professionals alike appreciate the services you could offer. And most importantly, it can be fun – as such tuition sessions may simply take the form of conversations – whereby you'd offer corrections and tips.

Not only does Zurich appear high on the list of the world's most expensive cities, but it also appears high on quality of life leaderboards too. A correlation perhaps?

It's a bizarre feeling speaking English again after so long, even it is just during a few sessions a week. Although I prefer speaking in German here, it is nice to be able to hold a conversation without having to think constantly about how to formulate what you want to say in a foreign language! It's certainly going to feel strange once I return home after this year abroad!

Regardless of where you are on your year abroad, working in your host country is a great way of gaining useful experience as well as networking – which may better facilitate finding work in the country after graduation, if you wish to return. And for those of us in Switzerland: high prices also equate to high wages, so make the most of it!

Zurich Explodes

This Monday was a cantonal holiday here in Zurich – to mark the Sächsilüüte (high german: Sechseläuten) festivities. So, I was lucky enough to have my afternoon lectures cancelled. Despite the rain, me and a few of flatmates headed down to Bellevue, by the lakeside, to see just what it was all about.

The ten metre high burning snowman.

Sächsilüüte has its roots in Pagan tradition and is the ceremonial point in time, where the people of Zurich shoo the Winter away and usher in the Summer. This is achieved by, at the chiming of six o'clock, burning a giant snowman (named Böög), stuffed with firecrackers and small explosives. The quicker the snowman's head explodes and falls from the body, the better the coming Summer is said to be. Makes sense...

It can take anything from 10 minutes to 25 minutes for that to happen. This year it only took 12 minutes and 8 seconds. So, we now know who to thank for the imminent approaching heat wave.

The parade before the burning of the Böög.

Before the ritual burning of the snowman, a parade meandered through the Zurich old town. Unfortunately owing to the poor weather conditions, the parade appeared rather lack-luster and miserable this year. The rain had driven away many would-be spectators and the participants of the parade themselves found their enthusiasm gradually sapping away towards the end. Not the best parade I've seen, but it's nice to have one at all. Especially if it means you get the afternoon off!

'Humor Sapiens'

It was my birthday earlier this week and my flatmates very generously gave me tickets to go and see a comedy show in Zurich. The host comedian, Marco Rima, is relatively well-known and successful in Switzerland I'm told. The show – entitled Humor Sapiens – was held in Das Zelt, a new venue in Zurich which has already been visited by a fair number of Swiss celebrities (including Miss Switzerland and singer, Baschi).

Marco Rima's comedy: Humor Sapiens (image source: Das Zelt)

It was my first time at a professional comedy gig, so I wasn't sure what to expect. A world of difference to the amateur – often cringeworthy if not awkward – Comedy Club nights in Aberdeen! Of course, being a Swiss comedian, the show was conducted in Swiss German – so I understood perhaps three quarters of the jokes told. Luckily Rima managed to cram in a joke a second, which meant that even considering my poor Swiss German, I was able to laugh right the way through it all!

Das Zelt – or The Tent – is new to Zurich. Das Zelt can also be found elsewhere in Switzerland.

I can see why Rima is so successful in Switzerland, he doesn't just tell jokes, he entertains. Either by singing with his backing band, 'dancing' (for lack of a more suitable word) or simply keeping the audience in stitches throughout the whole show.

An audience of around one thousand take their seats.

A very enjoyable evening indeed and a fantastic birthday present. Huge thanks to my flatmates!

The Spring Semester

It's March already. My second and last exchange semester in Zurich is under way. Time is definitely going by quickly. This semester already seems to be going better than the last semester, probably because I'm settled here now. My courses are pretty much the same as last semester, except literature has been swapped with two other courses: Makroökonomik (macroeconomics) and Geldpolitik (monetary policy). They're certainly more interesting – at least to me – and I find it cool that my professor for Geldpolitik actually works at the Swiss National Bank.

View from the ETH Polyterrasse.

Again, it seems like it's going to be a busy semester. Lots of early starts, even a 6pm finish on Mondays and no free week-days (many students here have Fridays free for example). Feels too much like work – well, almost. This semester I must also give a presentation, in German of course, about Swiss German variations, as an Englishman, to an audience of mainly Swiss students. That's going to be - shall we say - interesting. Hmm, what have I got myself into?

The Bächlerstrasse student apartment complex.

The new semester brings with it a fresh helping of nervous / eager exchange students. Some of which have moved into the student apartments here in Bächlerstrasse. And with the new exchange students and the Spring semester comes partying! Plenty of it.

That's right, 9GAG.com is also popular in Switzerland: A popular meme is pinned by one of the inspected Spring clean signs instructing us to, well, clean.

The Spring semester also brings the obligatory inspected Spring clean. Acceptable, given that it's mentioned in the contract, it's just a shame that it also coincides just after a number of flat parties going on here. Making cleaning an even bigger task – that's before any possible / expected (delete as appropriate) hangovers are considered.

An Alternative to Constance

In a blog post I made last year, I mentioned that many Swiss head to the German border town of Constance (Konstanz) in order to do some cheap grocery shopping. Well, a closer alternative has been found, fellow grocery refugees! Waldshut, an other German border town, is 20 mins closer to Zurich than Constance and features 3 huge supermarkets. All of which are open until 10pm during the week. Crucially, this means you can get to Waldshut and back in the evening without paying a single Rappen if you have a Gleis7 travel card.

A vast bounty of treasure awaits those who make the journey over the border!

It's certainly worth making the occasional trip, particularly as German alcohol and meat can be around three times cheaper than their Swiss counterparts! Keep hold of your receipts and fill in the relevant Custom forms and I believe you can even claim back the tax paid. However unlike Constance, Waldshut isn't a terribly nice place to visit. Cheap grocery shopping for the Swiss appears to be the sole purpose of the small town, to which it may well owe it's existence. Or so it seems.

Outside the main train station in Zurich.

In the meantime, Siberian weather has achieved a tight grip of the majority of Europe. Zurich is no exception, temperatures have been as low as -15 and the snow looks set to stay. If things carry on like this for a while, it might be possible to go and ice skate on the Katzenseen in Affoltern.

Bergholz forest in Affoltern.

The temperatures are much worse in Eastern Europe though. Great, that's exactly where I'm heading next week and the week after!

Christmas in Zurich

I decided to stay in Switzerland for Christmas this year. Why not, it would be pretty special. After planning that, my mum said she'd come to visit! Great, so now I can have Christmas in beautiful Switzerland and not miss out on the family side of things.

Christmas decorations along Bahnhofstrasse

Having snowed heavily earlier this week, I was expecting a white Christmas. However by the time my mum arrived in Zurich, not only had all the snow melted, but the temperature had risen back to an unusual high again. At least it made for nice weather to show mum around the city in.

Zurich had momentarily transformed itself earlier this week into a winter wonderland. Although it didn't quite last until Christmas day...

Me, mum and some neighbours of mine celebrated Christmas together and we even managed to rustle up a pretty decent Christmas dinner! It was a novelty having so much meat in a meal, it was easy to forget I was still in Switzerland – the same place in which I had once considered the financial benefits of becoming a vegetarian!

Christmas in Zurich has a different atmosphere to back at home. Things are much more relaxed here and the festive period still has real tradition left that hasn't yet been ruined by over-commercialism. It's refreshing. On Christmas eve, I gave mum a tour of the city, including an obligatory stop by Sprüngli – the Swiss master chocolatiers – and we also went to the Jules Verne Panorama Bar which overlooks all of Zurich. The views were nothing short of spectacular.

The Jules Verne Panorama Bar offers the best views in Zurich. Despite their high prices, it's well worth a visit.

All in all, a very nice Christmas. Hope yours was too!

'Tis the Season for Exams

It's that time of the year again, the exams at the University of Zurich are under way. The student flats have become eerily quiet as everyone is in their own rooms hidden beneath a pile of revision notes and empty cans of energy drink. The streets of Zurich also seemed noticeably quieter this week – although the constant rain recently might have played a role there – perhaps caused by the eloquently-named Scottish hurricane 'Bawbag'.

Snow has been forecast though, so hopefully the city will also be able to enjoy the deep snow the Alps have had. It would not only make for a white Christmas but would probably brighten the dull exam-mood. Despite being an exchange student, I too have a number of exams to attend. The first of which was today, Russian phonetic. Thankfully, it was easier than it sounds. Although I'm afraid I won't be able to say the same is true for my other courses.

Revising for my Russian exam on Tuesday.

Instead of spending my weekends reading over notes, I've done what every exchange student should do, try to get to know the environment I'm in – planning day trips, going to parties and generally having a good time. Of course, of all this has caught up with me now that the once distant prospect of exams looms ever closer. My literature exam on Monday shouldn't be too difficult in theory as we just have to define terms and discuss various schools of thought, although in practice this means I'm going to have to do some last minute cramming. And then there's Russian which won't be easy, but hopefully I should manage, there's still time.

I'm just lucky that these exams have no bearing on my degree in Aberdeen, I'm here for the experience of being in a German speaking country – this experience and learning the language will – and should - always take precedence over my actual modules here, the credit points for which my university at home won't recognise anyway. I think it's preferable to spend more time out and about in Switzerland, in order to practice speaking (Swiss) German – which is also the aim of this year abroad and is more useful to my degree – than spending most of my time hidden away under books, whereby I wouldn't be getting much speaking practice at all or even experiencing what this great country has to offer.

That's what I keep telling myself, I'm still going to have to try...

The Polyball

The Polyball is a prestigious annual ball held by the ETH (the other major university in Zurich) and claims to be the largest decorated ball in Europe! This year's theme was left quite vague: 'The Search for Eldorado'. Me and pretty much all of my flat mates and neighbours decided to go and check it out, this Saturday just gone.

The Polyball is open to all, not just students of the ETH.

The event was held in the university's main building and included 15 different stage areas, ranging from salsa, jazz and waltz to a casino floor and cinema. Although the casino was a rather limited idea in practise due to the small technicality of the illegality of gambling actual money on non-licensed premises...

Poker and blackjack could be played, although no money could be won or lost.

The decoration for the ball included huge wall-to-wall murals which looked awesome, they were painted voluntarily by students not wanting to have to dig deep (real deep) in their pockets for the tickets. They did a great job!

I have no idea how many came this year, however I was told that last year saw around 9000 people attend the Polyball!

Those who missed out on this year's Polyball should seriously consider going to the next one in 2012. There's music to suit everyone and if you're not terribly good at dancing, I wouldn't worry too much as you'd be in good company!

Autumnal Reflections

This weekend has been the first free weekend I've had in a while, giving me the chance to reflect on the past two months in Zurich. Autumn is well and truly under way in Zurich, turning the city which is usually so green in Summer, in to rather nice shades of gold and red.

The University of Zurich seen from Rämistrasse.

University is going well and I still find I have quite a bit of free time after taking into consideration all the reading that has to be done. Coursework has begun to be handed out now that the semester has entered its second half. Essay writing in German takes some getting used to, although luckily the assignments are usually quite short. Russian is also going surprisingly well, despite the rather extreme pace. Learning Russian at university is not normally possible in Aberdeen, so I'll have to keep my notes when I return. Of course, a holiday.. ahem – I mean an 'educational' trip to Russia at some point is a must!

After two months in Switzerland I'm finding myself getting used to various things and developing Swiss habits. For example I have probably eaten more Swiss cheese and chocolate than I would've ever imagined. Well, who can blame me when they taste so good?

Swiss Francs look pretty cool, but they take some getting used to.

One thing I haven't yet got used to is using Swiss Francs. The notes are pretty cool but differentiating the coins from one another is quite a challenge. They're all round and silver (except the coins of less than 10 Rappen – or cents) which when compared to Sterling is striking, as British coins are all of various shapes, sizes and colours. Euros too have a little more variety. For example the ½ Frank coin is the same size as the 10 Rappen coin, and smaller than the 20 Rappen coin – which is of course worth less. Coins are often considered as small change and are quite undesirable as they take up a lot of wallet space. Therefore I found it strange that there should be a 5 Franc coin, which is a rather unwieldy chunk of metal. Although when reflecting upon Swiss prices, perhaps the 5 Franc coin is right to be considered as Kleingeld...

Zurich Film Festival

The city of Zurich is currently hosting its seventh film festival. Between the 22^nd of September and 2^nd October a variety of new films are being shown including premières. Last night me and a flatmate decided to go and see what all of the fuss was about.

The Zurich Film Festival features the premières of a number of international and Swiss films.

Celebrities, actors and directors from across the globe have already descended upon Zurich to see the annual film festival. For example the director, Sean Penn as well as popular Swiss personalities such as the satirical comedian Viktor Giacobbo and singer Baschi.

After flicking through the programme we decided to go for the second showing of Contagion as the première was by invitation only. After taking our seats, we discovered that this wasn't going to be just any ordinary showing of a film. Prior to the film, the hostess welcomed the arrival of Laurence Fishburne (aka Morphius from the Matrix), a distinguished actor who has starred in Apocalypse Now and CSI for example, before presenting him with the Special Achievement Award! I knew that there was going to be an actor present, thanks to the 'Darsteller anwesend' small print on my ticket, but it was a great surprise to find out that it was such a recognizable actor and that he'd be collecting an award.

The film festival is taking place downtown in Bellevue, right by the lakeside. Pictured: the development of the festival venue under way...

The film itself was the usual Hollywood big-budget spiel that you'd expect, and the plot probably wasn't the most original – the protagonists plot to develop a vaccination against a worldwide bird-flu-esque epidemic. However, having said that, I enjoyed it very much!