Job Hunting

As my holiday progressively deteriorates into long term unemployment I thought I would post this quick photo post to explain my situation in a more humorous light

The term trailing spouse(or in my case GF) may not be familiar to most of you but it usually refers to a significant other who follows their loved one to their current location.
So while the job Architecture job situation here in Zurich is actually pretty good(a friend of mine practically got offered a job with out sending 1 single portfolio-he spoke the local language and studied here though) there are some things you should keep in mind before heading over.
These are the things I have struggled with on the job hunt.

• German speakers will get preference(not nessisarily Germans though)
• They generally use ArchiCAD
• Mac's are very popular here
• Internships are generally reserved for people on their year out as you get paid per completed semester.
• Everyone and their granny speaks really good English so it's not that much of a "plus" here.

I'm sure I could write an epic paragraph or two to try and justify why I'm still jobless, but for now I think this will do. Also I might use this time for actually sending applications.

Cheap Restaurants I love in Paris

Continuing on from the theme of places to recommend friends I'm going to do one on food, these are more varied in their location, but I still recommend every one is worth a visit.

While not all of them are classic French Bistros it's Paris and there is one of these on every corner; I'm sure you will have no problem finding them. This however is a list of my favourite places to bring friends when they visit. Good places at good prices, and not all French.

Also worth a special mention are all the people who first brought me to these places. You are far too numerous and awesome to list. Sophie, Katie, Emma, Tom, my Dad and..... Hmm I guess not that numerous actually. Maybe just your awesomeness is too awesome to list. But hey, you have good taste and like eating out.

Cheap Bars and Clubs in Paris

So recently a few friends of mine have been passing through Paris, and as I am now hibernating in Zurich I have decided to provide a few helpful tips for people who want to go there on the cheap.

Since I don't feel like writing a long email every time some ones looking for tips I would far prefer to just send them a link and be done with it. No offence, just this allows me to build and improve the list rather than trying to remember in each email (as well as shameless self promotion of my blog of course).

These tips are based on my experience of Paris and as I'm sure you will notice there is an underlying preference for the Chatlet area as well as an anglophone trend. Why you ask, well apart from central location, good atmosphere and cheap beers, I used work in the area and still know people working at the majority of these bars. Hi folks if you're reading.

This is my no nonsense guide:

Frozen Fountains of Zurich

In case you are unaware, things have have been very cold here; not just better put on a pair of gloves cold, but toes falling off ears stinging cold and that is with every possible bodily surface covered at least twice (well bar my eyes as I still need to see). Things are starting to thaw out though.
But just to prove this point I've decided to do a little photo post of some frozen fountains.

Fountain 1 at the Hauptbahnhof- frozen solid

Fountain 1, the water seemed to have literally stopped mid flow

Fountain 2, still running but the frozen splash had made a bell shape

Fountain 2 "bell" close up

Fountain 3, like a macaron of solid ice

Fountain 3; I tried smashing it with my elbow. No luck

Fountain 4, frozen solid and smashed before I could do it

Fountain 4, smashed close up

Fountain 5, solid with no water flowing

Fountain 6, interesting sculpture with interesting ice

You may have been thinking that many of my recent posts are weather related, well you are right. Well you know what I don't really care because when the temperatures drop into the minus double digits I currently sympathise with Badgers and hedgehogs and have gone into hibernation!

Languages and Emigration

Pouletbrustgeschnetzeltes = Diced chicken breast

It's not often I post about very personal topics, but I have been giving this a lot more thought recently.

As a not so recent immigrant in Paris I had the benefit of speaking the language, and not just speaking but being able to make jokes and just feel within my comfort zone. However now the situation is reversed and the very comfortable French shoe is now on the other German foot.
These language skills however did not the result of diligent hard work in school, but rather a diverse family background.

Struggling with languages is something most people will go through in their life, the brave will stick it out and struggle though different tenses, vocab and genders in an attempt to integrate, the weak however will only give a basic holiday attempt at other languages for ordering beer, before reverting back to the traditional Anglophone approach of just repeating the English version of the word louder  until something happens.

However as the mass exodus of Ireland continues it becomes more and more clear that having a second European language is possibly the greatest asset that you could hope for. The appeal of a second language is however completely over looked by the school system and more importantly the students them selves who often don't make a genuine effort to learn. Well let me assure you; paying a minimum of 500€ a month for the classes you got for free in school is indeed a shocking learning incentive.

As the job situation in London hits saturation point what will become of the immigrant who refuse to leave their comfort zone of the English language? Already horror stories are coming to the fore of former school mates working in America on long expired holiday visas who are trapped; unable to return for Christmas, birthdays or funerals.

Long gone are the days where Irish people could simply think that "I'm sure someone will speak English", as we now live in a society where minimum of 3 international languages is the norm, and these people are also applying for the same jobs as you.

Recently I have started using the Rosetta Stone language learning programme which is supplementing 1 months intensive German classes at a school. To what avail? Well the hope is that by seriously investing in the language I will make myself a more appealing candidate to potential employers.

The main downside of learning German in Switzerland though is that no one here really speaks "high" German, opting instead for the local dialect of Swiss German. This  frustratingly means that you never hear any of the words or phrases you learn and even when you speak German you will be speaking a "foreign" language.

For those of you who arrive to a Country and can't speak the local language I would encourage taking classes as soon as you arrive. Not only does it help improve your confidence but it also gives you a new group of new people, who are usually also new to the country and eager to make friends.

Woeful Winter Weather

Ahh yes the complete 180, I certainly am feeling like God must  have read my previous post and sent freezing cold temperatures to spite me.

So after just reporting the lovely weather I had been enjoying, now it is very much different.
The freezing snow has arrived, and en force.

While I do still suffer slightly from the "aww cool snow" aspect of coming from a country with only rain, these pictures clearly demonstrate the difference between perceived winter cycling and the actual experience

a snowy winter wonderland (photo without flash)

VS
snow being whipped into your face while you try and find the route with the least dangerous snow coating

 White hell (with flash)

Beautiful Winter Weather

I haven't got a photo of the route but  this Zurich lake photo is pretty

For those of you that are unaware I have been hiding out in Zurich for the last few months. Now winter in Zurich can be a largely grey affair and apparently as soon as you leave the city region there is apparently a sudden burst of beautiful weather. However the weather of late has also been impressing be, impressing me to the point that there are times before I step outside the warm confines of my apartment that I think that I might only need to wear my lighter jacket. Nice try sunshine.

Despite the beaming sun rays a jacket is an absolute must and to be honest I nearly lost all the fingers on my right hand while trying to top up my phone and send a text message yesterday.

Again part of the nice things about my apartment (apart from having my own room and the apartment  being clean and warm) is the route that I take into town. This route along the limmat river is indeed a gem in Zurich and is much frequented by joggers and just generally people looking to take a relaxing walk. On sunny days this route is one of my favourite things about living in Zurich, or more so it was; as I recently experienced the vexation of an older lady telling me cycling along the route is forbidden. I suppose I should have copped on earlier as I very rarely meet other cyclists along the path.

I'm not sure if I'll heed her message or just keep playing the foreign ignorance card and avoiding the path at busier times.

Funny bicycle stuff from the Internet

Recently my friend Dave sent me this link to this Kate Beaton comic which lets be honest is awesome; "see me rollin up pops you step aside". I then proceeded to spend the rest of my day looking at all her other comics, which retrospectively was a well spent afternoon.
It's really interesting to see a modern take on the history of girls on bicycles and its not the first time I've talked about this, as last June in Paris I visited the "Voyages a Velo" exhibition which chronicled (all be it not as funnily) the history of the bicycle and its influence on the development of the modern woman.

Otherwise as long as we are on the topic of funny bicycle stuff I have seen or been sent on-line, check out this gem from the great David Thorne poking fun at the cycling fanatic, again potentially another day wasted, but his stuff is laugh out loud funny.

The "craic" an Irish response to the weather

thanks to Monica for the pics

"What's the craic" is my favourite way of greeting people, but this usually recieves a few raised eyebrows from those forigners unfamiliar with the traditional Irish phrase.

After coming home to Ireland for the holidays I have come to the conclusion that the reason Irish people are all slightly insane and drink so much is because it is the only way that we can deal with the weather.

Seriously this is not the first time I have discussed the Irish weather, and a friend recently informed me about how a guide book to Ireland outlines the Irish mentality. The book describes the Irish as having 3 parts to their brain, one part deals with Logic, the second part deals with Emotion and finally the third part deals purely with this uniquely Irish element called the Craic.

Johhny forigner will often not be familiar with the craic as it is a only previlant in the Irish culture and usually reaches its climax during drinking sessions. Personal examples include "who can steal the best thing from a bar", "dancing to the river dance", "smashing glasses for no reason" and "swimming in the rain". Essentially it is doing things with no emotional or logical reason other than the result might be worth a few laughs.

Taxi in Zurich? - some warnings

After previously praising Zurich's treatment of traffic and cyclists, it is with unfortunate irony that on this same day I received some rather rude treatment on my bike in Zurich, and got beeped at twice by Taxi drivers.

From what I have personally experienced and been advised taxi drivers here are: