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Why is it so hard to make friends in Switzerland??

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Is it just me or is it really hard to find some people in Switzerland who are willing to make good friends with you (especially to foreigners)??
I've been there for only 6 months and I heard you need at least 3 months to completely settle down there so maybe I've been there just too short...what do you think?

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  • pubblicato da  in Svizzera forum  

    I can meet you guys. Nothing against it.

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  • Tamo J.

    pubblicato da  in Svizzera forum  

    why don't we all meet and make friends ?

  • Vai al profilo di Daniel L

    pubblicato da  in Svizzera forum  

    Ouch!! :D :D

    I haven't been on this forum for a while now but I am loving the discussion here. Seems as if other people have come to the same conclusion I did a while back.

    In general I agree with what Mr. Hienze wrote but have to add that the Swiss are especially difficult to get to know and are quite close minded in my experience. And yes the word Xenophobe is probably more applicable than Rascist.

  • pubblicato da  in Svizzera forum  

    It is always wrong to say "if you don't like it, then leave". Are you living in Switzerland, then?

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  • Vai al profilo di agirlingeneva .

    pubblicato da  in Svizzera forum  

    I don't know the exact meaning of this word 'multicultural' but just because a country/city has a lot people from a lot of countries does not necessarily make it multicultural IMHO. When I first arrived in Geneva I thought it was so cool that there were people from nearly every country in the world but it's all bullshit. There is no sense of community... In Paris, for example, there is a Chinatown where you can find Asian grocery stores and tons of good (and cheap) restaurants. Is there such a place in Geneva? I don't think so. In all the major cities of the world they celebrate Chinese New Year (which is one of the biggest celebrations of the year, celebrated by more people than Christmas btw) and yet in Geneva do I even see ONE sign of this? Nope. Nothing. No red banners, no dragons, no fireworks, no special food sold, absolutely nothing. And it's supposed to be multicultural? My butt. This is just one example but they don't really celebrate other national holidays or festivities either and there is no Spanish or Italian quarter, for example.. OK, sure there is Carouge which is supposedly Italian but I don't know.. maybe it's not a gripe against Geneva but against small country with small minded people.

    Look, even Annecy, a city with only 50,000 people (and in the same region of the world/Europe) celebrates CNY with its own parade. http://www.cityvox.fr/fete-et-animation_annecy/nouvel-an-chi
    nois_95611/Profil-Eve

    Anglo countries are definitely a billion times more welcoming towards foreigners than most continental European ones. I guess I just have to deal with it as it's a cultural thing.

  • Vai al profilo di canuck s

    pubblicato da  in Svizzera forum  

    but arent you generalizing yourself by saying that making friends is hard in all "immigration" countries as you put it?

    Look, I speak from experience as well, I never had issues making friends in Canada. My Russian friends who immigrated to Canada after age 30 (i add age as a determining factor) had no problems making friends (myself included). My African friend with Pakistani heritage had no problems making friends, getting married, starting a family in Canada....maybe Canadians tend to be friendlier towards immigrants because so many people in Canada are immigrants, or first or second generation Canadians, maybe because we all went to school with first generation kids with parents from poland, ukraine, phillipines, asia, etc. Maybe because the melting pot Canadian culture is understanding, empathetic and supportive instead of doing everything in their power to hinder integration. For me that's real multiculuralism. Not just a country that brags about having 4 national languages but shares a hate towards foreigners.

    And as a side note to all those swiss people who say, if you dont like it then leave, why dont you try immigrating for a change? with NO family, state, or financial support whatsoever. It's expensive you fools and you have to start from zero every single time. But you wouldnt know that, having remained ignorant your entire lives.

  • Vai al profilo di Andreas Hienze

    pubblicato da  in Svizzera forum  

    I guess it is always a kind of difficult task to meet and make new friends, you can't just generalise about any country or culture. Switzerland is a multi-cultural society, so there are a great variety of people with different backgrounds. Back in the days I studied in Madrid, and although Spanish people are known to be warm and friendly people, which a lot of them are, a great deal of Spaniards at Uni weren't looking for new friends like the international students were. Also, the Spanish were very nationalistic, a characteristic of a lot countries I have travelled to, from Turkey to Vietnam. My point is it is also often very subjective what to call "nationalistic" and what "racist". I do agree though that some decisions made in Switzerland go too far and that racism can be called an issue, however, I don't know of any "Immigration country" which doesn't face that problem, be it Germany, the US or Australia.

  • pubblicato da  in Svizzera forum  

    Friends

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  • Vai al profilo di Mieky Porta

    pubblicato da  in Svizzera forum  

    I Have been living in switzerland for 14 years and I DO NOT HAVE A SINGLE SWISS FRIEND. I come from an english speaking country So far away!!! if you get the picture, A foreigner will die a foreigner here in switzerland(it not like if you have a swiss passport)+(which I am fighting to get) you will wear a swiss tee shirt and pround of it. On the swiss national day.It is a very racist country if you do not speak swiss german you are S...., anyway who want to speak that funny language let alone learn it !!!! And believe me in my personal experiences the mafia started here before it moves to Italiy!!!!!

    FOREIGNER WILL DIE FOREIGNER AND THERE IS NOTHING TO DO HERE MOUNTAINS !! There is no live here work work , gruezi herr so and so that all!!!!

    People ( Foreigners) that are talking so nice about this little island surrounded by all the civilized country get a grip and wake up !!!!

    Oh I almost forget the SWISS they are nice in THAILAND where they can buy human meet ( girls) and get wild outside their little boxes !!!!

  • pubblicato da  in Svizzera forum  

    Well I find, the Swiss are oftern very much work focused. No mistakes are allowed. One of my supervisors fell off the chair with a burn out and the "girl" who is now in his position critizes every small mistake made. For example at the moment I have to work for 2 people as HR was not able to recrute for a new team member who left about 3,5 months ago. I forgot to book off CHF 37,35 in our favor on a Friday evening at 19:15. The first thing I heard on Monday morning was why?? She could not understand that worjing for two people for 3 months s.t. leads to stuff being not done on time. Our head sales manager was German and they fired him. In a meeting the Swiss CEO told us "now we are looking for someone more like me who also understands the "Swiss Mentality". The German sales manager was found 6 months later in bath tub after having a heart attack. I never forget the day he said good bye to all of us with sweat on his forehead.

    Another time we were delivered Ice Cream in the summer stored in a big freezer. 2 girls took out a bag full of ice cream and tucked it away just in case someone should want one of the sort they like the most. So when I went to take one at 35 degrees outside I was told they are all counted for!!!! These people are so small minded it just gives you the chills sometimes. No joke, another supervisor from Austria whom the girls did not like took an ice cream and one of the girls then paraded the bag in the office saying out loud "hmmm I wonder who took the ice cream they were especially reserved for us". These people are mad. I think swiss think they are hard working but often they just talk a lot and then criitizise others for the smallest mistake being made. By saying sorry I have only two hands and cannot do 3 things at once I was told "but we all have to cover for other people. S.t. I really feel like this country is a golden cage. You live, you survive but there is no freedom or peace of mind. I whish I had not stayed that long and am looking for a job back home.

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