Cultural Contrasts
Stark differences and striking similarities are frequent when travelling. The cultural and norm comparison game is unavoidable, and has not worn off yet for Jenny and I. After 2 months here, we've assembled a list of the top differences we've noticed, ranked in no particular order!
1. Airpods. The number of people who have Apple's wireless headphones here seems ludicrous. It is not uncommon to see 20+ people wearing them on a short walk to the grocery store. We have no attempt at an explanation for this phenomenon... it has just caught us by surprise!
2. Scooters. Adults on scooters! For some reason it is very common here to move around the city, or even inside buildings, using two wheeled scooters. There is plenty of hills in the city (in one main direction, away from the lake), and I have to admit to some jealously when watching people effortlessly fly by me on the downs (their back foot on the brake, of course). But I haven't quite figured out how annoying they are to transport back up the hill. I'm thinking a large segment of the population here takes transit up the hill, and scoots down it.
3. Two-factor authentication. In addition to the Swiss obsession with snail mail (which I think we've mentioned before), the folks here also have obsessive thoughts with regards to security. Everything that you need to log-in to requires at least 2 modes of authentication (face-id, fingerprint, password, etc). When you log-in to your online banking on the internet, for example, after you type in your password (mandatory ~ 1,000 characters long) you have to also use your unlocked phone to scan
a QR code on the screen and then authenticate it with a password there! And when you receive a new credit/bank card in the mail, a separate piece of mail, which comes a few days later, has the PIN! Although they call it a NIP here hahaha...
4. Smoking. This one was kinda expected... Europeans love their cigarettes! We in North America are ahead on this one for sure (although we need to go easy on the vaping...).
5. Counting. In addition to a totally different naming scheme for meals than Paris or Quebec (déjeuner is breakfast, dîner is lunch, and souper is dinner!), the Vaudoise (French speaking people in the province/canton of Vaud) have a more logical counting system than others. Seventy is septante, eighty if huitante, and ninety is nonante. If you know what they are in the rest of the French speaking world, you know these are far superior! They also have a reputation for talking very slowly... which is good for us! But it still seems speedy to us, of course.
6. Tax Included. The Swiss have a sales tax that is 7.7%. However, it is already included in all the prices! Hooray! This should be the law everywhere... It means that if you pay the same sticker price for something here (in CHF) then at home (in CAD), you are only paying 18% more here, and not the 33% that would be suggested by the exchange rate.
That's all for now!
1. Airpods. The number of people who have Apple's wireless headphones here seems ludicrous. It is not uncommon to see 20+ people wearing them on a short walk to the grocery store. We have no attempt at an explanation for this phenomenon... it has just caught us by surprise!
Airpods in Lausanne (OK... this is me... but still, lots of others have them too!) If you are wondering why I take random selfies like this, it is so that I have a record of where I locked my bike up last (see background), just in case I forget the next time I want to use my bike. I don't always ride it all the way home because there is a massive hill near our house, and I don't always feel like sweating on my commute!
2. Scooters. Adults on scooters! For some reason it is very common here to move around the city, or even inside buildings, using two wheeled scooters. There is plenty of hills in the city (in one main direction, away from the lake), and I have to admit to some jealously when watching people effortlessly fly by me on the downs (their back foot on the brake, of course). But I haven't quite figured out how annoying they are to transport back up the hill. I'm thinking a large segment of the population here takes transit up the hill, and scoots down it.
3. Two-factor authentication. In addition to the Swiss obsession with snail mail (which I think we've mentioned before), the folks here also have obsessive thoughts with regards to security. Everything that you need to log-in to requires at least 2 modes of authentication (face-id, fingerprint, password, etc). When you log-in to your online banking on the internet, for example, after you type in your password (mandatory ~ 1,000 characters long) you have to also use your unlocked phone to scan
a QR code on the screen and then authenticate it with a password there! And when you receive a new credit/bank card in the mail, a separate piece of mail, which comes a few days later, has the PIN! Although they call it a NIP here hahaha...
4. Smoking. This one was kinda expected... Europeans love their cigarettes! We in North America are ahead on this one for sure (although we need to go easy on the vaping...).
5. Counting. In addition to a totally different naming scheme for meals than Paris or Quebec (déjeuner is breakfast, dîner is lunch, and souper is dinner!), the Vaudoise (French speaking people in the province/canton of Vaud) have a more logical counting system than others. Seventy is septante, eighty if huitante, and ninety is nonante. If you know what they are in the rest of the French speaking world, you know these are far superior! They also have a reputation for talking very slowly... which is good for us! But it still seems speedy to us, of course.
6. Tax Included. The Swiss have a sales tax that is 7.7%. However, it is already included in all the prices! Hooray! This should be the law everywhere... It means that if you pay the same sticker price for something here (in CHF) then at home (in CAD), you are only paying 18% more here, and not the 33% that would be suggested by the exchange rate.
That's all for now!
Us with some new church friends on a hike!
The cathedral and shops in Lausanne
A tiny car/bike/possible Flintstone mobile!
Hi there Matt & Jenny!
ReplyDeleteWe have really enjoyed reading about your adventures - although I haven't been taking the time to sit down and tell you so! So here goes...
I have wondered the same thing about airpods here! Especially when I am hiking and almost everyone under 40 seems to be wearing them. But why? Isn't the whole point of going for a hike to enjoy God's creation? The sound of the wind in the trees. The joy in the chatter as the birds talk to one another. The soft crushing sound of your shoes on the trail. I simply don't understand why you would want to drown those sounds out. Are people so frightened by their own thoughts that they feel the need to fill their head with someones voice - speaking or singing - there is no difference. They both will remove you from the silence of creation. For me, it's a time of refreshment and rejuvenation. The last thing I want is the voices on the airpod (or any other electronic device) to drown out the "still small voice" that soothes my soul.
The city looks amazing. Love the buildings and the landscape. Keep those photos coming!!
I would imagine the two factor identification is a security necessity due to past problems. It would be time consuming and costly to set up such a system . Probably best to keep this in mind, and keep a close eye on your own ID.
You both look well and happy, and I am so glad you have this blog so I can enjoy your adventure with you.
We keep you both in our prayers.
Looking forward to your next post!
love - Aunt Dayle
Hey Aunt Dayle! We just noticed your comment after this long - it caught us off guard a little because we didn't know anyone was reading these posts :)
DeleteYes - I agree with you about the airpods... they can be handy for certain times and places, but in general the usage rates are quite rampant. But perhaps we are being hard on people and they are actually all listening to fake nature tracks anyway? Kind of like adult noise machines? Joking of course.
I hope you are doing well and the water levels recede a little from Lake Erie so you can have your beaches back - looking forward to seeing you the next time we come home or you come to Europe!
- Matt (& Jenny), with a hug