10. Little Red goes on an adventure of a different sort…
So, I just realised that it’s now been over a year since my last post. I didn’t stop adventuring (and I hope I never stop!); I have just been on a different type of adventure… Read More
9. Little Red visits Plymouth
A few months ago, myself and the other half paid a visit to Plymouth for a mini university reunion.
I am a bit ashamed to admit that despite living in the UK for 22 years, I am not very well travelled there at all. So this was my first visit to Plymouth and the furthest South I’ve ventured in the UK.
8. Little Red goes Stateside – New York
So, last month, I finally visited somewhere I’ve wanted to visit for years… NEW YORK! Read all about it!
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7. Little Red goes to Helsinki
Last month I visited Helsinki, in Finland.
Helsinki seems to be one of the places everyone skips over when touring Scandinavia, so I decided to start there. And I’m really glad I did.
Helsinki was actually miles away from what I expected, but I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest.
So, what did we get up to in Helsinki?
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6. Signs you’re becoming Swiss
It’s been almost 2 years since I moved to Switzerland. That sounds like a long time. So, I should be feeling pretty integrated now, no?
Below are a few signs that you’re definitely becoming Swiss…
1. Your cheese of choice is raclette.
2. You’ve mastered the pronunciation of “Chuchichäschtli” and you know what it means.
3. You get annoyed when your train is more than 4 minutes late. (4 minutes seems to be the common length of delays here)
4. You no longer adhere to the queuing system which is so respected in the UK.
5. When asked about Swiss things you often reply “it differs from kanton to kanton” – it’s the easiest explanation!
6. You don’t go for afterwork drinks, you have an “apero”
7. You complain about how dirty your home country is, even though it never bothered you one bit when you lived there.
8. You answer the phone by your surname.
9. You actually enjoy Rivella and it is frequently your soft drink of choice. (This one I cannot and will never abide by, so I guess I’ll never be Swiss!)
I’m sure I’ll have plenty more to add to this in the future!
5. Zurich Street Food Festival
This weekend saw the return of Zurich Street Food Festival! This month’s venue was in Haffendamm Enge, at Mittenquai by Lake Zurich.
With 80 food stalls on site, all tastes were catered for – literally. I am quite a fussy eater, but there really was something for everyone here.
Read more to see what culinary delights tickled our tastebuds!
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4. Little Red ponders…
Why is the BBC obsessed with “Great British” things?
On BBC 2 right now: “Great British Menu”
On BBC 4 right now: “Great British Railway Journeys”
Also on BBC programme listing: “Great British Bake Off” and “Great British Garden Revival”
Great work from the creative team.
3. Things that changed when I moved to Switzerland
When you move abroad, of course you expect some changes. First of all, there’s a new language to learn. Then there’s a new currency to get your head around (which is possible the most colourful currency in the world!) Perhaps it’s a new climate… Or a completely new culture. No matter what it is, you’re going to experience some change.
If you aren’t prepared for change, or aren’t willing to embrace a little change, I recommend you stay at home.
Below is something of the biggest changes I’ve had to get my head around…
2. Why Switzerland?
image taken from hookedoneverything.com
So, why Switzerland?
I get asked this all the time, of course. I really want to make up something crazy or exciting like “I’m an international drug dealer” or “Because I was born to be a ski instructor” But I just end up telling the truth. So here it is.
I graduated at the end of June in 2013. I, like many other graduates, couldn’t find one of those often-promised-but-rarely-sighted jobs. I was intent on moving to London to build some sort of magnificent career, but just couldn’t afford to do it without a job. Again, like many other graduates, I fell in to a bit of a depression. That’s something our government really needs to address, but that’s for another blog post. Anyway, one of my older brothers was (and still is currently) living in Switzerland, and invited me over to stay for a while. Without a permit, I could stay for 3 months and look for a job, and if I didn’t find anything, I was going to go home and be in the same position as what I was when I left. Nothing lost, and all that. And well I found a job. Well actually, I found a few! First off, I started working in an Irish bar (expat cliché), then I found an internship with an NGO, and then I found my current job. That’s it.
I’ve lived abroad before, and I’ve always known from a young age I wanted to live abroad. When the opportunity presented itself, I felt I had to take it.
So yeah, I got really lucky! I’ve been here almost 2 years, and I see me being here at least a while longer. Well, probably at least a year as I’ve just signed a contract on a new apartment! So here’s hoping the luck doesn’t run out anytime soon.
1. Hello world!
Hi! Welcome to my new blog!
I tried this whole thing before and it didn’t really work out. It wasn’t you, it was me. It was kind of before the whole blogging thing really exploded as well and everyone was more in to mindlessly scrolling through tumblr posts of inspirational quotes (hey, I’m not knocking it!).
Anyway, I thought I’d give it a go again. I’m back, living abroad for the second time, and whenever I go home and my friends and family ask me what I’ve been up to, they’re always saying “you should start a blog so I can keep up with what you’ve been doing!” So now I’m doing exactly that!
I’ve been living in Switzerland for 1 year and 8 months now (632 days – thanks Google!) and since living here I’ve seen some absolute amazing places, and had some really fun times.
Being practically in the centre of Europe, I’m pretty lucky that I’m not so far away from so many beautiful countries, and as a really keen traveller, I’m trying to take advantage of this. This blog will basically cover the adventures I have been on and will go on, as well as the cool and not-so-everyday things I do whilst living in Switzerland. And who knows what else I might throw in inbetween! I hope you enjoy!
Fiona
little red's adventures 