SwissMiss Design Blog

I've always been a big fan of Swiss design. Not so much the corny traditional souvenir design you find in souvenir shops all over the world but the pragmatic, elegant, simple and attractive design that the Swiss have perfected. A great example of Swiss design is the helvetica font that is in use in computers all over the world and loved by many graphic designers. Some might say that even the Swiss army knives are a result of great Swiss design...

During my quest for interesting Swiss blogs and expat blogs I also found a great Swiss design blog called SwissMiss. The author Tina Roth Eisenberg is a Swiss designer who has moved to New York City and is writing about all kinds of design related topics - Swiss or not! The post that caught my attention was a note about a Swiss espresso maker you can attach to your wall and so save a lot of space in your kitchen. I guess New York kitchens are tiny... :) This espresso maker is

convenient
classy
useful
fun

and therefore should be very good example of successful Swiss design! At least that's what I thought. Funnily enough, the designer of this espresso maker is actually German! (His name is Arvid Haeusser and he is a product designer.) Nevertheless, great design. I'd adopt it as Swiss design anytime!

Check out SwissMiss at http://www.swiss-miss.com/!

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How to Spot a Swiss Person

As an expat one usually spots fellow expats right away. It's not only the language or the looks of people but rather the little peculiarities of life that seem so normal at home that give us away while abroad. Obviously, it's a cliche that all people from the same place (country, city, continent) behave in the same way and I am far from making that claim. However, growing up in a certain surrounding does rub off on people's behavior and some similarities can certainly be observed.

This is also true for Swiss people. According to the Swiss stereotype, we are a clean, punctual and strictly organized people. However, there are many exceptions like my Swiss friend who is always late or my brother whose room was a total mess while growing up. Yet, although they do not fit the description of a typical Swiss person, they still have some traits that give them away as Swiss. The same is probably true for myself - if I like it or not.
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Schätzli, Schnüggel and Müüsli - Terms of Endearment in Swiss German

If you've ever been invited to the home of a Swiss couple, you are probably familiar with the most popular Swiss German term of endearment "Schätzli" (little treasure) or one of it's many varieties like e.g. "Schatz" or "Schätzeli". Obviously, this is not the only pet name used by Swiss couples (or parents for that matter). Like many other languages, Swiss German offers a wide variety of words and phrases that you can use to address your loved one.

What most of these pet names have in common is the ending "-li" which basically turns the thing or person a word refers to into something small. For example "Haus" means house and "Hüüsli" means small house. This ending "-li" can also be added to first names as a means of endearment, e.g. Benjaminli, Estherli or Fabienneli.

I tried to come up with a collection of Swiss German pet names but realized I only know a handful. However, after combing through the interne…

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The weather has been so so these last few days and will remain rainy and rather cold. No swimming in one of the many lakes of Switzerland, going on a nice bike trip or playing soccer outside unless you are willing to endure some heavy rain. :)

However, there are plenty of fun things to do in Switzerland even on rainy days. Here's the list of my current favorite rainy day activities:
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A Humorous Guide to Switzerland

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