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Moving to a country where you don't speak the language can be a 'chicken and egg' situation: which one comes first, the language or the move? It's a challenging situation for anyone relocating abroad, and for newcomers to German-speaking Switzerland, this is a big issue. It's hard to get hold of resources to learn this dialect outside of the country. Once here, there are many different regional variations to get to grips with, and the differences between Swiss German and high German can feel overwhelming. In this episode we talk about how to get ready to live in a Swiss German- speaking area and what to expect when you first arrive.

Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switzerland

• My personal experience of getting to grips with the dialect
• The first words or phrases I picked up
• How I started to understand Swiss German
• Recommendation for newcomers

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Looking for furniture, clothes or something for your home in Switzerland that won't cost the Earth? Then you definitely need to find your nearest flea market or second-hand shop. In the German-speaking part of the country thrift stores are called "Brockis" (short for "Brockenhäuser"). In this episode we'll take you through how you can find them and what to expect, and tell you where to look online if rummaging for a bargain in person isn't really your thing.

Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British guide to Switzerland

• Different types of Brockis
• Chain or independent: Salvation Army, HIOB-international
• What to expect
• Giving items to a Brocki
• Flea markets
• Buying second-hand online: tutti.ch, anibis.ch, ricardo.ch

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If you’ve looked at any Swiss newspapers or programmes in the past few months you’ll have heard about the ‘Fête des Vignerons’. It’s a once-in-a-generation event that sounds like it's not to be missed. So what’s all the fuss about, and will there be wine?

Notes on this episode

We try to answer the most important questions before it begins.

What is the 'Fête des Vignerons'?

The festival is a massive production that takes place in a huge arena in Vevey, French-speaking Switzerland. There is space for 20,000 spectators for every performance. The show itself is a celebration of the winemaking tradition that exists in this part of Switzerland. There is also a festival village with lots of entertainment and music being put on over different stages.

The history of the 'Fête des Vignerons'

It has a long history, estimated to have begun in the 1700s. Back then, the winemakers’ association which represented landowners, awarded winemakers in the region for their work and gave prizes to encourage the perfection of the art of growing the grapes. There was a parade and eventually in 1797 a stage was erected so more people could see the prize giving. At this point the event started to look more like it does today. The last edition was in 1999.

What’s so special about it?

It’s the first living Swiss tradition that’s  recognised by UNESCO for its ‘intangible cultural heritage’. It can take place a maximum of five times every hundred years.

What happens in the show?

It’s all about a year in the life of a vineyard, it starts and finishes with the harvest. At the centre of the event is the crowning of winegrowers, who did particularly excellent work. This takes place on July 18. In the show, which is on until August 11, there are 5,500 actors involved, who come from the local region. The costumes are elaborate, handmade, fantastical pieces. There is a gigantic choir, an orchestra, a brass band, a jazz band and more. There are giant video and LED projections.

Where can I get tickets?

 Here. They cost from CHF39-359.

Anything else you need to know?

The director of the the 'Fête des Vignerons' is Daniele Finzi Pasca, from Lugano. He created the closing ceremonies for the Olympic Games in Turin in 2006 and Sochi in 2014, and has worked for the Cirque du Soleil.

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What are the main shops in Switzerland and where do you go for specific items? In this episode we go through the big name shops, what they sell and where you can find them, plus we talk about some smaller, specialised shops or boutiques, and what you can buy online. Find out about the classic out-of-town shops traditionally frequented by farmers which could be useful for you and the surprisingly affordable electronics.

Food

• Migros, Coop, Denner
• Aldi, Lidl
• Globus, Manor, Loeb

Clothes

• Alprausch
• Zalando

Furniture

• Ikea
• Micasa, Interio, Pfister

Others

• Landi
• Obi, Migros do-it / Coop bau+hobby
• Digitec, Brack
• Toppreise.ch

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Switzerland is a very diverse country with four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. The Swiss also share their border with five countries: Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. And out of all the people living in Switzerland, 25% don't have a Swiss passport.

So how does this work? How do the Swiss communicate and how do they all get along with each other?

Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switzerland

• Marco's  post in our Facebook Group that started off this discussion
• What makes Switzerland so diverse?
• What do the Swiss think about each other, their neighbours, other villages, cantons or countries?
• How do the Swiss communicate with each other if they don't speak the same language?
• How is the high percentage of foreign nationals living here handled?

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Applying to become Swiss is a long process and requires lots of forms, documents and appointments. If you've lived in Switzerland long enough to think about applying, this probably won't come as a surprise! In the city of Bern, an information evening is offered to people who want to apply. We went along to clear up some questions I had about the process, and to find out as much information as possible.

• What the evening was like: who was there, what language did they speak, how long did it last
• New information we found out: applications to start the process can only be submitted from the day you have been in Switzerland for ten years, citizenship in Switzerland is threefold (local community, canton and federal level)
• What you can do in advance of the ten year mark: learn or improve your German and take a recognised language test (A2 written, B1 spoken is required), fulfil residency requirements (check with your local community and canton, and check years in advance. In Bern you need to have lived three of the last five years in the place where you are applying, and the last two years before you apply in the same local community, "Gemeinde" of Bern), get a C permit, and if you previously lived in a different canton you need to apply for the document to confirm when you lived there
• Costs vary, but it looks like it will cost approximately CHF3000 and take roughly 2.5 years

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Communication is key when it comes to fitting in and feeling at home in your adopted country, and being able to understand and speak to people does make your daily life much easier. But that's easier said than done in the German-speaking part of Switzerland where Swiss German is the spoken language. It's a dialect that most Germans struggle to understand and it sounds different in every village you go to.

Learning Swiss German is tricky, but not impossible. After passing my German C1 exam, I decided to give it a go and to help me off to a good start, I signed up for a Swiss German course at the 'Migros Klubschule'.

Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Is it time to take a Swiss German course?

After the first few hours in the classroom on my course in Bern, we talk about some important points you'll need to know before you decide to start learning Swiss German and I'll give you some insight into my experience so far.

• What's it like in the classroom
• Taking a Swiss German course - pros and cons
• Where can you learn Swiss German, and a helpful episode from our archive:  How to learn Swiss German, or would High German be better?
• Emil
•  Bärndütsch, the book
• Other points to conside

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Becoming a Swiss citizen is a long and somewhat complicated path with a few hurdles to overcome along the way. A few weeks from now Jo will start the process of applying to become Swiss and with that, we are beginning a new series in our podcast: 'Becoming Swiss'. It'll track her progress and give you insight into one person's journey through the Swiss naturalisation system.

Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Becoming Swiss, part one

In this first episode of the new series 'Becoming Swiss', we'll guide you through what it takes in theory to (hopefully!) become a Swiss citizen, what it means to apply for the Swiss passport, hopes and fears, and some personal thoughts on the system.

• What does it mean to get the Swiss passport?
• What does the procedure involve and what are the general rules?
• When can it start and how long will it take?
• Does it matter where you start your procedure and when?
• How fair is the system?
• Why is Jo doing it?
• What are her worries?

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Do you know how to respond in Switzerland to avoid an intercultural mishap? Once you've started picking up the language as an expat, you'll start to notice the mother-tongue speakers around you reply in certain ways to specific situations or questions. This can be from anything as simple as a sneeze to trickier discussions about salaries, or dare-we-go-there, politics. It can take a while to work out what you need to say when, to avoid seriously offending your new-found friends, colleagues or anyone else you meet, so we have a few short cuts for you.

Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switzerland

• When one word isn't enough: saying goodbye
• Heard a sneeze? Make sure you're ready with this word...
• Food at a restaurant tastes like rubbish? Be prepared to dish this phrase out
• What to say (or not to say) when you bump into Bob from the office at the weekend
• You're in deep water if you find yourself in a discussion about salaries or politics. Be prepared!

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If you're moving to Switzerland you might think that skiing will become a big part of your life: as a beginner that can either be really exciting or completely terrifying! However you feel about taking to the slopes, it's definitely something to try, or how will you ever know if you like it? Once you've decided to go for it, there are lots of things to consider before you even set foot in the snow.

In this episode we guide you through all the important questions and share our experiences from the side of a complete beginner, and as a former ski instructor!
 
 Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switzerland

• Does every Swiss ski?
• How important is skiing for Swiss people?
• Is skiing really a must-do activity if you move to Switzerland?
• If you do want to learn, where do you start? Location, slopes, equipment, lessons, first day on skis.

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