4 ms·

what about adapting and integrating? i heard somewhere you will never fully be accepted or become swiss and that people are not very open or welcoming

• 082349872349872 2y ago
  Do you plan on integrating? Or just staying in expat circles? Are you already bicultural? (do you know how to code switch?) You will never become more than paper-Swiss. I don't mind: like the old saying about fish and water, I've learned much more about what being american is from being here than I had in the Old Country, where it was just implicit. (What does being "fully accepted" mean to you?) I've found people very welcoming, but (a) part of what I didn't like about my birth culture was the superficiality, and (b) how open and welcoming you find people probably goes in direct relation to how well you adapt. Treat people like NPCs and you'll be treated like one in return; treat people like people, and... There are many good books for expats on swiss culture. I threw mine away after a few years, but you might want to read a few (and as I said, come and try day-to-day life for a few months) before attempting to make any big decisions.