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Have a possibility of getting a work transfer to Switzerland, around Lausanne area. Not bothered that's beer is expensive, but would like to know how easier it is to intergrate in to local life. Would like to join local running and biking clubs etc, although I appreciate my language skills are zero at the moment. Any insight welcomed
I spend a lot of time in Geneva between spring and autumn. Integration with the Swiss is not so easy but there are so many ex-pats from all over the world that there will be no shortage of people to run and bike with. You won't need good French in Lausanne, most people speak English. It's a fantastic country, worth doing it. Great mtb and road riding in the area. And swimming in the lake.
One of my best mates has been living in Geneva for the last year or so, I go over for the occasional long weekend, mostly for Chamonix trips.
He is an outdoor sports enthusiast, he earns a heck of a salary and he's pretty easy going.
That said, he's trying to move back to the UK, he says Geneva is quite possibly the most boring place he has ever lived (and he's lived everywhere from Abu Dhabi to LA).
Not trying to be negative, just passing on the constant whinging phone calls I get from my mate 🙂
if you're bored in Geneva, you're boring....
actually, is he a corporate lawyer...... 😉
he's a lawyer for one of the biggest media companies in Switzerland and probably one of the least boring people I know. 🙂
I think you may be confusing corporate lawyers with accountants though.
Accountants are boring. They save money in a very tax efficient manner.
Corporate lawyers blow all their money on fast cars, cocaine, hookers, toys and ostentatious holidays. 😉
(btw, Geneva is often cited as one of the most boring cities in the world. have a quick google)
[url= http://www.economist.com/node/18289282?story_id=18289282 ]Economist - Geneva = Boring, boring, boring[/url]
Yet it is boredom that seems to hurt most. Traders find it hard to meet people from outside the world of finance. The snootiness and sameness of Switzerland is dispiriting, they say. Geneva is deserted in the evenings and at weekends. Shops and restaurants are closed on Sundays: “If you want a Sunday lunch, you have to drive to France,” laments Simon, a hedge-fund manager. Friday flights to London are full. There is whispered talk of marriage-busting affairs with chalet girls.
just do it
I lived in Zurich for 5 years and had a blast
RHS from these parts lives in Lully which is just down the road. Might be worth tracking him down.
The mountains are quite close, lovely riding and skiing if you like those things. It's Switzerland though, right. Odd, odd people. Or at least the country is quite odd. You should visit a few times first. Nice enough, but it's not for everyone.
My perspective (and I've only ever been as a tourist - but I've been quite a few times) - Just a bit odd ;-). Trains are great, mountains are great, most people very nice. Once you get up into the hills though, they stop being as nice and get quite frankly, weird. Mentally ill people in Switzerland (seem to)get put out on the streets. There's an awful lot of people with a variety of strange mental health problems wandering about the place. Expensive. Very expensive.