A close-up and personal look at Switzerland
Switzerland likes to be on time. Trains, buses or fundamentally anything that has a schedule is dependent on being on time. Indisputably clocks and watches are an important part of daily life. Clocks Some people like the tic-tock sound clocks… Read moreClocks, Watches and Time
While going to work in Berne I often stopped at a local bakery. You always had to have something to eat at the 9 o’clock break. Those were the days when I could eat bakery goods including doughnuts without worrying… Read moreDoughnuts and their Names
Betty Crocker was like a member of our family. I remember Mom always cooking from a Betty Crocker notebook-cookbook. Betty Crocker came into being in the 1920s and by the 1960s was in full swing. When I moved to Switzerland… Read moreCooking Wherever You Are with Betty
Measuring differs depending on where you are. In America distance is all about miles, yards, feet and inches. In Switzerland it’s about kilometers, meters, centimeters and millimeters. Cooking measurements differ as well. Gallons, quarts, cups, teaspoons and tablespoons verses liters,… Read moreMeasuring Differences in Switzerland and the States
In America learning knitting, sewing and cooking is done in a Home Economics class in high school. When I went to school girls took home ec. and boys took wood working. I know, where was the equality? But that was… Read moreKnitting in America and Switzerland
I’ve been in Switzerland a very long time. When I go back to the States I have to get used to some things again. Getting back into the “American groove” can even take a couple of days. Money The first thing… Read moreGetting back into the groove in the States
Although it is enormously important, only learning the Swiss language doesn’t make one Swiss. Some of the small, but important differences present themselves in the form of numbers. Handwritten Numbers 1, 7, 9 and oftentimes 4, the most important being… Read moreLearning Swiss by the Numbers
I’ve already talked about some of the smaller and midsized cultural shocks I had to deal with since moving here. I still stumble occasionally but not nearly as much as I used to. I enjoy the cultural differences, many of… Read moreCultural Differences in Switzerland and America
Most superstitions had their beginnings a long time ago and are based on ignorance or misunderstandings of science. As far as I can tell, American and European superstitions run along the same lines with minute differences. For example, in America… Read moreBad Luck Superstitions
Technically these aren’t strange things in America, but things that seem strange to me when I go back and visit. I’ve been here in Switzerland so long that quite often the Swiss way or thing seems normal and the American… Read moreStrange Things in America
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