Zurich - The Seasons (Sechselaeuten)

MyBalcony - Spring Flowers in Winter!

I noted in an earlier blog that one of the first things that struck me on my return to Zurich was spring. It had been a while since I’d really experienced spring and I was enchanted by the flowers everywhere, the cherry blossom, the budding trees… I’d somehow forgotten what this season was like. There is a kind of spring in Egypt in the sense that it starts to get warmer and warmer, but it’s not really dramatic and it’s more a slow transition into summer. And sometimes it’s not even that slow a transition.

I was wondering how long it would take me to get fed up of the clouds and rain when I came back to Zurich, but I was extraordinarily lucky and the weather has generally been sunny and warmer than usual. There have even been days where I’ve been able to sit outside on my balcony. 

When I arrived back, two of my friends were just about to go on holiday to get some sun and I had to double-think for a moment. I couldn’t really understand how they could be saying they were missing the sun when the weather was so good, but then I realized that I’d just come from months of sun in Egypt and hadn’t had to suffer the cloud and cold of winter. I appreciated the current sunshine, but had lost the perspective of what long weeks of grim and grey rain and sludge can do to your soul. I’ve already started to take my dream for granted!

Lots of people are posting photographs of cherry blossom on facebook; I don’t remember that happening in previous years. Even I have a photograph (not on facebook) of the cherry blossom that I can see from my balcony. It really is stunning. It brought back fond memories of my trip to Japan!

Anyway, seeing all these signs of spring inspired me to focus first on planting out my balcony– my reasoning being that the sooner I got it all done, the more time I would have to enjoy it. I get a lot of pleasure out of this because I like trying to grow plants, and this is something I don’t get the chance to do when I’m in Egypt. It’s just too hot and sandy over there for any kind of pot plant to survive.

Oerlikon has a market on Saturday mornings – it sells mostly fruit and veg, but there are also a number of stalls selling cut flowers as well as plants for the garden or balcony. It seemed that many people had the same idea as me, though. On two occasions, I’d just made up my mind which plant I wanted to buy only to find that the last one had just been sold to someone else. This is Switzerland for you – they are always shopping early, and you can’t afford to dither.

I’d forgotten that one of the supermarkets also held a garden section outside during the spring and summer, so on spotting it I went there after the market had closed. All in all, I spent two Saturdays doing this and several journeys back and forth to carry the plants, containers, and soil.

Of course, just one week after I’d planted it all out nicely, the temperature plummeted and we had three days of snow! It’s like this every year – you think that winter is over, and then it hits you with one final surprise burst. In a way, it was quite nice to get the opportunity to see some snow. Some of the plants now look a bit sad, but I think they will recover.

I am hoping that Sechselaeuten (Monday 24th April) will mark the end of winter. This is a festival in Zurich (the afternoon is a public holiday) where they burn an effigy of a snowman (called the “Boeoeg”) on a pyre. The sooner the snowman’s head explodes, the better the forthcoming summer is supposed to be. Apparently there have been some controversies over the definition of the head exploding – if only I could have done my philosophy dissertation on that! Anyway, I’m hoping for a quick explosion of the snowman and a good summer this year.

Zurich - Another Bicycle (Cresta)

Oerlikon Velo Boerse

My purchase of my flying pigeon (bicycle) in Egypt was quite a success. Consequently, I wondered whether a bike would be a good idea over here as well. The local swimming pool is located just down a path by a river, so it would be a nice place to cycle. The river even eventually leads to just behind my work place – it’s a bit of a long way round, but the journey looks as if it could be quite pleasant in the summer.

The Swiss don’t really like buying things second hand, but bicycles are the one exception. Throughout the year, there are hugely popular “Velo Boerse” (bicycle exchanges) where people gather to sell and buy bicycles. Hundreds of bikes are lined up with prices attached; the sellers pay a percentage of their sale to the organisers. As with anything popular in Switzerland, you are advised to go early because the best bicycles sell first. For the buyer, a second hand bicycle is considerably cheaper than a new one.

I went along, rather late, with no real plan in mind. I started off looking at bikes with baskets, but most of these seemed to have already been sold. Whenever I stopped to look at one, it felt as if five people would immediately appear out of nowhere and also be interested. This was enough to put me off.

I’m still not a confident cyclist, so the idea of trying it out was daunting. The space between the rows of bikes was limited and I didn’t trust myself to be able to cycle in a straight line or not to run over the people who were milling about. I tried one out, but the handlebar seemed so fluid, moving about from left to right with such ease, that I immediately panicked, my heart thumping, dismounted as soon as I could and disappeared as fast possible. Fortunately, no-one was looking.

After that, it took me a while to pluck up the courage to try another one. This time the seat was too high and again I fled from the bike, although the Chinese seller was calling after me, still trying to sell it to me (I did get him to understand my problem in the end!). In fact, even on their lowest settings, most of the bike saddles were too high for me.

I soon ran out of ladies bikes with baskets to look at. It then occurred to me that I could always buy a basket and that it was the bike itself I should be interested in. Doh. I started to look at the other bicycles in a different light.

I eventually found one n a relatively good condition with a low enough saddle. On my hesitant test ride, the handlebar still felt rather fluid but somehow the bike gave off the impression of being solid. I had greater confidence that the wobbliness was truly down to me.

The dealer gave me the hard sell – “the bicycle suits you”, “look at this gadget that lights up when you put on the brakes, that itself costs 70 CHF”, “someone else was going to buy this but I said I couldn’t reserve it for her and she’s just gone to get some money out”. Since I’ve been living in Egypt and am used to this kind of chat, none of this stressed me out (it might have done otherwise); I just found it quite amusing.

He told me how to change the gears, so I tried that, but I reckon my blood pressure rose when he kept on telling me to stop braking. I didn’t really want to be watched and there was no way I wasn’t going to have my fingers clenched on the brakes!

Anyway, I decided to bite the bullet and buy it. At this point, the seller noticed how much shopping I had with me. To my great surprise and joy, he produced a basket and gave it to me for free. Once we’d agreed on the sale, he asked me if I was happy. I said I was very happy (the basket had just made my day).

But that little question gave me pause for thought. Egyptians often check that you’re happy after closing a bargain. Perhaps I should have negotiated on price? It’s not really what you do in Switzerland, but then they don’t really do second-hand items either; also, on reflection the seller looked a bit as if he could be from one of the Arabic countries, so maybe he'd been expecting me to haggle. But it was too late to worry and I was indeed happy. That’s what I’ve learned to focus on after having lived in Egypt.

I hadn’t considered how to get the bike home. I deliberated taking it on the tram, but I wasn’t sure if you needed to get a ticket for the bike or even if bikes were allowed. In the end, I decided to ride it back to get some practice, but on the pavement rather than using the bike lane. I didn’t have a helmet or a lock for it at this point and I was pretty petrified, truth be told.

I was increasingly pleased with it as I cycled – it seemed a lot faster than my Egyptian bike, but also quite solid, somehow. However, I was concerned about whether the police could stop me if they saw me riding on the pavement (was this illegal? I really didn’t know). And although I thought that the compulsory bicycle insurance / tax (vignette) that they used to have in Switzerland had been abolished, I wasn’t too sure, and thus I wondered if I could get fined for not having one yet. In my head, it was all quite complicated and fraught with danger even without taking my lack of cycling skills into account.

I was getting the hang of it quite well, but as I slowed down at a point where I wasn’t sure whether there would be enough room for me to get through, given that I would probably wobble about a bit, the bike tipped and I landed with a thud on the ground, my shopping skidding across the pavement. Two men rushed over to help me while I pretended that everything was fine. The basket detached itself and even now I still haven’t fathomed out how I am going to attach it back. It was tied on before and the tie broke during my fall. I did manage to cycle the rest of the way back, but I don’t know when I’ll have the courage to go on an actual cycle lane.

Nevertheless, I feel that everything is as it should be. Just as my Egyptian bike seems strangely apt in being called a Flying Pigeon, my Swiss bike is called Cresta (reminding me of the top of a mountain) and is emblazoned as “Swiss made” on it (very Swiss in itself!). Its speed and efficiency on hills during my small experience so far also makes me feel that it is a very Swiss bike, just as my Egyptian one is very Egyptian. It’s all good!

Zurich - Settling in

My Flat

I’m astonished at the amount of junk mail – or advertisements – that there is in Switzerland, given that it’s generally a fairly eco-friendly country. It feels like each day I get a whole wad of newspapers from various shops telling me what they’re selling and what’s on special offer. For some strange reason, I feel compelled to read them rather than to throw them away immediately, and so my flat gets messier and messier as I wait until I’ve had a chance to go through them all. I’m sure other people are more hard-headed and organized than I am.

My sense of compulsion to actually read these items might be because I’m new to the area and so I’m actually quite curious to know where these shops I haven’t heard of are located and what they are selling. Advertisements aren’t all bad. Nevertheless, it’s the sheer quantity of them. Then there’s also the airport newsletter to inform us about what they’re doing and how it might affect us (who live close to it). And a sheet from the “county” administration to tell us what it’s doing to improve our area. I think there’s a local newspaper as well.

I initially wondered if this was a peculiarity of my new abode, but then I realized that I was one of the few people who didn’t have a “No adverts, please” sticker on their letterbox. These stickers seem to be almost standard and I hadn’t noticed that mine didn’t have one. The advertisers must have a hay day when they see that mine is apparently inviting their input. This is one thing I need to correct. I’m not actually sure where these “no adverts, please” stickers come from – usually they are already there, so I might have to make my own one. I’ll be interested to see if it has much – if any – impact!

I remain pleased with the location of my flat, despite the noise from the planes and trains (which I’m starting to get used to). One piece of admin that I had to do was to renew my C permit (for residence). I was delighted to find that the relevant administrative office was only a five minute walk from my flat. There was virtually no queue, the service was pleasant, and the whole procedure was extremely easy. I hate having to do these “official” things and always psych myself up for problems, but there were none! So, that’s that job completed for another five years – very rewarding.

Several people have asked me recently if I’m going to get Swiss citizenship – apparently the rules have just changed and you can apply after 10 years’ residence (which I have). I’m reluctant, mostly because you have to sit a test on Swiss politics and culture, and I don’t really want to have to go through all that. There’s also a language test, which should be OK for me, but the thought of it still makes me shudder. However, it’s not possible for me to apply anyway because in my new flat I’m no longer in Zurich city, which puts me in a different area’s jurisdiction and I have to be three years in the area I am currently living before I can apply. This is even though I’ve just spent 10 years living in Zurich city! Oh well, at least that’s one decision out of the way.

My rental agency is also just two minutes walk from my flat, so I was able to go in there as well and complain that I couldn’t turn my radiator off in my lounge and that the one in my bathroom won’t fully come on (it obviously needs to be bled, but that was too difficult for me to say in German). It’s much easier for me to pop in and speak to them than to have to phone (I hate the phone).

I decided to get a year’s travel pass on the trams – which I’ve been using to good effect. This weekend I think I went into Oerlikon three times both on Saturday and Sunday (don’t ask) – the bus drivers must be getting to know me by now.

As for my internet, I tried asking in town if I could have a subscription for shorter than one year, but the answer was no, so, rather weirdly, I’m using the i-modem device that I bought in New Zealand and which I use in Egypt (if going with Vodafone – there’s another similar device if I use etisalat; I swap providers in Egypt depending on who is currently doing the best deal). At least I’m getting good use out of it. In contrast to Egypt, here in Switzerland the internet usage is unlimited; I just need to specify for how many days I want it and then renew again if I want to extend. So, although it’s annoying that I can’t get a six-month package, it’s actually not a bad system.

I’m using my filmon TV streaming device that I brought over with me from Egypt to get my UK TV programmes, so all is well. I would have got this in with my internet package if I could have had one, so I’m glad I brought it over. It’s working just fine. However, when I’m back in Egypt I’ll need to remember that the internet isn’t unlimited and that I need to switch off the TV (and internet usage) if I’m not really watching it! I’m getting quite lazy about that here.

So, slowly, things are getting organized.

Zurich - Arriving Back

Zurich - A Sad Palm and A Happy Spring

When I was first back in Egypt, I worried about my Zurich flat being burgled, but somewhere along the line, I stopped being concerned. Possibly, it was when Steph asked to take some stuff out of the flat and she didn’t report that anything was missing.

Anyway, I didn’t sense any trepidation on returning to my flat; instead my main worry was how dirty it would be. I think this was basically me expecting Switzerland to be like Egypt, which, of course, it isn’t. After three months away from Egypt, I’d expect my flat to be a newly-formed beach.

Funnily enough, when I was learning Arabic, someone asked what the word was for “dust” in Arabic and apparently there are loads of different words, all depending on what kind of dust you want to talk about. I can see the need, given that there is so much dust in Egypt.

Philosophers often cite the example of Eskimos having many different words for snow. I can’t remember why this is interesting for philosophers; it’s either to debate whether words shape perception or to illustrate that people perceive things differently and thus a question arises as to what the “real” world could possibly be. I reckon philosophers should use the example of dust in Arabic instead.

But my Zurich flat was surprisingly dust-free even after all this time; I was clearly not in Egypt.

Nevertheless, since I’d only ever been in my Zurich flat for a total of 2 weeks, it didn’t really feel like I was returning to my home. The flat is still pretty empty and noise echoes round whenever you speak. So, although it was good to be released from the hassle of discovering a new location and working out how to get to work, etc, it didn’t really feel like a homecoming; it was more of a curiosity.

It was a bit like moving house when you finally open all the things that you’ve been waiting to arrive. You discover things you’ve forgotten you even possess; it's like a birthday. In this case, I opened my cupboards and was quite surprised to discover what was and wasn’t there. I really hadn’t remembered very well. I had more t-shirts and jeans than I remembered, but was astonished to see that I had only one swimming costume and no pairs of flip flops. What was I thinking?!

Also, I kept on buying things and finding out later that I already had them, but stored in a different cupboard (for example, I bought a box of tissues and the next day discovered a pack of three boxes that I’d previously purchased on special offer and stored elsewhere). I guess I’ll get the hang of being spread across two locations sooner or later.

Having claimed that I didn’t need to learn my way about this time, I was flummoxed when I went to the tram stop and found that my tram to work was going to a different place than it used to go. There was no timetable up to explain the new route. I went into the rail shop to ask whether this was new, but they seemed to think I was complaining and apologized. It was too much effort to work out how it was that they’d misunderstood my question, so I left it. It was quite a bizarre sensation to have such a major change, but later I realized it was just a temporary change of route while they were doing repairs on the line. It did make me feel that I must have been away for longer than I realized.

I don’t know if it was there before, or if I was just sensitized to it now having just come from Egypt, but I spotted a kebab place by my tram stop with a fake palm tree. I found it quite amusing, since palm trees are everywhere in Sahl Hasheesh and now I’d come to somewhere where they felt the need to have an artificial one. It was a very sad looking artificial tree (see photo), nothing like the real thing, and it gave me a slight pang for Egypt.

On the other hand, it was wonderful to experience spring in its full glory (see photo). The gods had smiled on me yet again and granted me really good weather on my return to Zurich. The skies were blue and the spring flowers added colour and a sense of joy to everything. I suddenly realized that I hadn’t seen a real daffodil in quite a long time and it made me quite nostalgic. In fact, the locals must have thought I was a bit weird, because I kept on stopping to take photographs each time I saw a flower anywhere!

Other things that struck me on my return were, once again, how creamy the milk is (even the semi-skimmed). The granulated sugar in Switzerland is also very fine; it’s almost like caster sugar. I had to double-check the packet when I sprinkled it on my Weetabix, but indeed it was just normal sugar! I’d completely forgotten about that. It was obviously time for me to re-adapt back.