Swiss-ues

Good evening. I wanted to start out by sharing with you a little of the political scene in Switzerland right now. On February 8th, the Swiss will vote on a key issue concerning their relations with the European Union. Because Switzerland is a direct democracy, if citizens get enough signatures on petitions, the issue can be brought to the Federal Council. [SIDENOTE: The executive Federal Council consists of seven officials elected by the Parliament, and the legistlative Parliament is elected by the people. Also, there are four major political parties.] Currently, Switzerland is not a member of the EU, a "neutral" island amidst the mass, but does have bilateral agreements for the "free movement of persons." This means that even though Switzerland is not in the EU, its borders are relatively easy to pass through, and people living in other countries can work here. People in Basel, Geneva, and Zürich are in general more liberal, and are accustomed to living in an international melting pot, while inland on the farms and in the mountains, there are more conservative viewpoints. Their fear is that if the borders are kept open, foreigners will take all of the Swiss jobs, mainly because they will work for less (which would still be more than in their home country, most likely). 

The other side is that if Switzerland continues to shut itself off from the rest of Europe, it will damage relations and trade, and Switzerland cannot be completely self-reliant.

My roommate has two plastic crows hanging on our balcony (this is common. There are crow window clings on large public windows, even, to warn the birds of the glass and to just keep them away). We have now named them Bulgaria and Romania (Bulghee and Romi), the newest members of the EU, because we wanted to invite them to stay with us and show our love to the foreigners. This vote will be very critical, to say the least, for the future of Switzerland. There are poster campaigns everywhere, and the liberal party even has people that are carrying around giant balloons that say "JA" on them, probably a yard in diameter.

Life has been very busy, (but with wonderfully fun things). This is my first evening home in awhile, and it was refreshing to make dinner and just enjoy the halt. Monday was dinner and violin lessons; Tuesday Bible study and birthday drinks at Eiopso with the Lindenhof; Wednesday dinner at my boss' [insert adjective for "breathtaking" here] house. It was about 42°F today, perfect for strolling on the Binningerstraße creek and dancing in the streets. I looked like even more of an idiot because I was carrying a 12-pack...of toilet paper! But who cares, let them laugh.

Saw a man picking up trash from the street with a pair of tweezers and putting it into a small ashtray since I last wrote. I think that is worth mentioning.

Music worth listening to: Kashmir (Danish)

Photography worth looking at: garrywaller.com 

Photography you are subjected to because you logged onto this site:

Liebe grüsse,

Linds