Dave’s Reise nach Osten

When Indian people heard that I am from Switzerland, they often said: “best country in the world” or even worse “paradise”. I could only shrug, as I knew it is not heaven. But there is some truth in this description. I am from one of the most secure countries, from one of the richest countries and all that while it counts as one with very beautiful nature. So I never denied the descriptions. I could tell you here that Switzerland is really heaven or that it is not. Let’s skip that and go directly to my impressions after one year in the east.

My mother drove me home from the airport. The highway was empty, gray, concrete, pot-hole free. A smooth ride with no disruption. But also without anything to look at. There were no animals, no humans, nobody on a bike, bicycle or ox cars. And nobody at the side of the street making fire to keep himself warm.

Which would have been necessary. It was cold. Now it is 15 degree Celsius which counts as warm (spring is coming!), but two weeks ago it was snowing. I saw again how much the climate influences the people.

Everybody has a nice warm house. Or a nice warm appartment. It is just a necessity. You would freeze to death otherwise. That is probably also one reason for our social system. We have to offer housing to the poor, otherwise they die. It looks tough to us to see people sleeping on the street in India. But probably it would be the same here if it would be warm enough all year round.

Swiss people are on time. Everybody knows it. And it is still true. No wonder – who wants to wait in the cold?

Politness and privacy are valued high here. When you enter a local bus on the countryside you say hello when you enter. But for sure nothing more. You don’t start a chat with anyone. Not that it is forbidden. People just don’t know anymore how to do it. There are not many subjects anyway because it could become too private soon.

In India it happened often that someone approached me and we had a smalltalk like the following:
“What is your good name?” – “My name is David.”
“Which your country name?” – “I am from Switzerland.”
“Oh, Swisserland! What is your job?” – “I’m a Software Engineer.” (another ohhh)
“How much you earn?”

It is no problem to ask for the wage in India. I still smile when I think of doing that here. Even good friends don’t talk about their wage. Talking about talking about the wages is already critical. You can do it if you want. But the idea that a stranger asks you in the first little smalltalk how much you earn is so alien to us that I should do it once. And then make a picture of the shocked persons face.

I realized that I am still pretty Swiss. I did not change that much. People started to speak to me on the road in India, but I didn’t approach many people. Okay, it is more difficult when you don’t know how is speaking English and who does not understand a word, so you better rely on the ones approaching you, but still, it is not in my blood to start a smalltalk. I wonder if that privacy thing goes too far sometimes.

I did not have a cultural shock. I really expected one. But now, I am happy that I could just come home and did not have to readjust first. The only thing I felt was this little insecurity. Am I behaving right? Is my behaviour culturally appropriate? Should I behave a little different?

The view from last weekend when I went for skiing