Saint Anton, Oh How I Adore You!!!

I spent last week in Saint Anton, Austria on a `working holiday`. St Anton is a 3 hour train trip away from where we are staying in Zug, and it's a very popular winter holiday destination, as it is perfectly designed for skiing, snowboarding, snow shoeing, Nordic walking and pretty much any other sport involving snow or ice. It is a beautiful, tiny, old fashioned town located in the middle of the Tirol mountain range with incredible views of snow covered mountains in every direction.

Although I didn't get a chance to ski or snowboard during my time in St Anton, I did do a lot of relaxed hiking through the beautiful valleys and over the snowy mountains. This, along with the perfect weather and delicious Austrian food, that I was served 3 times a day, made me fall more in love with this divine country.

Below are a few pictures that I took on my phone during my hikes.  

 

The 6 Week Attitude Adjustment

So in a nutshell, I spent my first 6 weeks in Switzerland being completely and utterly miserable. I can basically count on one hand the number of times I left the apartment. I felt like I just didn't fit in here...because I couldn't speak a word of Swiss German, I had no clue how the recycling worked, I was car-less, my feet were always sopping wet from trudging through snow in shoes that weren't waterproof, I experienced minus 10 degrees Celsius for the first time, the people here seemed really unfriendly and to top it off I couldn't find Bovril in any of the stores, after being told that it is sold here.  

I got to a point where I had to decide, either I return to South Africa and continue normal life there, or I have a major attitude adjustment and make it work in Switzerland. I decided to go with the attitude adjustment and started looking for the good in Switzerland and the people around me. I then did what all my friends and family members had recommended from the start and joined every group, club or team I could find. 

Some of the delightful and unusual groups that I recently joined are:

• The Zug Expat Meet Up Group- This group consists of a bunch of expats from all around the world who meet at a different restaurant in Zug for drinks every Tuesday after work. We've only been twice but really love this group and the 40 odd people who come to it every week. They are (or were) all just like us initially, completely overwhelmed, confused and out of place, and they go out of their way to make us feel welcome. 

• The Let's Practice German (AKA Russian housewife) Meet Up Group- Basically me and a bunch of young, lovely Russian housewives get together every second Thursday for lunch and to talk less than fluent German to each other, in an attempt to improve our German skills. It's a great way to practice High German in a country that mainly speaks Swiss German, but I'm not convinced any of us ever really understands whats going on in the conversation.  

• The Grumpy Expats Social Media Group- This group is literally a bunch of grumpy expat woman who live mostly in Switzerland. They complain about everything from the cost of flights, to the manners of local children, to car companies that have ripped them off, to child safety in Switzerland, to speeding tickets, to people pushing in front of them in queues. If not for my recent attitude adjustment I would have been the lead contributor to this group, but for now it just serves as a reminder that I am not the grumpiest person living in this country.

• The Bokkies Breakfast Club- I was recently invited to join the Bokkies Breakfast Club, and I attended my first meeting with them today. This is a group of about 30 South African ladies living in Zug, who meet up once a month to catch up, network and give each other the old school support that you can really only get from a South African. These woman are so divine, today was the first time I've felt like I really fit in here. They all got together to discuss finding me a job and where I could buy Bovril (this is really a big thing for me), and they've promised coffee dates and to be available anytime to answer questions or give support. There is really something so special about South Africans. Ye of course I'm biased.    

• The Luzern and Central Switzerland Facebook group- This group is constantly updating us on interesting and relevant topics, such as events that are happening nearby, apartments that are going up for rent, possible jobs, rad places to go visit and how to do your taxes in Switzerland. It's so great as it's geared to people like me that have no idea whats going on here.

  

I would absolutely recommend Meet Up Groups to everyone, whether you're in a new town or even if you're in your old town but are looking to become more adventurous or meet new people. Over here you can find a group for pretty much any interest including a knitting group, board game group, Salsa dancing group and an entrepreneur group. They're awesome, go and join one, and if you can't find one you like start your own one! 

All of these groups have been instrumental in helping me to change my attitude and we've met some really awesome friends and connections through them. It has been so refreshing to be reminded that I'm not the only person in Switzerland feeling like I don't fit in. So from here on out it's Onwards and Upwards :-)