1. "It Can Be Harder To Get Things Done Here" - For some reason...even the simplest of tasks can be a little trickier here. The U.S. is a country filled with conveniences. That's not the case in Europe. Take these keys for example. I needed to make 3 copies of a specific key. In the states you can go to Wal-Mart and you're pretty much done. Or you have several key shops to choose from. Not here of course. You will not find a "plethora" of shops here that all deal in the same thing. Shopping is more specialized here, and there are no "one-stop-shop" stores like Wal-Mart of course. Well...I ended up having to visit 4 stores before I found one that could make them for me. Don't know why really. There's nothing unusual about these keys. And each store specifically asked me what the key was for and was I the owner or not. Just kind of suspicious I guess. Anyway, the simplest of errands in the U.S. are not so simple here. It takes some work to get things done.
2. "Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" - Then there's the language. Everything you do here is a little trickier because of the language barrier. I'm currently taking German lessons twice a week so we can get over this hurdle, but it always rears its head. Being unfamiliar with the language just makes normal everyday things a lot more difficult.
3. "It's In The Mail" - On a related note...imagine getting your mail and not knowing what is important, and what is junk mail. We can make each one out but we have to examine each piece of mail just to make sure which one is which. Jenny will even take some mail up to work and have her coworkers help her out. It's just kind of funny not knowing all the time what is important, and what is junk mail.
4. "Food Waste" - For some reason there are no garbage disposals here. So any food waste we have after meals has to be scooped into the trash. Not a big deal, but it does slow down everything after meals, and makes cleaning dishes a much longer job.
5. "Take Out The Trash" - Due to Switzerland's size (or lack thereof) space is an issue here. So as you might expect the Swiss take their waste very seriously here. Each canton has their own trash bag. They are sold at local supermarkets, and you have to ask for them from the cashiers (they don't sell them on the store shelves.) Anyway, each resident has to use these bags. This is basically how the canton charges its citizens recycling fees (like a tax almost.) So whether I recycle or not...I'm paying for it. So what happens if I don't use this specific bag? Well...I've been told that if a trash collector sees a bag in the garbage bin that is not the correct kind of bag, they will open it up...look through it for a name or address...and then come after you with a fine.
6. "Recycling" - Just like the trash, recycling takes some work here. Now one misconception about Switzerland and Zurich is...you are not required to recycle. You are required to pay for it (see above with the trash bags) but you are not required to actually recycle. But if you want to recycle (and pretty much everyone does here anyway) you have to work at it. The only recycling the city does that is curbside is for newspapers and cardboard. Everything else you have to handle on your own. So that means having to separate glass, plastics, cardboard, paper, cans, etc. Then you have to take everything to the local recycling center.
7. "Not So Free Parking" - Then there's the parking situation. Most places you go to you have to pay for parking. Most times it works like this. When you go to a parking lot, or parking garage you'll drive through a gate and take a ticket. Then you have to keep that ticket with you until you're ready to leave. When you are ready to leave you will see a machine on the wall that looks similar to this one. Insert your ticket and the price will appear for the amount of time you've spent there. Prices vary from a few cents worth to several francs. It just depends on where you're at. But it takes some getting used to. Like everyone tells me here..."nothing is free in Switzerland."
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