Ok, I guess the first thing I'll have to do is address the elephant in the room as to why I haven't written in a while. The short answer is I've just had a bit of writer's block. The long answer is I feel like I've been trying to find my wit and I've had some technical issues in that I've written a few posts and thought I'd saved them and well, they disappeared. That, together with my fridge breaking down (again!) this morning, has given me the fire to attempt again.
Switzerland has a reputation for being expensive. After living here nearly 3 years, I can concur. For instance, chicken is just over 20chf a kilo ($20) and don't even ask about red meat! Right before Christmas, I was diagnosed with low iron and I'm sure it has something to do with my 90% decrease in consumption. This Canadian needs red meat. For the most part, you adjust to your circumstances. For instance, wine, cheese and car insurance are much cheaper than in Canada. Taxes and utilities are much less than they were in Germany. And gasoline is pretty cheap compared to neighboring countries. And randomly, electronics and electricity are not "that" expensive here. And I think I've figured out why. I'm no conspiracy theorist, but upon reflection, I've had a lot of shit breakdown in the past 3 years. So allow me to present my case...
Since I've moved to Switzerland, the following items have fried:
- Espresso machine 1- bought in Germany was 1.5 years old. Broke down, repaired it twice before finally giving up and buying a new one
- Espresso machine 2- bought in Switzerland almost 1.5 years ago. The first time it broke, there was actually smoke and flames coming out of it. NOT the way you want to wake up in the morning, but to be fair, it made me more awake than the cappuccino would have! It's still under warranty, but it's been replaced twice. I have six months left on the warranty and am currently accepting bets on when it will break down next.
- laptop- Was also under warranty and had to be repaired. It's still technically working, but not reliably!
- DVD player. This is the "oldest" electronic I have. It's 4 years old now and though it's technically working, it's clearly possessed by spirits. It, not I, decide when the movie is over. And it's started doing this new thing of just spitting out any DVD it doesn't feel like playing.
- Fridge- I moved into a sexy new apartment about a year and a half ago. I was the first person to use the fridge so no history. It's broken down twice since I've been here
- Iphone. Ok, so my toilet and back pants pocket claim responsibility for that one...
So. summary. 2 apartments, in 1 country, in 3 years and I've never had so many things fry in my lifetime!
A friend of mine once said that she didn't bother buying electronics anymore because she felt she had a weird electric field around her that would kill any electronics she'd buy. Though I don't fully believe in that, it is weird. I also deflect responsibility from myself because I have 2 countries and more than 40 years behind me where something like this hasn't happened.
So, my theory? Switzerland is expensive yes, but it wouldn't be so expensive if electronics didn't keep breaking down!
