What the Swiss think of Switzerland when they’re far from home
Thanks to the tag #WeAreSwissAbroad, Swiss expats have been telling their stories of living far from home on Instagram. Here's a compilation of some of the best quotes from interviews published on swissinfo.ch.
More than 750,000 Swiss live outside of Switzerland. Thanks to Instagram, we’ve tracked down expats in the Netherlands, Philippines, United States, Thailand, France, the United Kingdom, China, Italy and Austria.
Selina Thomas, Manila / Philippines
“It’s incredible just how well organised Switzerland is. And how clean it is. You can take it for granted that everything is just going to work. Living here makes you appreciate just how important it is to keep infrastructure well maintained and to adapt it as necessary. If you don’t do that, the system is doomed to fail.
Switzerland is an amazing country! Unfortunately, however, most people are under immense pressure to perform, which of course doesn’t make them all that pleasant to live with. There’s a real “me first” mentality.”
Interview: “Selina Thomas: Menu juggling in the Philippines“
Alex and Thomas Bianco, La Spezia / Italy
Alex Bianco: “Switzerland is my country. It has mountains, good food like fondue, capuns [traditional food from canton Graubünden] and chocolate. But there is one problem: there is no sea!”
Thomas Bianco: “I love Switzerland. I love the cities, the people and the chocolate!”
Interview: “My future is in Switzerland“
Martina Fuchs, Peking / China
“Switzerland is a true paradise, but after a few days there, I always get bored and I’m ready to get back.”
Porträt: “Martina Fuchs: a cultural diplomat at Chinese state TV“
Samuel Heger, Vienna / Austria
“Switzerland is my country, I am proud of it and I owe it a lot. To me it represents reliability, stability, economic success, and independence.”
Interview: “In Vienna, Samuel Heger found his dream job – and love“
Nina Caprez, Grenoble / France
“[Swiss] people follow the rules, trains depart on time. Of course, there’s so much you just can’t rely on in France. But on the other hand, people aren’t stressed out all the time. They take time to chat. They love to go to bars and cafés. You look each other in the eye. I like that.”
Interview: “Nina Caprez: ‘I knew I had to leave“
If you’d like to take part, here’s how
Nino Niederreiter, Minneapolis / United States
“The farewell in the fall is difficult every year, but I have chosen this life, so that’s just the way it is.”
Porträt: “Nino Niederreiter: Chur’s hockey talent at home in Minnesota“
Soontorn Leoni, Krabi / Thailand
“My Swiss side brings goal-oriented planning and my Thai strength is intuitive action. Bringing together these two components practically guarantees success.”
Porträt: “Soontorn Leoni: from troubled childhood to successful businessman“
Silvia Spross, Santa Monica / United States
“My view of Switzerland changed dramatically after I took off and moved to the US. Switzerland is a wonderful country, if not the best country in the world. Being born in Switzerland is like winning the lottery.”
Interview: “Silvia Spross: Being Swiss-born is ‘like winning the lottery’“
Noémie Schwaller, London / United Kingdom
“Cute, but strong, and unfortunately often unfriendly and narrow-minded. It’s really regrettable that the Swiss people do not seem to have understood what they’ve got. The smaller the problem, the bigger it seems to those affected. It’s good to look at the bigger picture and to think about what you see there.”
Interview: “How a Swiss artist found her vocation in London“
Jonathan Royce Hostettler, Chelsea / United States
“My impression of Switzerland is heartwarming! I just love everything about Switzerland from the beautiful Swiss Alps to the multi-ethnic cultures there.”
Interivew: “Jonathan Royce Hostettler: Overcoming many hurdles“
More
Heard the one about the Swiss company installing laugh detectors?
More
Why cars still reign supreme in ‘rail-nation’ Switzerland
More
Switzerland fined for denying asylum for gay Iranian
More
Voters could scupper Swiss motorway extension plans
More
Number of Swiss armed forces exceeds specified limit
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.