26/03/2019 Switzerland
Door: Hidde Wildeman
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Hidde
26 Maart 2019 | Zwitserland, Männedorf
Today was a great day, after arriving in Zurich yesterday, I could not get the motivation to get up and write the blog of that day. Well, it did not matter that much since the day was not exciting enough to write home about. I had an okay flight and my uncle picked me up. We road to Männedorf the town where my aunt, uncle and my two nieces live. I was rather tired and after enjoying a great Swiss meal, I went to sleep absolutely exhausted. The next day, my uncle and I drove to his Furniture shop (GardenLiving) Today (26 March) I have done, learned and experienced several interesting things through my encounters. First of all, it was a lot of hard work during the hours that we did not have to deliver furniture to customers. After spending hours cleaning (windows, vacuuming, cleaning tables etc.), I have come to the conclusion: cleaning is hard. It was alright though, the shop has such a nice ambience (nice music and beautiful furniture of course). What I enjoyed mostly about today were the deliveries. Especially since we frequently had to drive for a little while to get to our destination. This gave me the opportunity to speak to my uncle (who I normally speak solely during Christmas). During I our conversations I have come to understand certain certain cultural differences, and I have come to understand what it is like to run a business (local and international). Firstly, my uncle explained that in Switzerland individuals earn more, however the costs are enormous. Therefore, many people come to Switzerland thinking that they will get rich due to the differences in income compared to their homecountry. However, when confronted with the awfully high costs that come with living in Switzerland, it can get pretty rough financially. Secondly, my uncle informed me about certain aspects concerning business. He told me how difficult it was to constantly maintain and advertise a furniture shop. I have also come to understand what he, as an independent solo entrepreneur, must do every single day to maintain a stable income for his family. I thought this was really interesting and confronted me with a different reality. Since, for him, his income is not always stable and that can be problematic at times. The sales depend on the period. He also exports to Germany and The Netherlands, which I thought was interesting, since, the shop seemed local only. Anyway, that was all that comes to mind when reflecting on my personal experiences today. I am again quite exhausted since I have worked form 8 AM to 6PM. Due to the fact that today was quite a long day (and i only need 25 hours ;) ) Tomorrow will be a more relaxed day, I will still be waking up at 7AM but hopefully I`ll be able to get home a little bit earlier. I am very satisfied up until now with how things have turned out. I have already learned so much, and the vibe between me and aunt, uncle and nieces is really enjoyable. Let's what tomorrow brings me!
Hidde Wildeman