I hate that people automatically assume that you have a lot of money just because you're from Switzerland. Like no we also have to pay so much taxes and stuff is expensivee

Well I disagree with you on your first point I like to be left alone in stores and to not always have a waitress around me. I have a week-end job as a waitress myself and I feel like I'm annoying people when I turn up every five minutes asking if everything's alright. Besides, I guess the service in restaurants in the states and probably Canada too is only so good bc they depend on the tip, here wages are high enough.

I'd probably actually like #1 about Switzerland... I'm very get in/get out when I go into establishments and find friendliness and small talk annoying. I'd only be bothered if someone was actively rude to me.

Totally agree about finding friends - they stay in their own circle at the end of the day and the smaller the town, the bigger the ´incestual´(among friends) situation in dating

I've lived in multiple countries and I completely understand that you don't have to 100% love the country you live in. Every country has lots of pros and cons and we just have find the one that has cons we can live with :)

it's even hard to find new friends when you're Swiss.

Irgendwelchi schwiizr da?

well, I'm a student working as a part time waitress and I feel a little offended by your first point. I am very polite, always smiling and in a good mood. maybe you just weren't at the right restaurant yet😉

I live in Switzerland. I wear bold and alternative clothing. Sometimes I get treated quite differently for it. (And not in a good way. They stare disapprovingly and they mostly underestimate me.) Still, it's always important to stay true to yourself. You've only got one life. Also, it depends where you live in Switzerland. In some places, there are more alternative people than in other ones.

I'm swiss, I have lived in the US and I agree more the less with almost everything she said. I have my reserves on number 10 though. A decentralized system allows for a better management of cantons and take into account various sensibilities depending on the population. For a fact french speakers, swiss-italians and swiss-germans have very different mentalities and therefor you could not apply the same rules. Also, on the case of making friends, she is talking about the swiss german area of Switzerland. People are a little more open on the french and italian speaking parts. But still not that easy though. A little uptight.

I guess that service personel in North America is mainly super friendly because a big part of their salary is tips: no smile - no tips. In Switzerland you're not obliged to tip because the wages are fine but we mostly do when service is good.

One of the things I loved about living in Switzerland was the breathtaking beauty EVERYWHERE. So absolutely gorgeous! The chocolates! Organized! Also I learned to relax about dieting. Take it easy and eat less food and healthier foods and exercise a little. It’s a healthier approach to fitness I managed to get fit and stay fit.

I think there is a big difference between the German speaking part of Switzerland and the French speaking part.

Gurl. It's like you are describing Norway. I moved 9 years ago, and I have experienced exactly the same.

In Germany the service is similar but I don't mind that actually. North Americans are very entitled because of this 'customer is always right' bull and I've seen how atrocious guests or customers can be to service people. So I think they are treated here with far more dignity. Service is breif and to the point. I'm here for the food and layout of the restaurant not for the staff.

"hate" is a bit much...maybe "dislike"? 1.Bad Service - People here think it's annoying if your waiter is constantly interrupting you and your guests, if they want something they will call the waiter. Also people do not think highly of superficial "niceness" and "false" smiles; they can even feel uncomfortable and annoyed or even somewhat threatened because they suspect you of planning something underhanded while putting up a front of false niceness. 2.Yeah it's expensive; on the other hand, it encourages you to learn to cook.XD 3.Yeah..stuff is somewhat expensive...-_-; so one learns where to buy less expensive stuff...like germany or farmer's market or local shops, etc. 4.There is a saying in switzerland and europe, that goes something like this: "Earn a swiss person's friendship and you earn it for life." Make an effort, invite them to dinner at your home, or a local pub, find common interests, respect their ways of doing things and be patient; and before you know it they will open up to you. 5. Fast food means too much food at the ready, which end in obiecety. One learns to cook a good burger.XD or go to a restaurant that specialises on meats and stuff. 6. Being your definition of what is conservative is *also* a way of being oneself; they are all individuals and, luckily, do not conform to your or anyone else's definition of "being themselves". Just because they do not dress the way you like ("wearing weird outfits or bright colourful clothing", etc.) does not mean they are not themselves. They are a free people and have,to many people's surprise, individual agency. *PS: Diverse ≠ "people who look different from each-other"(cause that's stupid and racist); diverse = "Diversity of thought"*. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/r5Z4fsqkkpbedI0.html 7. You are not looking hard enough, there are many shops out there with a lot of different clothing. If you need "unique" stuff: do it yourself or go to a tailor. The Swiss consider clean and simple clothing as well as black and darker-coloured fabrics to be stylish and classy. So, like so many places around the world, fashion in Switzerland says, “when in doubt, wear black.” PS. www.weconnectfashion.com/articles/the-apparel-market-in-switzerland. 8. Swiss people tend to look for or find "vocations"/"professions" not "jobs"...most of them actually like their work. If you want to work less: ask your employer. 9. Nurseries are F-ing expensive. BUT: According to the Swiss School law there are no fees to be taken for the school system which includes kindergarten as long as the child lives within the Kanton respectively community (Gemeinde). Kindergarten is there to accompany the child for the last two to three years before their enrolment into primary school at the age of 5-6. It therefore does not really have a minimum entry age and it is not compulsory. 10. Switzerland is a federation. It works, is efficient and has worked well for a long long time. Yes they tend to say where the are from this and that canton or place, BUT the swiss from different swiss cantons consider each other and themselves as swiss before anything else. It is not true that cantons, and thus their people, do not care about other cantons; that is also a part of being in a federation with a federal government: you care about the other parties, but keep an optimal amount of sovereignty. I do not see the problem. PS. healthy rivalries are good for competition and profit. www.howtolearn.com/2012/11/healthy-vs-unhealthy-competition/

What about if you live near a border town, can't you just do a weekly outing across the border into France, Germany, Italy etc. and get your food shopping etc cheaper?

Its also very very hard to make friends in the Netherlands. People have to make appointments to go visit their parents and grandparents

I'm of Swiss ancestors who immigrated to the USA in the late 1880s. I've been to my great grandfathers home town Zweisimmen (kinda south of Bern) about 4 times and love it there. My family has been living in the same house (added onto many times from a large one room hut) on the mountainside since late 1500's and the 7th generation is in there still. My great grandma was fro Zurich and I've been there too. I most enjoyed my many ski trips in Switzerland. I lived in Germany for near 8 years and my favorite trip was to visit my Swiss cousins. A beautiful town surrounded by mountains and a great ski area near ton! It's lovely!

I agree with the customer service thing. I'm a Canadian who has done a ton of travelling around Europe and I've noticed that in a lot of countries. The attitude of those working in restaurants ranges from indifferent to downright insulting. The thing that bothers me most is that where I've noticed the wait staff being really rude is in countries where their economy isn't doing well and they depend on tourism. But they see us as a nuisance instead of a good source of revenue.

I am living now since 2 years in swiss and I have no clue where you live there and what ppl you met but I have the completely opposite experience when it comes to the ppl or to beeing accepted for who you are and I also made friends right away... just saying

I‘m Swiss, born in canton de Vaud and live now in Lucern and I 100% agree with you!! I met my man in San Diego (he is Swiss German) and we really miss the services, the easy way to make friends etc... I live in Lucern since 9 years and still think hard to make friends.... love your videos 👍🏻

Swiss restaurants hire servers from all around europe and often with a limited contract durations. Yes, bad service is often resulting. Anyhow, the Swiss are having many small familiy owned and run restaurant as well where even the boss is personally coming to the table for a chat.

I do agree with some of the points even thought I feel you are stretching things a bit here and there. BUT the message I get from you is "I live in Switzerland and hate that it is not like the US/Canada". Reminds me of people moving next to an airport and then complaining about the noise... Many of the unmentioned things that are great in Switzerland are BECAUSE of the high prices: Low crime rates, low poverty, excellent public transportation, clean cities, stability and much more are bought with this. One can not have one without the other and considering where you live I would say you have made your choice between them...

That was so interesting! I have never been to either Canada or Switzerland, so I am always interested in learning new things :) I am wondering: What made you move to Switzerland? (If the question is too personal I apologize)

Where abouts do you leave in Switzerland? I am British and Dutch and I live in Geneva and while I do agree with some, I also disagree with some of your points. Everything is ridiculously over priced as you said and the shops are all the same everywhere you go. But I find that making friends is quite easy and that people are very open here. I am a teenager and I go to an international school so I don't know what adult life is like here. Therefore I guess it makes sense that our experiences are different as well. I really loved this video though as I love watching KZfaqrs who live in Switzerland and I love seeing your perspective on living here! Definitely going to go and checkout the Top 10 Things video! Thank you so much for making this video! 😊

I like to quote a good integrated german friend: if u have problems with integration in switzerland, do the same thing he did... join a sports club.

Canada represent! I live in Switz right now too and can relate to some of these especially the service one

Best fast food by far in Switzerland are Kebabs. It tastes super good, costs as much as the others but you get way more food, and the best thing is that it's not a chain, so all the profits go to the workers, who are generally there in a family business.

That's so interesting! I love these kinds of videos from you Julia, you're just so honnest. I would love to see a 10 things you love/hate about Canada, being Canadian myself I would find that very interesting, especially since you have the kind of perspective that few have because of how you have dual citizenship and have lived in 2-3 different countries and all. (Also I laughed at the fast food one, again, so honnest 😂)

Hi Julia, thanks so much for being so clear about some key aspects of living in Switzerland. I am thinking on moving there and this information is quite enlightening for what my approach will be if I decide to go and live there... By the way you look so amazing the choices of colors in your makeup are just amazing you look great! It is a bum that shopping is not so hot there, since everyone I know goes quite crazy jealous when I get some Swiss product and one would assume it was a different more exciting experience than what you describe... The sense of country is important, without that... You can't feel great or live well, and having nasty people serving you will get me in trouble since I demand excellent service all the time... Be well and take care!

I don't find that accurate about the service at restaurants and stores.. In Canada, I've had terrible service both in restaurants, the post office, malls, grocery stores. Literally anywhere. But then, there have been a few times that we've had amazing service. I that that totally depends on a variety of factors. And not just the location.

The first two points (cost of dining out and bad service) are very different where you are in Switzerland. It is a big diffence if you are in Zurich-City or somewhere in Bernese Oberland. And it is also dependent from the time. But yes... I was in Vancouver BC for three months and I was really amazed how friendy they are there. I would wish Switzerland would be so friendly too.

We visited last year California again after 18 years. I fel they‘ve changed a lot. Prices in restaurants, hotels were quite high and the service in restaurants / shops was not as nice as it used to be. And in supermarkets produce is expensiv.

Well, I don't think number one is necessarily a bad thing, it's just different. I personally find the over-politeness in the US of waiters kinda annoying and especially insincere. It's not because we're rude, we're just not as expressive, and also we don't depend on tips in order to live (which I think it's kind of messed up. It's so expensive btw, because we pay them fair wages). Like it's nice if you get along with the waiter, but in the end, if they bring you the food and are not rude about it, they've done their job. Emotional work is not required.

I love your honest, keeping it real videos :-)

Making friends when you're older than twelve is soo difficult even when both people are from switzerland lol

I would LOVE to visit Switzerland it’s so beautiful!

Love the video! I'm Swiss and love my country, but there are downsides, and I feel like you pinpointed them very accurately! One thing that strikes me about Kantönligeist: I was having a conversation online with an American guy I play with, and he told me about how proud of their country Americans are. I told him it wasn't like this here and he was very shocked. I then realised we don't emphasise "Swiss pride", but we definitely emphasize Kanton pride! Having been born and raised in Geneva, my favourite holiday growing up was l'Escalade. Also, people will have the opinion that those who are from Geneva are very "French", yet when they learn my mom is from Wallis they change their opinion quickly (and think I probably drink too much :P). Kanton really is very important here, much more than anything on a national level. Yet, we still share some Swiss values as a whole: hard diligent work, cleanliness and recycling, a neutrality that makes us appear tolerant while we sometimes actually are just silently judging everyone, punctuality and indeed a certain form of conformism. That's obviously not to say that all Swiss people are like that (heck, I don't fit in some categories here) but these are the values we're raised with, those that are held up by institutions, and any Swiss that would read this list would think "Ah, that's about my country".

I'd love to visit Switzerland, it's so beautiful. Have you ever been to Australia. I feel it's similar in costs but maybe a little less than Switzerland.

I'm Swiss and South African and I can understand a lot of what you're saying, except that the things that bother you about shopping here are pretty irrelevant to me. I'm also not impressed with the food, particularly at that price, but then, I like African meals and avoid fast food whenever I can.I find the degree of self-satsifaction here pretty hard to take as well, and the tendency people have to keep their eye on what you're doing and correct you when they believe you're stepping out of line. It's unbelievable to me that anyone could have dogmas about how to hang washing, issue a dog with a Swiss passport - you name it...

I went there in 2016 on a work trip for Lonely Planet & Swiss Tourism. So I simply loved it. I am going there in next July on my own and will come to know the difference :) but I liked your video. makes lot of sense.

I agree on the bad service... BUT in the little cities or in villages I think the service is better.

We have the insane mark-ups in Israel too (with cosmetics especially), and it's absurd. Pretty much the same price range you described at least for makeup. We have "sales" which are essentially "this is a less horrible price for this item that you would have wanted as the normal original price". I buy pretty much anything I can online.

I think a lot of what you said depends on where you live. Most of the things you criticise don't apply to my Kanton: Basel-Stadt. Except for the Kantönligeist xD

The bad service and expensiveness in terms of eating out components are EXACTLY the same in here in Turkey. Love you btw Julia xx

I love your video ,very informative

I agree so much! Very good points! I've lived in Switzerland all my life and I just started realising a few years back how awful it is and how many things are so backwards and we don't even think about it (like that we earn so much but can never eat out) soo thank youuu for thiss, it was so interesting too

Making friends in Austria is also very difficult. Also in Austria people stay friends with their friends from school or education. Foreigners have a tough time integrating.

Honest opinion, HIGHLY APPRECIATED Julia! I feel locked in UK and I always wonder if Switz. Was a perfection.....

Funny! I‘m Swiss living in Japan, moving back to Switzerland soon and some of the points (like society being conservative and the work-life balance) are things that really annoy me about Japan and are way worse here than in Switzerland. I guess it‘s all a matter of comparison :)

I love that idea of paying based on percentage of salary. That's a really good solution!

160fr zum ässä :D issisch du gold?

Honestly, I can't understand ppl complaining about working more and not having work-life-balance. First thing - this is a personal decision to make - also regarding how much you want to earn and which kind of profession you work in. Looking at the IT field it's been normal for a long time to work 10h/day or more when there is a project to finish, or some trouble to be fixed. (yes in your neighbor countries ;-)) That's just something you have to be aware of when you choose this profession. (Similar to the ppl working in hospital, it's normal to work in shifts.) So best thing is to be self employed, then you can create your own schedule ;-)

I don't know where in Switzerland you live. I live in the Kanton of AG, about half an hour from the German border and I usually do my shopping in Waldshut-Tiengen. You get the same products at a fraction of the Swiss price and German restaurants have much better service!

I'm Swiss and completely agree! Especially about making friends and the bad service!

I was at Zurich good service at a restaurant and bar. People in the street not friendly, I was lost asking for directions and they ignore me. I had a better experience in France and italy

The costs that you were talking about seems similar to Australia. You can pay $16-35 for a drugstore mascara.

Hi Julia, I agree on every point, my +1 is the crazy expensive rental prices and the almost ridiculous process. I used to live in Geneva, and a friend of mine (she is originally from Florida) recommended us the Holy Cow Burger Restaurant, I think it is worth trying :)

I thought for sure you would talk about the post...you have mentioned that several times in videos!

As a swiss person I must say, this video aswell as the video where you list the 10 things you like about Switzerland is quite the most accurate video about Switzerland there is on KZfaq. I couldnt agree more with how you display everyday life in this country. Great job.

3. on the other hand, people consume less that way. 10. its the biggest part of the whole culture.

I am swiss and about money it's so true, the best example is McDonald's, a regular medium menu is between 15 and 20 dollars and only French fries coast 4 dollars so you absolutely don't go to McDonald's because its cheap

Have you ever considered moving to Germany? :) The service sector is also atrocious (guess that's a central European thing?) but in general life costs are sooo much lower and in bigger cities you have a lot of cultural/social/food diversity :) Especially in big media cities like Cologne, Berlin or Hamburg

I agree, I'm from Geneva and the things you mentioned really annoy me about Switzerland. The swiss moto is to give the image of a rich country where YOU will be rich if you come and work for them, but actually it is an excuse to suck you dry, take a big part of your money and maintain their riches that way. The "big salary" is just an excuse so that they can charge a lot of money for everything, the amount of CHF that goes into taxes, health insurance and rent is insane. They also hire a lot of people coming from abroad, not because of the international aspect, but because they can negotiate lower salaries with them and take a good amount of money for the taxes given that these people are not Swiss by nationality. On an average swiss salary you don't have that much left if you want to live comfortably and save money for vacation etc. Food is incredibly expensive that's why a lot of people from Geneva buy their groceries in France. Also, night life during the week is non-existent, because the working hours are so excruciating, I know a lot of people who work 10+ hours a day. The streets are kinda empty at 10pm which is sad compared to other cities like Barcelona, Paris, Rome etc. Take it from someone who's spent their life here, Switzerland is not what they want you to think it is, so don't be fooled.

so fun to see......sweden has with the shopping been a lot like Switzerland...stores take forever to come here....and if they do...very over priced...starting to get better though...fun to hear...lots 0f love

Hi Julia! Do you have any recommendations for a fellow Canadian planning to visit Switzerland in March? I hear the weather can be a bit dreary.

So true... so true everything... shopping and Fast food...oh yeah Btw... really good Lightsituation... looks great your MakeUp and the Light in the eyes

LoL of course there's better service in America, waiters in America are almost slaves ,shitty pay and they depend on the tip's, so yeah they better do a good service...

Why do you care what people think? If you want to wear a bright color, wear it. I was once in Germany ( in the country side) and I wore a faux fur hat, everyone looked weird at me, but I didn’t care because I felt good and that’s all that matters. If you feel good with yourself, why do you care what others think? Maybe if a few people will start going out of what’s considered “normal”, more will follow and the perception of people will change.

The service here in germany are the same. Nobody greets you or tell or ask you how your meal was.

I totally agree

I agree 100% with everything you said with exception of numner 8-work-life balance.

All of this is literally the same as Denmark. Everything here is so expensive, and we have to pay 25% extra on all imported products and i can only buy stuff from outside the EU if its below $11, otherwise we'll have to pay 25% extra + import fees, which is double the price and if its above $120, we also have to pay taxes to get it, which is 45%, so it sucks. And we only have like- MACs and Sephoras in like three cities and its just bad as a whole.

Damn right about the burgers. I live in Lausanne and everyone reckons "Holy Cow" is fantastic. It's not!! It's bland.

As for what surprised me about Switzerland - I've only been to Geneva, and very briefly at that. But good grief was I ever shocked at what a McDonalds' meal cost there. It took my breath away!

This is great. I like this a lot.

In regard to #8 my dad stays at home while my mom works full time. I feel like it’s not that common but also not really frowned upon or anything like that (I’m “100%” swiss btw)

It just depends where you go buy your stuff/where you go to eat something. I think ppl in villages are nicer than those from the city.

That's so true. So I go always shopping in France

I live in switzerland but like 5 mins away from germany and 5 mins away from france.. sooo i eat a lot in germany and buy a lot of my daily stuff there as well. And i would never move away from my place bc i love switzerland and i love germany aswell.

Wouldn't the higher import costs by not being in the EU account for the mark up you mention?

Is it possible to survive in Switzerland by speaking english only? I mean at least until I catch up with french? I'm part Swiss but live in Croatia and can't wait to get out...

Come over here in Sydney Australia, 😍😊😊 you will enjoy the country and most of all we’re not that expensive.. anyway thank u so much to ur video. As I’m going to Zurich in 4 months time. It gave me some idea, though someone already told me that Switzerland is very pricey place.😊😊 more power to ur channel.. godbless

I agree with everything you said. Being from the Suisse Romande i'd like to add that I hate how so many things are only in german or badly translated into french. And having lived abroad for 10 years I hate how stores close super early here, specially if you work or study until later in the evening. It's so hard to do groceries, I really have to plan a head.

I would like to visit there and I am vegetarian. Do they have markets where you can buy fresh veggies?

So much of this is true for the Czech Republic too. Except that our mark-up probably isn't as high because/and our wages are low. Much lower than the EU average. And we don't have different laws for different regions, but regional identity is pretty strong in places.

I'm a Swiss living abroad and I agree 100% with all of your 10 points.

Really interesting video!!! Cool to hear about your experiences living in Switzerland, thank you😃 We were recently in Basel and last year in Zurich, and we noticed the expensive food for sure!! I'm an American living in Germany, so it was also interesting to compare your experiences in Switzerland with what I've experienced here.

HI, Julia, U just need more Roeschti for fast food :) I loved it when I was there :)

About all the childcare services and also about everything being expensive. Keep in mind that yes. Everything is expensive. But. In terms of healthcare. Or also pention fund. You wont be out of money if you have an accident. If something happens to your job. If something happens to your house (natural disaster). In all these cases we are looked after!

Im with you 120% as dual citizen as well! (Wisconsin born) Pizza is too expensive also.

Omg. That’s all true!) completely agree!

in österreich ist vieles ähnlich^^ obwohl ich glaub, dass wir zb was kleidung angeht etwas chilliger drauf sind, zumindest bei knalligen farben. wenn man alternativ is wird man ja überall blöd angeschaut. teurer is bei uns auch sehr viel als zb in deutschland und soweit ich weiß verdienen wir hier nicht mehr dort(?)

In vielen Punkten muss ich dir wirklich zustimmen. Als Zugezogene hier neue Freunde zu finden ist extrem schwer. Und mich nervt es manchmal, dass man hier schon wie ein Alien angesehen wird, weil man roten Lippenstift trägt. Und das mit dem Mutterschutz ist auch so eine Sache. Ich finde 3 Monate nach der Geburt wirklich wenig... aber alles im allem haben wir es hier doch ganz gut getroffen ^^

Where are you? You haven’t uploaded in neither channel for almost a month. We miss your videos especially your vlogs and fitfridays

Very interesting Julia! I learned so much from this!❤️

One think I always struggled with when I lived in Switzerland on and off was how it's not a very lively county. If you want to party or go out there are very few options eve when I was in Geneva. I would love to move back when I am older. It's a beautiful country plus there is no other country that does Apfelschorle as well as the Swiss 😊

I have a question for you, is the tip for meals included in the total price when you go out to eat there? I’m asking this because maybe if it is included they don’t have to try hard to give good service because they’ll get a good tip anyways. Here in United States most of them try hard because they know their tip depends on how good the service is

Julia ich lebe in der Schweiz und bin mit all deinen Punkten einverstanden.. Ich lebe schon seehr lange hier (habe meine Ausbildung teilweise hier gemacht) und ich finde es immer noch sehr schwer, Freunde zu finden.