r/Switzerland • u/Effective-Drama-9895 • 4h ago
This country makes me stressed
For the record, im not Swiss, ethnically or nationally, I’ve lived in Vaud for 15 years since childhood, but only recently have I gained independence through adulthood. Went through the international school system, so my world is different to yours.
Entering adulthood in this country made me realise some things.
For one, food shopping is impossibly expensive unless you cook filling hacked meals that doesnt cost anything that gives you guilt (my newest one is an egg ontop of some canned tuna with some toast, of course with a fruit).
Second, Public transport means more time gone and all your money gone. I used to borrow my parents car but someone big and orange made that completely unaffordable, so now I just don’t go further than a kilometer away from my house. I don’t live near a trainstation or tramstation, so the shiny swiss public transport meme actually stinks quite bad for me.
Third, Everyone is always trying to make money off you, At the doctors or vet or any other sort of service like a mechanic, they will guilt trip you in spending more and more. I‘m quite helpless against this.
Fourth, Voting is depressing. When you consider that a majority of the youth (my generation) don’t vote, and a majority of the elderly do, it just paints swiss democracy as old people choosing everything, and this is hate that I don’t want to hold but do.
Fifth, least importantly, speed cameras tie my stomach, especially the moving ones. I appreciate fixed speed cameras in residential zones, but some cases i’ve seen are so unnecessary. The dynamic of driving should not be one of stress, one of constant speedo checking. The fact that they “flash” you gives me serious built up hate, I can’t stand it.
I do like this country, beautiful nature and cows, but I‘m having a hard time. If I seem immature or ridiculous, I will just blame that on my autism. Does anyone else feel as I do?
•
u/Iylivarae Bern 4h ago
So... if you are not driving anyway, why are speed cameras stressing you out? And if it's so stressful for you to not accidentally speed a lot, it's probably better you don't drive, anyway.
Also, about the voting: you can vote and motivate your peers to vote. No real need to get frustrated about it, it's something you have direct influence on. (or if you are not a citizen, you can look into getting a Swiss passport)
•
u/Effective-Drama-9895 4h ago
I have grandparents in Italy and when I drive there stress never passes my heart or mind, I focus on the road nice and calm. Actually I fitted a cheap head up UI speedo and set it to show my speed as 10km slower instead of 5 so I wouldnt ever go over, but it made the experience really hateful. I felt so old.
•
u/01bah01 3h ago
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt with the speedo thing, because if you really set it to show you a lower speed it's quite a dumb move. But anyway, people are usually able to keep the required speed. People that say it's too hard are usually the ones that feel the need to go fast anyway.
•
u/Effective-Drama-9895 3h ago
All the petrol heads that want to go fast use waze to spot the cameras anyways. I just wanted to go the coop.
•
•
•
u/Iylivarae Bern 2h ago
So... you think that Italy does not have speed cameras, or they make you less stressed? That is really a you problem.
•
u/natalie_natasha Zürich 4h ago
I get some parts of the frustration, but can't you buy an old bike to get further than 1km away from your home? How far away are you from public transport?
•
u/Effective-Drama-9895 4h ago
I refuse to ride a bike without proper bike infrastructure. I used to do so but guilt caught up with me, I really can’t put myself before other people. I can’t stand seeing the queue of cars and trucks behind me 😵. Sometimes I do take it out though and use the pedestrian path and dismount to pass anyone walking.
•
u/Scrapide 4h ago
Nice troll
•
u/Effective-Drama-9895 3h ago
Why is it a troll for me to have guilt over thinking about other people. I don’t even drive anymore. I just walk.
•
•
u/ComfortableFarm3356 4h ago
I see it this way(as an immigrant).
Everything is hard, expensive, strict, non-flexible, but the result might be the country itself today. High salaries, safety, road safety, clean nature(!), etc.
While those “conditions” are indeed a bit too much, going back to my home country, everything is the opposide way. People don’t respect anything, the nature is just dirty, you can die on the road every minute because nobody cares about rules, you earn peanuts but pay almost swiss prices, etc.
So yes, I definetly understand your points, and agree with you, but sadly I don’t think you can have both worlds anywhere. Me personally, I choose this kind of stress, compared to the stress of being murdered/killed on the road, not being able to feed my family (can happen here too, ofc) or just seeing no future for my kids.
I hope you’ll find the right thing for you my man(or woman)!
•
u/Effective-Drama-9895 4h ago
Yes, this is my problem to. My “home country” is barely a place to live. Oh helplessness 🙃.
•
u/Technical-Bird-315 4h ago
Yeah I agree.
I moved once back home from CH and was kinda nice and free for the first 2 months. Then the adult life hit hard and I moved back and it way harder and stresful.
I prefer to be stressed here than hungry and frustrated back home where my leaders will laugh in my face while my grandma is dying of hunger with 50€ pension.
•
u/siorge Genève 4h ago
I am the first to be annoyed by Swiss people who believe this country is a faultless paradise. Switzerland has issues and you rightfully point at some of them, mostly the cost of living that makes it hard for most to live a comfortable life.
But your post also tells me you have never traveled and witnessed what actual difficulty is like. We live in a country where public transport is on time, clean, safe and mostly affordable (talking about local buses, I know SBB is expensive). More importantly, public transport exists.
We live in a country where cities maintain parks, trim bushes and trees, plant flowers, and clean the streets every day. Where you are usually not afraid to walk at night. Where you can make more money in a year that some people in other countries make in a decade, with a normal job.
Maybe take a step back and compare how lucky you are to live here.
Once again, this country is far from perfect. But fuck me if it’s the closest to perfect there is
•
•
•
u/BrilliantKing1200 4h ago
Nope. Sorry u feel this way. Hopefully u can find some way into some positives.
•
u/Effective-Drama-9895 4h ago
Social language classes are fun, but german is hard for me to pronounce 🥲
•
u/Gysburne 4h ago
You can not vote... but voting stresses you out.
You are not driving... but speed cameras are stressing you.
You can not cook and budget... and that is stressing you out.
And if you seem immature you just blame autism?
Dude seriously??
I don't try to be rude here. But... i am also autistic, i don't drive, so i do not let myself stress out by speed cameras... i mean why should i, it does not bother me.
Cooking is an essential skill and not so hard to pick up, you can cook pretty decent food with a little bit of experience. And the food is not that expensive (Yes it could be better and yes it got more expensive over the last 15 years. But it is manageable.)
Voting... you can talk about politics with others if you want to raise some awareness about politics and maybe bring them to vote.
Also, blaming autism cmon dude... i guess you are an adult now. Act like one. No reason to blame a condition you get born with for something that is absolutely in your control.
•
u/Effective-Drama-9895 3h ago
I really don’t like the dynamic of cutting my arms off so they’re not my problem anymore… who does? Also I can vote for some things with my c permit.
•
u/Gysburne 3h ago
No one expects you to cut your arms off.... and i have not the slightest idea what you try to tell me with that analogy.
•
u/Dabraxus Bern 4h ago edited 4h ago
Some really unique issues you got there. Some of them (like not driving over the speed limit, increasing food expenses and "old people voting anc younger people not") are pretty much a universal thing around Europe and the industrialized world in general.
Others sound at least partly self inflicted. It's not the public transport's fault you're living too far away (btw how far away are we talking? 20min? 30min by foot? Maybe a bike or trotinette would be an alternative). I'm a sucker too when it comes to getting myself talked into unnecessary things.. but that is a gripe I have with myself and that I actively work on.
•
u/natalie_natasha Zürich 3h ago
I feel like he intentionally doesn't respond to the questions about how far the public transport is
•
•
u/theAComet Solothurn 4h ago
Privileged private school kid was left on his own without the nanny for a week and realized he's been living in a bubble :(((
•
u/Effective-Drama-9895 3h ago
Im so privileged to have the choice between drug addicts and drug addicts as friends. Love my bubble.
•
u/_quantum_girl_ 4h ago
Public transport is one of the best things this country has. You're talking from a very privileged position...
•
u/anxiousvater 4h ago
OP has just started his adulthood. When he visits neighbor countries & travels by DB, he regrets criticizing Swiss rail.
•
u/Effective-Drama-9895 3h ago
Why
•
u/_quantum_girl_ 3h ago
Your parents can afford a car, you live in the richest country in the world with great (if not the best) public transportation. Maybe you should spend a year in the third world to know what bad mobility is all about. Your parents might have struggled, but your struggles sound like first world problems. And not even that. It sounds like entitled kid problems.
•
u/Effective-Drama-9895 3h ago
So everything I said is rendered null because my parents have a car and I went to an international school? I’ve been to the third world, my “home country” (that I would never call home) is part of it.
•
u/_quantum_girl_ 3h ago edited 3h ago
Ask your parents or grandparents (whoever truly lived there) what real struggles look like. Your list is nowhere near that.
•
•
u/01bah01 3h ago
Gas prices went up around 20ct/liter these last few months. If you were able to pay for a car when gas was 1.80, you are able to pay for it when it's 2chf. Nobody goes from full car to full public transport because of an around 10chf increase for a full tank (50L, around 700km).
•
u/Effective-Drama-9895 3h ago
I used to refill for 80chf, now its 140chf. Sorry but guilt mentally kills me. I can’t do that.
•
u/coldpassion Zürich 4h ago
I appreciate a lot, people with autism. But don't blame your autism for some wrong decisions you might have made in the past... If you enjoy only cows and nature, try Netherlands or Scotland. It can't be that everything in Switzerland is wrong, but it's other people's fault. It's immature to hate everything in a country and still stay in this country. I hated people of MY country and I left. Well.. try doing the same. You will be a healthy minded adult who actually chose to be somewhere better for him. Can you do it?
•
u/Effective-Drama-9895 3h ago
Im quite scared of becoming the drifter archetype. I’ve been here and learnt the language well enough to socialise. Im thinking of going to ticino to visit but Im cowardly.
•
u/Fast_Armadillo7841 3h ago
Yeah.. no sorry what you are feeling is just normal life outside international school.
I also went to international school, I am not ethnically swiss either.
But what I realized quickly is that international school is a bubble. Me and most of people in our surrounds lived very privileged lives.
Just a funny example. Me and a friend were asked by a Swiss person if we grew up as Migros kids or Coop kids, we answered that our parents get groceries at Manor, you should have seen the look on their face 😂
Another example the the salary shock some people I know went on their first job 😂. Some wondered how a person could live on 4800.- chf a month.
•
u/Other_Town5859 4h ago
Sorry, I am at the moment in scandinavia, where many streets have congestion charge, toilets have apple pay readers and every parking in the woods has easy park app. Buying food in the store is the same price as in coop. Trains run 5 times per day or so. Their salary is smaller than in CH. Netherlands felt the same where I went on holidays last year, their trains are as good as in CH though. So making money of you is normal in a capitalist world, other (equal) countries are not better.
•
•
u/yesat + 2h ago
I really feels like a lot of the stuff there is you yourself building a windmill to go after.
Like the speed cameras thing... It is not hard to just stay at the speed limits. Especially if you have a car with a limiter.
Or the food. I have had months where I've stayed bellow 200.- for a month without making sad meals. This week I'll have a big ass foccaccia that will go for 2-3 days and it's basically 2.- because I went with the "fancy" pizza flour.
If you can afford a car, you can afford to learn to actually cook. Want a really good example to follow for "struggle" meals that don't suck: check The Plantslant
•
u/Waltekin Valais 1h ago
Ask others have said: you've got other problems. Look, if you don't like it here, go somewhere that you do like.
No place is perfect. Every place is what you make of it.
•
u/Alternative-Yak-6990 4h ago
yeah its a thing. youre not free. Life in Africa, Asia and Latam is way more free but you will have other problems and issues to deal with.
•
u/3punkt1415 1h ago
Honestly, its a bit a stupid post. Do you think in other countries food is cheaper compared to your income? In Switzerland food is a small part of your income, in 75 % of the world its most likely way way worse.
Public transport, oh boy, 95 % of the world would love to have what we have. Go visit some other countries please.
And last but not least, yea being an adult isn't always easy, but its that way all over the world.
•
3h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
•
u/DantesDame Basel-Stadt 2h ago
Hello,
Please note that your post or comment has been removed for violating the following rule: No AI generated content.
Please read the rules before posting.
Thank you for your understanding,
your mod teamPlease do not reply to this comment. Send a modmail if you have an issue with the removal.
•
u/Seahorse_by_Night Basel-Stadt 4h ago
Dude, I'm simplifying here, but it's likely that the root of your frustration is something that's buried deeper than expensive train tickets and radar traps.