How to Spot a Swiss Person

"You're not from here, right?!" These were the words the saleslady of a small clothes store on a busy Tel Aviv street directed at me a few years ago. I was surprised she had spotted my foreignness so easily. After having lived in Israel for a few years and mastered the local Hebrew, I thought I was able to blend in quite well by then. So, I asked her how she knew. She replied with a smile and said: "You nicely folded the clothes you tried on before bringing them back out!" Oh that! Something I assumed was 'normal' but, apparently, the locals didn't do that. My Swiss background gave me away. 

A Stereotypical (Swiss) Person

As an expat I can usually spot fellow expats right away even if at first they seem to fit right in. Be they Swiss people I encounter abroad or foreigners living in Switzerland. Mostly, I catch a word or a phrase in a foreign language or see clothes or other items that are clearly not local. Here in South America it's very easy to spot Europeans or North Americans. Of course, their hair and skin colour and even their height is very different from most locals. Yet, what gives them away almost every time are their clothes. Decked out to go hiking in the mountains or jungle, complete with hat, hiking boots and walking poles they simply stick out. 

However, 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. Especially if we're longterm visitors or even residents and have adapted to our new home quite well. The little oddities are sticking with us the longest I believe. And that is not a bad thing!

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, I believe that growing up in a certain surrounding does rub off on people's behaviour and some similarities can certainly be observed.

This is also true for Swiss people. According to the internationally accepted Swiss stereotype, we are a clean, punctual and strictly organised people. While that may be true for most Swiss persons, I can think of many exceptions like my Swiss friend who is ALWAYS late or my brother whose room was a total mess while growing up. Yet somehow, even if they do not completely 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.

10 Signs you are dealing with a Swiss Person

So, what are some of the most typical characteristics of a typical Swiss person? I put together this short list of 10 things that will help you spot a Swiss person (and needs to be understood with a sense of humour obviously):

1. We love being right on time for anything and everything (maximum one minute early or late) and disapprove of people who aren't - especially those who are late all the time!
2. We ask if the seat is taken before sitting down in a train or bus even if its obvious it's still free. The same happens for an empty table in a restaurant. 
3. We make our own beds even when staying at a hotel. It's a habit that's hard to break and we like to keep our rooms neat.
4. We return clothes nicely folded or on the hanger after trying them on in a store. I thought everyone did that until I learned otherwise.
5. We wait until ALL passengers have disembarked before boarding a train or bus, usually in two neat lines to the side of the door. Don't even try pushing in before that - you'll be met with a sea of frowns!
6. We greet total strangers with a friendly "Grüezi" when our paths crosse while hiking or walking (except in bigger cities where there are simply too many people crossing your path).
7. We kiss our friends three times on the cheeks when we meet them, always starting with the left cheek. This means, it usually takes a while to greet everyone at a party or event.
8. We eat our food always with fork and knife (using both hands) and never put our hands under the table during a meal. This was a big deal growing up!
9. We ask everyone at the table if they would like the last piece of cake or dessert before taking it ourselves. I remember asking this question as a child and hoping everyone would decline so I could have the last piece! 
10. We only start eating a meal after the host started eating. Of course, we also start the meal with a heartily "En Guete!" which means "Bon appetit!"

Are there any other things that will help you spot a Swiss person? Is this also the way you as an expat in Switzerland experience the Swiss? Let me know and share in the comments!

train station clock - Matthias Balzer  / pixelio.de

© 2012 IRENE WYRSCH "A HUMOROUS GUIDE TO SWITZERLAND" ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, UPDATED AND REPUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2021