Fun little weird things that I probably forgot to mention before…

August 17, 2010 in Uncategorized

So, as I finish packing, and arranging and MOVING, I realized that there is a whole list of small realities about living in Switzerland that I had meant to share, but somehow never did. I’m not talking about the painful, inconvenient, maddening things (finding an apartment, opening a bank account, etc), but the little things that are just done differently here. They are not necessarily better or worse than what I am accustomed to-they are simply different. FUN!

1) Toilets have two different flush ‘settings.’

I found this fascinating when I arrived-you can choose how much flushing you need. Toilet flushing mechanisms in general are different than what I was accustomed to in the US, where you choices are typically some form of handle that you push, pedal that you stomp, maybe a small button, or, rarely, a string or chain that you pull. However, in Switzerland, flushing mechanisms are two buttons, one larger than the other. Without going into the gritty details, push the big button for a longer flush of water, and the small button for a shorter one. Does this save water? More effectively clean the bowl? Maybe. Confuse new arrivals to the country? DEFINITELY.

2) Refrigerator doors are paneled to match the kitchen cabinets.

I still am unsure of the appeal of this. Essentially, I have never been in a kitchen in Switzerland where the fridge wasn’t covered in the same type of paneling as the cabinets. And, if there is one, the dishwasher is typically paneled, too. I imagine that this is some sort of aesthetic choice-sort of ‘dressing’ your appliances. Although I really don’t care too much what my fridge looks like, there is an important functional ramification-NO MAGNETS! Where do little Swiss children display their artwork? How do drunk university students express their incredible cleverness without ‘magnetic poetry?’ I just don’t understand.

3) Recycling

I know I have mentioned recycling before, and I am ALL for it. But I think it is worth explaining the elaborate Swiss system-we’ve been here two years and I am STILL not sure that I am actually getting it right. So here goes:

Paper-picked up on Wednesday morning

Composting-picked up Thursday morning-must use a special biodegradeable bag.

Aluminum cans, PET plastic, white glass and colored glass-these are typically all recycled in street bins. I have listed them together because these bins, although separate, are typically grouped together. This is not always the case, however, so you can get caught with a bag full of plastic that you couldn’t recycle that you have to then carry around with you until you find the right bin. Also, you cannot recycle before 8am, after 8pm, and NEVER on Sunday.

Dairy containers-Wait, you think, aren’t those plastic?! YES! YES THEY ARE! And until someone tells you, you will recycle them in the plastic bin mentioned above, with the Genevois tsk-tsking you, but never actually telling you what you are doing wrong. Because, you see, dairy containers go to the grocery store, where they get recycled in a special ‘dairy’ recycler. As do batteries and nespresso capsules. That’s right folks, Nespresso is so popular here that they have special recycling bins for the capsules. Now there’s something the guidebooks won’t tell you!

Stay tuned for more Mysteries of Switzerland…as I remember them, that it!