Story of My Life in Geneva: Cultural Differences...

As I was thinking about this weeks blog, it dawned on me that we have now officially been here for eight months- over half a year! The time has definitely gone very fast- and every day I continue to learn or observe something new about this unique country I currently call home. Here are some of the cultural differences that I have noticed since living here.

Smoking and Drinking: This is one topic that still continues to amaze me- Europeans are far more lax when it comes to smoking and drinking. The legal age to smoke is 16, yet it is not entirely enforced. It is not uncommon for me to see kids smoking at bus stops, outside of the school, etc, who appear to be very young. Thankfully, it is not legal to smoke in restaurants, stores, any public areas. Alcohol is another difference that I have noticed while living here. The Swiss can start drinking and buying wine and beer when they are 16, and 18 to purchase and drink hard liquor. One would think with lower drinking ages you would see young teenagers abusing their right to drink all around town, yet it is not something we have observed. Drinking in public is also not a big deal in Europe. You can have alcohol with you basically anywhere, anytime. In the summer, people are all along the lakeside enjoying food and drinks, all which they have brought from home. You can actually go into restaurants and ask for a 'to-go' cup for your drink, or if you are sitting in a restaurant and want to leave, you can also ask for a cup to take your drink with you.

Kids: Kids are extremely independent at a very young age in Switzerland. I recently read a news story about a Maryland couple being charged for child neglect because they allowed their six and ten year old to walk to the neighborhood park by themselves- this made me think about the number of children I observe throughout my day who are independently getting themselves around town. It is not uncommon for kids to walk to school by themselves starting at age five. It is also not uncommon for kids to take the city bus and/or trams to get to and from school by themselves. Our neighbor, who is nine, walks about a mile to the bus stop, takes the bus to the tram station, and then takes the tram to school all by himself. This is the norm. Parents are not judged- they are praised for raising such independent children. You also see many more kids on scooters and bikes at a young age versus being pushed in strollers. I see two year olds cruising along on scooters and balance bikes. Kids are much more active- many families don't own cars, so they are used to walking or taking public transport from point A to point B. Children are also taught at a young age how to behave and for the most part are very polite and proper, especially in public places. Which has turned out to be a challenge for our 'lovely' girls. They are not always proper, and when this happens out in public places, it is not socially acceptable. It really is stressful to take them shopping because unless they are acting like angels, which let's face it seems entirely impossible for a two year old, we definitely feel unwelcome.

Customer Service: My expectation for customer service has basically been depleted over the last seven months. When you enter a store, I already have an expectation that I will encounter long lines and very little help if needed. I understand the language barrier and I am sure the Swiss are tired of dealing with Americans, but I would love for them to at least try. I will ask for something and basically be ignored as if I don't exist. In order to get service at a restaurant you have to track down the servers with extreme eye contact- they will not come by every few minutes to check on you. Also, never order anything not advertised on a menu, or you better be ready to pay the price! We have learned this the hard way. Many restaurants will not have prices laid out for their cocktails- which can lead to unexpected prices.

Fashion: I always wondered how people knew we were American when we traveled to Europe before, I think I have now figured out one way, our fashion. Since living here my beloved yoga pants have been pushed to the back of the closet- no longer can they be worn freely around town. If you are wearing exercise type clothing here, you are likely on your way to the gym or coming back from the gym. That includes tennis shoes- only tourists and expats walk the streets in tennis shoes. You can also tell by the jeans- people only wear skinny jeans here- I rarely see anyone wearing even boot cut. I have a few pairs of boot-cut and I feel like I scream "I am American" when I wear them. Scarves, scarves, and more scarves. Men and women here love wearing scarves- they are part of the outfit- not just worn for warmth. I have just started to notice the transition between winter scarves and spring scarves. Which brings me to the last point, when it starts to get warm- that doesn't mean the shorts and flip flops come out. It has been in the 60's this whole week, beautiful warn sunny days, and the Swiss are still all bundled up.

Although life as an expat can be challenging at times, we are definitely enjoying living in Geneva.

We are looking forward to Chris' brother's visit this upcoming week- Adalyn has been counting down the days.

Here are some pictures from the past two weeks-