As a Swiss Abroad, which stereotypes about your country do you most often encounter?

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A member of the Swiss Abroad editorial team, I mainly write about Switzerland's most peculiar features and stories. After completing my master's degree in Asian Studies in Geneva (with a detour at Tokyo University and Kyoto University), I worked on the newsdesk at RSI, occasionally collaborating with Presence Switzerland during the Expo in South Korea and Milan. I have been working for SWI swissinfo.ch since 2016.

Italiano

Come svizzero/a all’estero, con quali stereotipi sulla Confederazione vi trovate più spesso confrontati? Original

You speak “Swiss”, you speak four languages fluently, and you have a lot of money in your bank account. You are always on time; you love precision. In your home country you lived in a wooden chalet with a view of the Alps. You can yodel and play alphorn. You eat mostly cheese and chocolate and if an argument breaks out, you prefer not to take sides.

Swiss nationals are associated with many stereotypes abroad, some of which may be true, others which are quite false.

As a Swiss Abroad, which clichés do you most often confront in your country of residence – and how do you refute or explain them? Which can you relate to, and which annoy you?

Share your experiences below: your contribution could be used in a future article and in our short video series with voices from our community.

As a Swiss Abroad, which stereotypes about your country do you most often encounter?

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