A friend, upon learning I was abroad recently, asked if I've been somewhere exotic. I replied: - Yes, Switzerland. It was my first time there and yes, it was one of the most exotic places I've been to.
Switzerland is an old city on a lake surrounded by mountains. It's the perfect fairy tale,
postcard destination. How's that for exotic?
And it's very rich, but not in an overly conspicuous way. Buildings are not grand and there are no gleaming skyscrapers. Wait a minute, if you are in a small city, waiting for the green light and see yourself surrounded by Ferraris and Bentleys, are you in a filthy rich place or what? Oops, filth is heresy in Switzerland.
Then there are the cows. Cows are a symbol of Switzerland. I saw many in souvenir shops, the small ones. No, one doesn't see live cows, the real deal, in the city. Switzerland is definitely not India. I saw a couple of them on a mountain, but I've heard there are many more. And they too are very rich. If what I've heard is correct, the government pays each cow the equivalent of what 40 Burundians or Liberians earn a year.
Sometimes, there are surprises in Switzerland. For instance, Geneva has its Brasília side. After seeing the communist architecture of some former Soviet capitals, I was not expecting to see myself in the middle of a typical "superquadra", with low and long buildings surrounding a huge green lawn, in Switzerland. But hey, Le Coubusier was Swiss, right? And Geneva has its Jeddah side, with so many veiled women and the jeddau, I mean, jet d'eau.
Back to filth. Or no filth. Although I've previously heard about it, I was impressed by how tidy everything is in anti-filth Switzerland (and as my Swiss experience was limited to the French part and Lucerne, I can only imagine how is the rest of the country). So different from the mess we find in New York or São Paulo. Even construction sites are organized and clean. Now tell me: how much more boring can it get? But if we get bored, there's something really cool to do: eat Swiss chocolates, they are indeed delicious. Or find a job at the United Nations or the Red Cross and help under-salaried Liberians or Burundians (just don't touch our cows!)
9 comments:
I don't think Switzerland is a city...
It is.
oh well, I was always told it's a country, but you know it better, don't you?
nah, feel free to disagree.
haha this made made me laugh i live in Geneva... it's a bit stereotype this description! but glade you like my country :)
Chauve-Souris,
I liked it indeed, that's why I allowed myself to make fun of it.
I'm glad it made you laugh.
;-)
I live in Switzerland and this is the most faithful account I haver ever read of the country. Well done!
You write beautifully well, Rodrigo, in such a way that we can easily picture what you say. However, the description of Switzerland was the very opposite of my experience - and I do hold Swiss citizenship/residency as well. This is why my invitation to see the other side of Gstaad, in Saanenland, is still up, valid and binding. The highlands of Bern, the raves and parties in Zürich, St Moritz, St Gallen, each city, each canton, each area being totally different from cultural, historic, legal and organization perspectives, from language to architecture. Moreover, some of the most beautiful places and people you will ever see in your life will be there, most of the time showing prudence and circumspection, in a discreet posture - unless when talking about sports =)
It is the only place where democracy, as described by J.J. Rousseau, really occurred "comme il faut". Even the Greek democratic regime of Athens was not close to the helvetic confederation system.
I fear you were caught by the very risk you so candid- and carefully warned us about: stereotyping.
Como disse Raduan Nassar in "Um Copo de Cólera": "Tudo na vida é questão de ponto de vista"! Let me show mine to understand yours =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2oEmPP5dTM
You're right, Fernando. In the end it was an exercise in stereotyping, like the one Brazil is subject so often. I thought associating the circumspect Switzerland with exoticism was an interesting avenue to explore. But you made me want to see this other side you mentioned and that I'm sure is as compelling.
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