What do you know about Swiss expats and emigration?

The Swiss passport seems to open many doors, as an exceptionally high percentage of the Swiss expats (59%) mention that getting a visa for their host country was very easy, an opinion only 41% of their global peers share.

Swissemigration, a division of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs provides documentation and general advisory services on individual countries and specific topics. It produces illustrations on the annual figures for emigration among the usual resident population of Switzerland compiled by the Federal Statistical Office and for statistics on the number of Swiss nationals living abroad.

So, where do you fit in?

Expats from Switzerland are willing to sacrifice some of their income in order to enjoy an adventurous life abroad.

Swiss emigration to Europe for 2015

Total Swiss emigration world-wide in the year 2015

Expat with Kids Social Media

Stuck at home with a thigh muscle strain - needless to say the weather is gorgeous and a run would seem like a great idea - I have reverted to streamlining all my social media feeds... et voilà le résultat!

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Ready for Switzerland’s annual siren testing

Get ready for tomorrow's emergency! It is a yearly tradition that takes place in Switzerland every first Wednesday of February. It is the day the entire country tests its emergency sirens.

Swiss being Swiss, the government maintains a network of around 7,200 sirens across the country as a public warning system that would be used in case of a national emergency. That could mean a natural disaster such as major flooding, or an imminent threat to or breakdown of a nuclear power plant.

The sirens were originally established to warn of bomb threat during World War Two. In particular Switzerland feared that its dams could be bombed in the manner that Germany’s Möhne, Eder and Sorpe dams were bombed by the allies in 1943. The system endured through the Cold War when Switzerland feared being caught in the crossfire of a nuclear attack and has been kept ever since.

The general alarm will be tested at 1.30pm for around half an hour. The water alarm test follows at 2.15pm in applicable areas. The first, indicating general disaster, is a continuous oscillating siren lasting around a minute. The second, is a series of 12 bursts of 20 seconds each at ten-second intervals to warn people who live beneath dams of  impending water-related catastrophe.

Listen to the radio, follow instructions and tell your neighbours to do the same 

This is what the sirens sounded like from our balcony in Lugano back in 2011.  Some things never change!

Foreigners in Switzerland

Today there are more than two million foreigners living in Switzerland and some 2.1 percent of foreigners obtained Swiss citizenship in 2015.

In 2015 there were 2,048,700 foreign nationals with permanent residency (meaning those granted a permit for 12 months or longer) in the country, just under a quarter (24.6 percent) of the total population, said the Swiss statistics office (SS).

The 2015 figure includes 393,600 people who were born in Switzerland but do not have Swiss citizenship, with the rest being foreign-born immigrants.

Of those born outside Switzerland, 44 percent have lived here for ten years or more.

The biggest foreign populations are Italians, Germans, Portuguese, French and Kosovans, which make up more than half (54 percent) of permanent foreign residents in Switzerland.

Geneva has the highest number of foreigners, at 41 percent, followed by the cantons of Basel-City (35 percent) and Vaud (34 percent).

So where do you fit in?

Foreigners by Nationality

% of foreigners applying and receiving Swiss citizenship

Languages spoken at home

9 Ways To Stay In Touch With Long-Distance Friends

One of my favrourite link lists is Swiss Miss' Friday link pack. Swissmiss is a design blog run by Swiss, long-term New York resident Tina Roth Eisenberg. She and her team are full of creative and out-of-the-ordinary ideas.

This video made me smile this morning, although No.9 might be taking it a little far.

The World's Biggest Eye Contact Experiment

On Saturday the 29th of October, 2016 hundreds of thousands of people from around the world – from Tel Aviv to Melbourne – will stand united in eye contact. It is the official date for the World's Biggest Eye Contact Experiment, a global event inspiring the world to share authentic eye contact and connection in public. Last year over 100,000 people from over 156 different cities were involved.

The Liberators International are the global organisers of this event. They are a peaceful international social movement founded in Perth, Australia and are passionate about creating participatory public demonstrations for peace and videos that allow us to see that beyond our differences there is love and humanity.

Why?
“Our global society has become thirsty for true connection and this experience allows you to be the change you wish to see in the world by creating an authentic, loving and respectful platform for human connection to flourish in public.”

Your participation in this global event demonstrates that beyond our differences there is love and humanity. You will be representing your country on this incredible day and what happens will forever change the social fabric of the present and future. Sign up here.

The only Ticino event is awaiting clearance for Locarno. Stay tuned with this list of participating cities: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dycjvpldFI8jhsgpkYO2CWBXCseKqRwnKLgQ_UQABRE/mobilebasic

For more info click here: http://www.eyecontactexperiment.com

Swiss Expat Stats

The Swiss apparently do not find their motherland to be a particularly exciting country, since the most common (although not the most important) reason for their relocation is the search for an adventure or a personal challenge (mentioned by 28%). In addition, 24% of the Swiss report that they specifically wanted to live in the country they currently reside in, and according to a further 22% they simply enjoy living abroad.

Many Swiss expats have previous experience with life abroad. Almost a quarter (24%) has lived in four or more countries before, excluding Switzerland and their current host country; globally, only 16% of participants can say the same. Planned lengths of stay do not deviate as much (e.g. 27% Swiss vs. 25% overall plan to possibly stay forever). However, in contrast to the worldwide trend, stays of 3–5 years are somewhat more popular with the Swiss than those of over five years (20% and 10%, respectively).

Luckily, the Swiss passport seems to open many doors, as an exceptionally high percentage of the Swiss expats (59%) mention that getting a visa for their host country was very easy, an opinion only 41% of their global peers share.

Switzerland through the eyes of an Expat

It is true that the Swiss can be a little private, reluctant to become friends with foreigners but once they DO become your friend it is for life!

For more info click here.

When being an Expat does not work

Becoming an expatriate is as exciting as it is frightening. A new life away from home brings all kinds of new challenges. From new food and drinks to new habits and rituals. But you also encounter expat problems. Common expat problems are loneliness, cultural differences, sorting out health care, cost of living, finding proper schools for children, learning the language and relationship problems.

Here is an info graph about some issues an expat might come across. No, it is not always a smooth ride...

Those who make the move with a spouse face problems of their own. Some worry that their partner or family doesn’t seem happy with the decision. A travelling spouse may well have given up a career and suffered from a loss of income, which can affect the dynamic of the relationship. A large proportion of travelling spouses (65%) are unhappy with being financially dependent on their partner and 45% are concerned by the loss of financial independence.

Other factors can also have a negative impact: 52% of travelling spouses say their partner is always working long hours, 51% feel they are expected to organise all the practical aspects of their life abroad and 27% feel discriminated against because of their gender, an issue far more prevalent among women.

It's Neighbours' Day on May 20th

On May 20th, 2016 Switzerland joins the Neighbors' Day celebration. It is a very simple initiative that aims to promote a culture of solidarity within the neighbourhood to fight the typical isolation of today's contemporary lifestyle.

Celebrated on Friday May 20th 2016 by several million people in Europe, Neighbours' Day has enjoyed cross-continental success. This year, Neighbours Day is supported by more than 1 200 partners (city councils, housing organizations and local associations) in over 30 countries! The participants have reached 10 million!

Lugano joined this initiative in 2004 for the first time and over the years, citizens' actions have increased exponentially. To date, several hundred people participate with enthusiasm at this annual event. Founded 1999 in Paris by Mr.Atanase Périfan, the Neighbours' Day encountered an immediate success and has been growing ever since.

So why not organize an informal party and invite your neighbours! A simple gesture that can help strengthen the network of solidarity to overcome the distrust and the impoverishment of social relations.

The principle is straight forward: people of the same building or within the same neighbourhood gather on the evening of May 20th, to eat something together, have a drink, exchange a few words and get to know eachother better. An easy way to create solidarity or simply find opportunities to be together.

Three good reasons to join the party:
1. Get to know and appreciate your neighbour!
2. Unity is strength ... and makes life easier
3. A name, a face, a story...

Check your mailbox for the pre-printed invitation pack, click here or e-mail: vicini@lugano.ch or phone: Tel. 058 866 74 57.

You can also check out my Swiss neighbourhood rules before you embark on your adventure! Most importantly: don't forget to have fun! Remember the Swiss can be fun, just give them a chance. ;)

Go beyond your Expat comfort zone

With any walk of life, everyday routines sometimes get a bit too comfortable.  Although nobody really likes to admit it, people can find themselves stuck in a bit of a rut.  This applies to expats as well.  Feeling comfortable is great, but being too settled could stop you from making the most of your expat adventure.

It’s important to keep things fresh to continue making the most out of your expat experience.  If you can relate to some of these expat-in-a-rut symptoms, here are some suggestions to keep things interesting!

Symptom: Expat complacency
Did you move with a long list of things you wanted to tick off – be that sightseeing, trying particular street foods, or visiting galleries or museums, but find you haven’t done that much?  Unlike visiting somewhere on holiday, being an expat means there is no time limit on your stay, and it’s easy to forget about the typical ‘tourist’ activities you initially wanted to do.

Expat remedy: Be a tourist once a week – pretend you only have a week left in your host country, and tick off that bucket list!

Symptom: Unvaried expat diet
Indulging in local cuisine is by far one of the greatest perks of expat life, and by now you will probably have expert knowledge of where to get the best street food, the best coffee and other local delicacies. But inevitably, this also means that expats can end up sticking to the same old favourite dish.

Expat remedy: Take a trip to some local food markets, buy some ingredients you haven’t used before!  Host a dinner party for new friends, and show case your culinary skills.

Symptom:  Over-settled expats
Getting to know your local area is great and it’s fantastic to feel like you are really ‘at home’ somewhere new.  However, don’t forget that a short drive, train or bus journey away, there are new places ripe for exploration!

Expat remedy: If you haven’t left your local area for a while, reserve one weekend a month for a road trip to get to know your neighbouring cities or villages.

Symptom: Unadventurous expats
The prospect of becoming an expat is both exciting and daunting at the same time, and often comes with visions of an adventure-filled future.  However, after being settled in a place for a while, the element of adventure can start to dwindle.

Expat remedy: To reinstate that feeling of excitement, how about becoming an adrenaline junkie for the day? Do something that scares you, be that finding some adventure sports facilities in your local area, or joining up to a new club by yourself.

Symptom: In an expat bubble
If you’ve made a good circle of friends since moving, that’s fantastic, and an important aspect of feeling settled.  But this isn’t to say you should try and stop making new friends.

Expat remedy: Set yourself a target of speaking to one new person every week – be that another expat, or a local.  You’ll be surprised how quickly you pick up hints and tips about local life where you are, and perhaps some new friends as well.

So, go ahead and step out of your comfort zone! It's not always easy but it's worth it.

Tips for moving with kids

Moving from one destination to another is not easy for us adults, imagine what effect it has on our kids. Make sure you involve them in the process.

Here are some helpful ideas that can help ensure a smooth and happy relocation:

1.) Before the move
Together with your child, learn about the new place you will be living and what to expect. Read books, look on the internet or contact the tourist board of your new country. It is very important for children to be able to say a proper goodbye to one place before arriving in another; in fact, many people feel that if you don’t say goodbye properly you’ll start off on the wrong foot in the next location.

2.) When you arrive
When arriving in a new country, be sure to help your child settle in quickly. Making friends is often the most pressing issue for a child. So be proactive and invite the neighbours’ kids over to play or arrange for a classmate to come over after school. Maintain strong ties to your home country. Keeping in contact with friends and family through letters, email and parcels or other items is a great idea. Preserve the festivals and special occasions you had back home – and share these things with your new host countrymen. Keep traditions in your own family alive by maintaining routines.

3.) Going back home or moving again
Make sure you keep items that represent your time in the country you are leaving, to remember it by. Keep photos, jot down memories, keep postcards and other information on what you visited and saw in your new country in a scrapbook. Look back at the places you have lived, including your home culture regularly. Ensure that you allow a time for sadness and sorrow, but with the happy expectations of a new adventure to come.

When returning back home to live, remember you and your child will have changed and grown in many ways. Be prepared for “reverse culture shock”, where your child may complain no one understands them and how they feel. You can help your child by being available for talks, remembering the places you’ve been and discussing your feelings about coming home.

Wondering about cost of living

June is the month of moving for many Expats. The school year ends and the families continue their journey onto their next destination. Here is useful tool that calculates the cost of living across the globe.

Numbeo is the world’s largest database of user contributed data about cities and countries worldwide. It provides current and timely information on world living conditions including cost of living, housing indicators, health care, traffic, crime and pollution.

So give it a try and see how much a coke or a cup of coffee costs in your new home: http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/

Comparis: Switzerland's favourite comparison service

June is the season of departures and arrivals for Expats. If you are arriving in Ticino, I have just the app for you: Comparis Property Switzerland. You'll find the all listings of the largest property portals at a glance, it searches all listings on comparis.ch, Homegate, Immoscout24, Newhome and other Swiss portals simultaneously.

Comparis is the leading Swiss Internet comparison service. On www.comparis.ch, consumers can easily and quickly compare rates and services. The site had almost 60 million visitors last year and thus counts among the most widely used Swiss websites.

The Property App allows you to quickly and easily check out the current offers on the real estate market throughout Switzerland. There is also a Car App, an health Insurance App and a Mortgage App.

The Car Market App allows you to quickly and easily check out the current offers on the car market wherever you are.

With the Health Insurance App you can compare the premiums for 2015 from all Swiss health insurance providers and save plenty of money.

The Mortgage App always keeps you up to date on the daily interest rates. With the help of push notifications you can additionally create a personal interest alarm.

For more info click here to enter Comparis site: https://en.comparis.ch

Switzerland is the world's happiest country

Have you heard the news? If you're living in Switzerland consider yourself lucky. You're residing in the world's happiest country.

The scores are in for the 2015 World Happiness Report, and it turns out, the land of watches, chocolate and cheese has been crowned the happiest nation on Earth.

The 172-page report, compiled by the UN General Assembly, factors in six key issues in its rankings, including GDP per capita, life-span, social support, trust in government and businesses, perceived freedom to make life decisions, and generosity.

Since it was first published in 2012, the World Happiness Report demonstrated that well-being and happiness are critical indicators of a nation's economic and social development, and should be a key aim of policy.

The report identifies the countries with the highest levels of happiness:
1.) Switzerland
2.) Iceland
3.) Denmark
4.) Norway
5.) Canada

The World Happiness Report 2015 shows that at both the individual and national levels, all measures of well-being, including emotions and life evaluations, are strongly influenced by the quality of the surrounding social norms and institutions. These include family and friendships at the individual level, the presence of trust and empathy at the neighborhood and community levels, and power and quality of the over-arching social norms that determine the quality of life within and among nations and generations. When these social factors are well-rooted and readily available, communities and nations are more resilient.

World’s largest database of cost of living

Yesterday's map shows the difference in living costs around the world using figures from the world's largest database of user contributed data about cities and countries worldwide.

The data was collected by Numbeo, the world's largest database of user-contributed data on costs and prices around the world. It provides current and timely information on world living conditions including cost of living, housing indicators, health care, traffic, crime and pollution.

Just type in your city and hit enter. You'll not only learn what the Average Monthly Disposable Salary is but also how much a pair of Nike shoes cost. Want to know the hourly rent of a tennis court during the weekend or how much you''ll be charged for 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff locally. Wondering how much a three course meal for 2 in a mid-range restaurant will set you back or what a pack of cigarettes cost?

Looking for concrete answers?

Click here and figure it out for yourself: http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/

Cost of living world infographic

Sometimes it is not great to be top of the list. Decide for yourself. In Switzerland the high cost of living comes with the exceptional quality of life. This is a very personal judgement and often difficult to measure.

Expats think about cost of living all the time, especially when they’re looking to move from one location to another. The perspective is, therefore, generally focused on that country.

The Consumer Price Index, used to determine the difference in the living costs between countries takes into account the prices of groceries, transportation, restaurants and utilities, each containing a number of variables. The cost of groceries, for instance, is made up of the price for meat, bread, rice, eggs, fruits, vegetables and alcohol. The transportation cost includes one-way tickets, monthly passes, taxi fares, petrol prices as well as the prices of a Volkswagen Golf. The restaurant costs comprise of prices for meals in expensive, mid-range and inexpensive restaurants, as well as the prices for coffee products, alcohol and water in restaurants. The utilities costs are determined by the prices for electricity, heating, water and Internet, among the few.

Here is some awesome data that forces you to take a look at the entire world. I am not quite sure how Venezuela got third place. Someone enlighten me?

An interesting map from MoveHub reveals living costs around the world.

Hello neighbour...

When was the last time you ran out of sugar and asked your neighbour for a favour? Personally, I hopped across the landing last year to ask mine for a bottle opener. She looked very confused and surprised but handed me one nevertheless.

Pumpipumpe is a Switzerland-based project that is encouraging residents to place stickers on their mailbox to denote the goods they’re willing to lend to their neighbours.

The idea was initially formed to enable those with bike pumps to indicate to fellow cyclists that they could knock and use theirs in the case of a flat tyre — hence the name Pumpipumpe (lending pumps).

The scheme has since expanded into a system allow neighbours to advertise any object available to borrow.

Those who want to take part can simply order a pack of stickers from the project’s website. Each sticker is a small blue square that features illustrations including a bike pump, lawn mower, kitchen scale, children’s toys, and even internet access and fancy dress costumes.

The idea is that homeowners place the stickers for the items they have on their mailbox so passersby can know if they’re good to knock on the door. The stickers are free to anyone in Switzerland or Germany.

Could this idea work in your part of the world?

Furniture stores around Lugano

Are you feeling the spring coming? Reckon it is time for a little redecoration? Have the latest fashion colours inspired you? Or are you simply relocating and searching for furniture stores?

Following is a list of furniture stores that will keep you busy for the next few weekends, should you consider a relook of your living quarters:

Salvioni in Lugano: http://www.salvionilugano.ch (via Ferruccio Pelli 2, 6900 Lugano)
Interni Arredamenti SA in Lugano: via Pioda 14, 6900 Lugano
Kartell in Lugano: http://www.kartell.com  (via G. B. Pioda 9, 6900 Lugano)
Ikea in Grancia: (www.ikea.com)
Interior in Contone: (http://de.interio.ch)
Pfister in Contone: (www.pfister.ch)
Delcó Mobili in S. Antonino: (www.delcomobili.ch)
Lipo in Grancia and in Contone: (www.lipo.ch)
Conforama in Grancia: (www.conforama.ch)
Toptip in Bioggio: (www.toptip.ch)
Expo Arredo in Mendrisio: http://www.expoarredo.ch (via Vignalunga 2c, 6850 Mendrisio)
Grancasa in Mendrisio: www.grancasa.it (Via Francesco Borromini 5, 6850 Mendrisio)
Bernasconi in Mendrisio: http://www.arredamentibernasconi.ch (via Borromini 3, 6850 Mendrisio)
Abitare in Giubiasco: http://www.abitare-arredamenti.ch (via Baragge 13d, 6512 Giubiasco)
Arredopiu in Varese: (http://www.arredopiu.net/ita/index.php)
Mondo Convenienza in Como: (http://www.mondoconv.it)

What is the Swiss 3-pillar system?

The Swiss pension system is divided into state pensions, occupational benefits insurance and private pensions. Upon retirement or in the event of disability or death, the financial security of every person and their relatives rests on these three Pillars.

• the 1st pillar is obligatory for everyone and includes Old Age and Survivors' Insurance OASI, Disability Insurance DI, Ordinance on Compensation for Loss of Income and health insurance.
• the 2nd pillar is obligatory for those in employment and includes occupational pension funds, accident insurance and unemployment insurance.
• the 3d pillar is voluntary and includes qualified savings plans, free savings plans and private health insurance.

Source: http://switzerlandbuyingguide.com

The Private pension – 3rd pillar allows you to save for your retirement in addition to what the 1st and 2nd pillars offer you. A distinction is drawn between tied pension provision and flexible pension provision. What is particularly attractive about the tied provision pillar is that it makes it possible to save tax. By contrast, the flexible pillar generally does not offer any tax privileges, but it does give you greater flexibility.