Nice Swiss people

I wrote this post a week or so ago when we were waiting for our internet to get hooked up. We were just waiting for the modem to come in the mail. We waited and waited and waited. And finally Brett called them and found out that the box had come before our name was on the mailbox and so had been sent back. Ruff. Anyhow, I'm back. Hello. Without further ado.

So, there is a common belief that Swiss people are...standoffish at first, a little bit brusque, chilly, unfriendly, indeed, a little less nice than Americans until you've gotten to know them a while and their shell comes off. (This is one of those country-wide generalizations sort of akin to all Canadians living in igloos.) Having now been here for more than a week, I can firmly attest that this is completely and utterly false. There may be some Swiss people who fit that stereotype, but I have yet to meet them. Allow me to illustrate.

Point 1 - When I was still staying with the sweetest family ever, the Burri's, (we are now finally in our apartment-yay!) I ran out of diapers. Though Kathrin would have gladly have given me anything I could possibly need, she didn't have any diapers, so I made an excursion down the road a few paces to the local Coop (a grocery store). It is very close to their house, but I took a little shortcut to the road instead of the longer driveway, and for a moment was unsure which way to go. There was a man just in front of me brushing snow off his car, so I said to him, “Vo ist Coop?” which I'm sure could mean any number of things but I hoped meant “Where is Coop?” And he spoke a bunch of gobbedly-gook that I couldn't understand, but elaborately gestured and pointed for me AND smiled and was friendly. (By the way, my first shopping venture was successful—I found diapers and wipes and a loaf of bread and a liter of milk and bought them all by myself and I was very proud.)

Point 2- The day we moved to our apartment, Brett rented a moving truck to move the few things we had purchased at the brokenhaus (second-hand store) and things people had lent us and our luggage, but it didn't have enough seats for all of us. Kathrin and Beat had to work that day, so after much explanation of where I was to go and what I was to say from Kathrin, I embarked with Hazel, Ethne, and Talmage into the world of Swiss public transportation. First we walked to the bus stop, and while we were waiting there a woman came by and must have heard me talking to the kids in English and asked me if we were on holidays here, perhaps from England? And I told her that we had moved here, and she was very excited for me and chatted for a few minutes and wished me all the best and maybe we would see each other again if I ever came back to the village. (By the way, I successfully made it onto the bus and from thence the train (although I was a little silly and didn't realize at first that there was only one train from the stop I was at, and so I had to wait quite longer than I needed to for the next time it came round, and from the train stop to my apartment.) It was easier than I had anticipated, but my shoulders were almost broken from carrying Talmage in the backpack.)

Point 3- So I already said how everybody at church was super nice and everyone came up to meet us and all, but THEN the first day at our apartment when Brett had gone to scout for more things that we need since he still had the truck for a while, one of the men from our ward stopped by during his lunch hour and brought us a big box of Swiss chocolates (I already love this guy) and then asked if I minded if he saw the papers we signed and looked through our apartment because his job is in real estate for Coop, and he wanted to be sure everything was good with the apartment and that everything that was not good was written down etc. So he did quite a thorough inspection for us and talked with Jethro and was sooooooo nice. He again urged us to call if there is anything we need, and he wants to have us over soon but doesn't want to overwhelm us if we're too busy, but please call if we can think of anything at all they can help us with. (He's the dad of the only other boy in primary, who incidentally is seven like Jethro. They also have a five-year-old girl. Isn't that awesome?)

Point 4- Yesterday I was making some dinner out of the maybe three food items we had in our apartment (well, maybe a few more than that, but certainly not many), and I realized that we didn't have any salt. I had brought some of my spices with us, but no salt and pepper. I was making a spaghetti sauce-type thing with canned tomatoes and some very delicious sausage, and knowing that no matter what other spices you put in, if you don't have salt it won't taste good, I sent Jethro with a little container to venture out into our apartment in search of salt. I told him to say “Kleine salz, bitte” which could mean any number of things, but I hoped meant “A little salt, please.” He came back later with a great bit of salt and he said that a lady downstairs had given it to him with much gobbledy-gook that he couldn't understand, but he said he did understand that she said bitte (it means 'you're welcome' as well as 'please') after he said danke. THEN later that day she came to our apartment and gave us three little toys, including a little wooden cow with a bell around its neck which is so cute. I didn't actually see her because I didn't hear the doorbell buzz, so Jethro accepted this gift. Later on, Brett met this woman, Rosa, in the hall and she said “You're son came and asked for salt from me, etc.... I didn't know this was the custom in America.” Ha ha—well, it's actually not generally the custom to send your children begging in America, but hey it seemed to work today. And still THEN- she came over tonight and gave us a little crown cake because she thought the children would like it and because she is so nice and neighborly and she inquired about Jethro going to school and we explained the difficulty we had had trying to speak with someone at his school and she went back to her house and phoned (we don't have a phone yet) her friend who works at the school and came back and gave us another number to call, etc. and was VERY helpful and friendly and kind.

SO, if Switzerland has some mean, unfriendly-to-strangers people in it, they are few and far between and are found in no more abundance than in any other country.

The end.

p.s. Except for some reason I feel I should knock on wood at this point. :)

p.p.s. It is now a few days since I wrote this post, and I must add that people have continued being nice. A neighbor was walking down the stairs as I was going up, and she introduced herself and asked about me and such, and another neighbor guy saw us carrying some of our IKEA furniture upstairs and helped Brett with all of it (it was already assembled because we bought it from the damaged/floor model stuff), and when we were sitting at the train station this morning while Brett was trying to figure out how in the world to get to church (we took the train, and then a trolley, and then got off and walked forever in the freezing cold and the kids were crying and we went back to the train station and were almost ready to give up and go home), an old lady stopped by and gave Ethne a little stuffed animal from her purse. Niceness abounds.