GENEVA LIFESTYLE
I know I can't capture the whole culture of Geneva, but I will try my best with I've taken note of (Yes, I actually jotted these things down as I came across them). First, Geneva is currently #6 MOST EXPENSIVE CITY in the WORLD! One Swiss Franc (CHF) is 0.86 cents to the US Dollar. I did not know this when I first arrived. I picked up a phone at the airport (SwissPhone company) to call my parents back in California, and the operator tells me it is $29 for the first 5 minutes with $1 for each additional minute. CRAZY, I KNOW! Just to put this in another perspective, to get a decent meal here (pasta and a drink), it'll cost about 30 CHF which is equivalent to almost $40 USD. I live off of bread and sandwiche meat from the local grocery store, but even the price of that may have cost me twice the package if I was shopping in Los Angeles. A sandwich from a local bakery would be about 8 CHF, plus a drink would be around 10 CHF. Almost $13. Anyway, I'll stop ranting about the prices.
Second, efficiency here is off the charts! Geneva has got it going onnnn! Their bus system is very efficient. Buses run every 15 minutes, but usually, it's lesser than that. Although their bus system is very complex, with signs and maps available everywhere, you can get anywhere on the bus! They run their buses based on a trust-system. It's sort of like the Metro Train back in Los Angeles. You can enter without proving a ticket, but every now and then, they have transit police checking for tickets. You don't want to be in that mix. Every door in the bus is opened only if you press a button to let yourself out/in. It's energy-efficient; no need to open all the doors, all the time. Eventhough I'm too scared to stay out at night, the buses run until about 2am every day- I haven't really checked, but my dorm window is right next above the bus stop. Recycling bins are everywhere. They have bins for every thing you can recycle- from clothes and shoes to cans. They also have ashtrays in every public space because almost every other person smokes. I mean, smoking is ultimately ruining the environment, but having disposals for it is one step closer to a less tackier environment.
Also, when dining out, waiters take their sweet time. It's not because of bad service, but it's part of the dining culture here. People sit, relax, and enjoy the food, as well as their company. The first time I ate out was at a pizzeria. They gave us our menus and took about 20 minutes to take our order. It was even longer waiting for our check. I now just request the check when I'm ready to leave.
This is totally random, but when I went grocery shopping, I noticed that they do not refrigerate their eggs and milk. Eggs and milk are kept on a shelf in the store aisles. I found an article on Forbes.com that eggs in the USA are required by USDA to be cleaned before they're ever put out on stock. For Europe, regulators thought it should be the producers job to make sure they have cleaned eggs before it hits the shelves because otherwise, consumers won't buy them. Also, there is a difference between what room temperature can do to the egg. Warm and cold temperatures can cause different things to an egg. But Europe is not too concerned about that because if a producers product is produced right, refrigerating it won't be a problem.
I have so much more I want to say! But I'll stop it here...for now :)
I'll be updating more as the days go by. Thanks for reading!
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