I'm going to Switzerland for a Year!?What to do????

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swissnick

Well, what are you actually doing in Switzerland?! Studying? Travelling? Being an au-pair?

The language spoken depends on the part of the country - the major part speaks German, the Western part speaks French and the Southern Canton of Tessin speaks Italian...

There is a lot to see - medieval towns, snow mountains, picturesque railway lines, beautiful lakes and a lot more. And all that in a very small area (see some links).

What to bring you've asked? Well - to bring into Switzerland or to bring back home? Perhaps buy some special chocolate, some handcrafted wood, a Swiss army knife - OK, most is available in other countries as well...

Greetings from Switzerland!

stepfordswiss

I've lived in Switzerland for over a year now, and when we first arrived the one thing that we found was essential was our copy of this book.... buy a copy!

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Working-Switzerland-Tenth-Survival/dp/190113024X/sr=8-1/qid=1171287831/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-6985853-2475005?ie=UTF8&s=books

truehartc

First, be happy! Switzerland is wonderful. It's a very clean country with a lot of different and gorgeous scenery, and it has a range of activities available.

I've only stayed in Bern and Geneva, but if I left the US - that's where I'd go in a heartbeat.

Bern has big city excitement and industry (like banking); Inteloken has mountain-based activities galore; Geneva is exciting because it's often the site of many international activities.

Fondue is common (for meals and for desserts); others have mentioned knives, skiing, chocolate, and more.

Language: as others said, it depends on where you're going - French, German, Italian, or Romansch are all important, depending on the part of the country where you'll stay.

Remember to stay hydrated (so important in mountainous areas) and to bring sunblock (even if only your face will be exposed while you're out skiing - you could get some sunshine on your nose!).

Remember to contemplate any 'time off' and 'opportunities to travel.' Switzerland has oodles of fun stuff to see and experience, but it's SOOOOO well situated you could easily take a weekend trip to another country for constrast (Belgium, Italy, France, Austria, or Germany are all prime contenders). If you have opportunities to travel in the country or out of it, look into train travel passes. Eurail and other options are friendly, efficient, and cost effective.

Remember to bring an adapter device for any curling irons or hair dryers (or even for cell phone charging, assuming yours will work there, or for a CD player)...

Oh, and if you're a single female American - a word of caution: many in Switzerland can be, uh, touchy-feely in their aproach to trying to persuade you to socialize (even move in) with them. So have a good strategy in mind, as you travel - MANY European places require single ladies to be on guard. :) (A blessing and a curse. Take it seriously.)

Hope this helps; I tried to touch on a variety of things. ENJOY!!!!

grannywinkie

See all of the single men. Bring a wedding band in case you find Mr.Right. When love is present, your eyes tell it all. Ok, just do as others tell you.

perseus

Wonderful.You'll have a great time.The currency is the swiss franc.The languishes are french,italian and old german.Depends on the season of arrival.European seasons are like the USA.Obviously Swizerland is an alpine country If you like skiing you'll have a ball,or any other Winter activities.The Summers are idyillic and lots to see and do.Don't worry you'll aclamatise quickly.Jeans are in vogue all year

Ludi

It's depend on where in Switzerland. For languages, you need to learn French or German according to the site. But in big cities like Zurich, Geneva, people speak English too. You should bring with you: hot clothes for the winter, for the summer, light clothes.

In the mountains, the climate is alpine and in Ticino, for example, near the lakes, the climate is mediterranean.

Switzerland offers you a lot of activities:
- cultural with museums (Olympic Musee in Lausanne, Musee of watch industry in La Chaux-de-Fonds, art Museum,...), festivals of music, of theater,...
-of sport: climbing, sailing, walking, skiing, swimming,....

Have a best time in my country!!

jenstarr

Definately visit Lucerne. It is a very beautiful city. I also suggest a cable car ride to the top of a mountain - The Jungfrau is one of the most touristy but also one of the most expensive. I suggest the Pilatus near Lucerne. I also recommend a visit of the Cheese Factory in Gruyeres. And definately a chocolate factory tour (Caillers is great) - you can even ride the 'chocolate train' and combine the cheese factory and chocolate factory tours together on this trip. I also suggest visiting the Italian part of Switzerland, Ticino. Of course, if you are in Switzerland for a year, France, Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein and Italy are all close.

Bring everything for 4 seasons. Make sure you include your winter gear.

Switzerland has 4 official languages, French, German, Italian and Romansch. I suggest learning either French or German depending on which region you will be spending the most time in. Most people do speak some English, especially in the larger cities.

Have fun!

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