Had I known this stuff I probably would have studied abroad somewhere (anywhere) else.
Listen & Read:
Twelve by Abhi Dijon
not in any particular order
- Train Prices (or …. just the price of everything) + Switzerland is not the place for you if you are crunched on money and do not have a job. For example, a doner falafel with fries is over $20 (equivalent to CHF). When I went up to visit Lia in Germany, it was less than $10. Even worse, the train tickets are you worst enemy, and that’s simply the truth. When I was looking to visit Lia in Germany, my tickets were almost $300 to go four hours north to see her. She had to buy the ticket for me. $100.
- Language + Little did I know, Swiss-German and High-German are actually the complete opposite and in no way related. I had a friend while I was abroad, who is half-Costa Rican and half-Swiss. She lived in Costa Rica all her life but she knew Swiss German. A couple of years ago, she moved here for university, and does not speak High German (the language spoken in academia). She asked her professors if she could take her final exams in English!
- SIM cards + SIM cards are expensive and only work in the country of Switzerland because we are not in the EU, so it would be wise that when you travel to another country to get a SIM card and then you can use that EU SIM card whenever you travel outside of Switzerland any other time. I never had a SIM card and I was fine. There were never any dire moments where I felt like I needed a SIM card, not just wanted it. My phone worked on Wi-Fi and there was always Wi-Fi in every major station.
- Coke over Water + This technically still touches on how Switzerland is expensive. While you may think ordering a water will be free, it actually is more expensive, sometimes twice as expensive, as the sodas on the menu. So if you want water more to save money than actually for the preference, then order a Coke. They always come in the cute glass bottles.
- Cultural… Appropriation + box braids and dreads and dashikis are very cute, that is true. I see the appeal! However, all of these have more individual meanings than a fashion statement. It would be nice if that was respected to the point where I didn’t see someone wearing it, that was not black, multiple times a day.
- Wasting money + there are some things I wish I didn’t buy. For example, the Gleis 7, an ID card that gets you on any train for free after 7:00 PM, was a waste. I used it about three times. I didn’t realize how much I would not want to go anywhere once it got dark outside!
- That nightlife + I didn’t grow up around EDM, so the nightlife was not great for me. I just do not know how to get into like a Florence Welsh remix. There was, however, one Latin club near me that was free to get into. They saw me every weekend.
None of these examples are to say that you should not go to Switzerland. But i think you should consider these things (especially if you’re a jobless person of color who only speaks English).
Good Luck,
Kennedy 
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