Nov

28

Tricky Question

Filed Under Humor, Migrant Life, Society & Culture | 17 Comments


Beginning today, I’ll make it a policy to be on guard when someone I hardly know asks me: “So, how’s life in Switzerland?”

Being the overly honest person that I am, I always blurt out unedited responses that detail my struggles as a Filipino who has to learn German first, French second, and maybe even Italian once I’ve achieved fluency and proficiency in both — yes, folks, I can be delusional — to be able to successfully integrate into Swiss society.

During these interesting interludes when I also mention the pros of living in Switzerland — i.e. the abundance of creamy and yummy chocolates, the existence of reliable public transportation, the cleanliness of the environment, the availability of fresh food items in supermarkets, the presence of buskers on the streets (I like them), and lest I forget, the professionalism of honest and hard-working Swiss people — I get unpleasantly surprised when the person I’m talking to begins to judge me for voicing out my “areas of weakness.”

What I then hear is a litany of If-I-were-you remarks and tips on how to change my “wrong attitude.” This is what you could have done, that is what you should still do, so on and so forth.

Not that I really mind. It’s just not…helpful. Had I known that I would be subjected to an unsolicited lecture on Swiss integration from someone who has not even lived in Switzerland on a long-term basis or from someone who has never even set foot on Swiss soil before but has just read about the country as an armchair traveler, I would have prepared a scripted reply to the now ubiquitous question in my life:

“Jayred, how’s life in Switzerland?”

“Great! Great! The hills are literally alive in Switzerland. I dare say one could even film the sequel to the movie Sound of Music there — really. And the cows are well fed. The milk is fresh. The chocolates are oh, so good. And the cheese fondue…wow! I don’t even eat cheese, but now I do! And oh, the Swiss cuckoo clocks look and sound nice, quite on a par with their German counterparts. Um, what else? The Victorinox Swiss knives have lots of new designs. And the watches…clearly, there’s nothing like Swiss-made. On top of it all, the place is so clean, even sterile! And it’s so quiet in our noise-free apartment building I could even hear my own breathing! So, what more could I ask for?”

It’s easier this way, ja?

RANDOM TIP: Choose the right people you can share your real sentiments with. There is nothing like having true friends with whom you can be yourself without worrying if you will be judged for saying what’s in your heart.

Nov

25

Carrefour Hypermart

Filed Under Business & Finance, Consumer Concerns | 11 Comments


I like the fact that we live in an area where shopping in the French hypermarket Carrefour is just 15-20 minutes away by car. Carrefour is probably the equivalent of the Philippine’s Cash & Carry or Shopwise.

At Carrefour, consumers are presented shelves upon shelves of product choices — from electronic equipment and household products to food items and clothing — which are surprisingly cheap by Swiss standards. (Remember, Pinoys: Don’t ever do franc-peso conversions when shopping in Switzerland. You’ll just end up whining and complaining like mad till you arrive back home in Manila.)

Every time my husband and I do our grocery shopping at Carrefour, we buy things in bulk although we don’t really have an American type of fridge that can accommodate perishables for a family of five for a week. So we simply stock up on dry goods instead and just buy meat, fish and veggies good for two to three days.

Carrefour is also the place where we buy stuff for our home office (e.g. colored ink cartridges or reams of environment-friendly bond paper) and where I purchase my arts and crafts kits (e.g. a set of acrylic paints plus canvass and paintbrush) for my “personal therapy sessions,” highly recommended for Asian expatriates who might lose their sanity, trying to remember all the Swiss rules and regulations to follow.

I like going to Carrefour because it somewhat reminds me of home. Those giant shelves and wet market section look familiar to me (never mind the fact that product and price labels are in French). I like the supermarket layout, the high ceilings, and the wide aisle spaces. And yes, the affordable prices that temporarily give relief to my sometimes weary consumer heart.

RANDOM TIP: When new in a foreign land, always try to find out where to buy cheap yet quality food and non-food items. The nearest supermarket or convenience store may not be the one for you, budget-wise. (For Swiss residents only: A list of Carrefour outlets in Switzerland can be found here.)

Nov

2

Thrift Shops

Filed Under Business & Finance, Consumer Concerns, Travel/People & Places | 8 Comments


One rainy August afternoon, my husband and I spontaneously visited two thrift shops a few kilometers from Interlaken. We were supposed to go see some spectacular waterfalls in a place called Lauterbrunnen. But our Hyundai Atos, which had probably read my mind and had paranormally known the true yearnings of my heart, took the wrong turn and led us instead to a small village where two warehouses with a huge signage “Second Hand Shop” beckoned us to take a look at some dirt cheap items on sale.

Before I proceed, I must make this clear: I was never the ukay ukay type of person when I was still living in Manila. I never really warmed up to the idea of buying used clothing or shoes of other people who may have had suffered from body odor or some sort of fungal infection at some point in their life.

But the thrift shops we visited in August were of a different sort. The merchandise on display were not restricted to clothes and shoes. There were items for the kitchen and for the workshop, for instance; you know, the type that didn’t require intimate body contact.

The first shop offers a host of used but sturdy furniture (had we brought a van, we could have bought a writing table), while the second one sells regular household items — from tea sets, flower vases and home decors to books, bags and chairs — plus clothing and accessories at low, low prices that made me think that not all prices in Switzerland are that bad after all.

The brocante fan in me bought two wooden boxes at the second thrift shop — yes, I collect boxes; I’m ’square’ in that respect — pegged at CHF1.00 (USD .80) each. Then there was this charming giant milk can which, if I remember right, I got for only CHF3.00 (USD 2.40). I made a beeline for the kitchenware shelves where a Bodum water pot, milk jugs, coffee pots, and soup bowls beckoned me to take them home. I also bagged some clean table covers (to be used for our future flea market stints), a rectangular basket (gratis, actually), and more wooden boxes. If only we had some extra space in our tiny car, I could have bought the whole shop. But alas, our Hyundai Atos was already bursting with bought souvenir items from Interlaken, including a brand new cuckoo clock. Besides, the antique baby cradle-cum-stroller, bought by my husband at the nearby furniture thrift shop for only CHF10.00 (USD 8.00), was already hogging the space at the back of the car.

When we finished packing our thrift shop treasures inside the car (what a struggle), we hied off to our original destination to see the waterfalls in Lauterbrunnen where I saw hordes of camera-toting Japanese tourists. I took some shots of the falls, and after only a few minutes, goaded my husband to drive back to the backpackers hotel in Interlaken where we were billeted for two nights. I said I was fast turning Japanese, and that was not normal. Besides, I wanted to inspect our thrift shop goods pronto.

It was, overall, a nice experience. If only for the Swiss thrift shops, I’d like to stay a few more years in Switzerland. And I say this without sarcasm — I hope.

RANDOM TIP: There are lots of thrift shops in Switzerland. Go on treasure hunts in these second hand shops where you’re bound to find some things of worth even though they are already somebody else’s junk. Normally, such finds are still in good condition. So be diligent in your search.