Culture of Switzerland

Now these are only my perceptions of Basel/Europe. I don't want anyone to get offended in anyway from my thoughts.....

I see TONS of dads here with their little ones. I first kept looking for their wives but never saw them :) You don't see this a lot in the US and that makes me sad. I would say here it is 50-50 for who takes care of the babies.

Kids here are MUCH more independent then back home. They have much for freedom here to do what they would like. Most of them walk way far ahead or behind their parents starting at a very young age. In fact when I first was here I had to stay by a kid because I thought they were lost. My friend told me that it is very normal for kids to be away. This is also because there are no abductions here at all. Switzerland is so safe that I was able to put my purse down at the park and walk away to do whatever I wanted. When I am walking alone I have NEVER felt scared. That makes me very happy :)

The Swiss people are extremely nice. I have not really run into a mean person here. I have felt comfortable from the minute I got here. They don't judge you if you don't speak German. They all are extremely educated and want to help you as much as they can. The fact that I can walk into a place at any time and speak English is a huge comfort. I thought I was going to feel alone a lot more but it is not the case. Now most kids don't speak any English, it is mostly all adults.

It was actually refreshing a lot of the times listening to conversations because I couldn't understand what was going on. I didn't have to listen or try to help because I had no idea what was going on. So many times back home we all try to listen to engage in all these conversations. Here it is nice to sit on the Rhine River and not have a clue what anyone else around you is saying. I can have my thoughts in my head and that is all. This is HUGE because I thought I would have felt very overwhelmed and isolated from everything. I think, I mean I know God has a huge impact on that. He makes me feel content in the moment :) Could NOT ask for anything more.

I love here how people are never in a HUGE hurry to get somewhere. Unless they want to get on the tram, train or bus everyone is very slow about where they need to be. I have never felt rushed here. They never bring out the bill and place it on the table. You have to ask for the bill to get it. Dinners here are anywhere from 2-4 hours. Nothing is open on Sundays. It is family time and mostly everyone takes an adventure somewhere :) I love how work is not everything here. People love exploring, eating and drinking. Their life is so precious here and they value friendships and family a lot more then in the US.