A Blog about life in Switzerland

A Letter to My Mother

Scott Tucker — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 13:50:14 +0000

Dear Mom,

Since I decided to make Switzerland my home nearly two decades ago, you and I have unfortunately not been able to spend a whole lot of quality time together.

We are victims of geography, so to speak.

So this week, when you told me that you will be coming all the way from California to spend a couple of weeks with me this summer, you can bet that I was pretty happy to hear the news.

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A Party of and for the People

Scott Tucker — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 07:53:22 +0000

This week a certain political party here in Switzerland, one that claims to be of and for the people, has been anything but of and for the people.

In fact, actions by its party members have ranged from downright divisive to blatantly xenophobic and racist.

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The right to assistance when in need

Scott Tucker — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 12:27:14 +0000

This week, Aung San Suu Kyi, current Burmese political opposition party member and former political prisoner, will be visiting Switzerland in order to speak at the International Labour Organization in Geneva.

It will be the first speech that she has given in Europe in over twenty-four years. In fact the last time she spoke here, the Berlin Wall was still standing over an ideologically divided continent.

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Green City

Scott Tucker — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:18:27 +0000

During a weekend visit to Zurich a few weeks ago, my cousin made a comment about how green the city is: trees, flowers, potted plants, grassy lawns, woods, and yes, even the occasional weed, overlooked by the city’s diligent gardeners.

She also pointed out the fact that even on one of Zurich’s most famous and busiest streets, the Bahnhofstrasse, you can find large trees providing shade for the throngs of shoppers, tourists and bankers that march up and down the road each and every day. (more…)

Trams, Tour Buses and Automobiles

Scott Tucker — Thu, 31 May 2012 15:32:36 +0000

A blue and white “Cobra” tram slowly goes by my window, causing the ground to shake ever so slightly.

At least five passengers have their iPhones out in the hopes of catching up on the latest gossip posted on their friends’ facebook pages. (more…)

“If you want things to stay as they are, things will have to change”

Scott Tucker — Tue, 29 May 2012 08:53:28 +0000

If you happened to be in Oerlikon last week, you could have witnessed an entire three-story building weighing 6,200 metric tons moving down the street.

That’s right; a small army of engineers and technicians picked up a house, put it on rollers and very slowly pushed it - at the snail’s pace of three metres and 20 centimetres per hour - sixty metres down the street. (more…)

To renounce or not to renounce?

Scott Tucker — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:28:23 +0000

This week I was surprised to learn that, to the delight or chagrin of many, Michele Bachmann, a conservative United States Representative from the state of Minnesota, former Republican presidential candidate and Tea Party darling, became a naturalized Swiss citizen.

Apparently she was eligible to become a Swiss citizen, because her husband, the son of Swiss immigrants to the United States, was already the proud owner of a red passport. Bachmann’s dual citizenship status was, however, short-lived.

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A cheese by any other name…

Scott Tucker — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:34:51 +0000

If you live in one place long enough, you eventually develop a taste for local foods and drinks.

I distinctly remember the first time I tried Rivella. (more…)

May 1st

Scott Tucker — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:13:18 +0000

To most United States citizens, the first day of May - International Worker’s Day - doesn’t have any real significance.

It is just another day to us. (more…)

My application for a Swiss C-Permit (Year 2)

Chantal Panozzo — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:34:36 +0000

Dear Switzerland,

It’s that time of year again. The time when I will request a C-Permit. Again. (more…)