Swiss people are punctual, organised and sticklers for cleanliness. They adore chocolate, cheese and cold mountain air in that order. Coming from a country where everything works like the clockwork it is synonymous with, how do they tackle the challenges of living in the Middle East?
Swiss people adapt to their surroundings while simultaneously making sure to introduce others to the benefits of their culture.
“You have to be able to live with surprises or better still, to turn them into opportunities,” says Swiss national Susanne Baumgartner, Managing Partner, Xperts in Business Activation. She has lived in Abu Dhabi for nine years and “loves it”.
Kurt Blum, General Manager, Swiss Art Gate UAE, likes the UAE’s dynamic and vibrant economy. “We have various advantages here as it is a small and peaceful country like Switzerland,” he says. “In the UAE we profit from a fantastic infrastructure that connects us easily and efficiently, useful for doing business in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or any other emirate.”
But there’s no doubt about it — nothing beats Swiss chocolate.
“Switzerland produces the best chocolate and apparently we also consume the most chocolate per person per year,” says Baumgartner. “As a kid I loved to eat just bread topped with chocolate. It was my choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner — and I still love it today and always have a slice together with my coffee.”
Blum does the same, with a cup of ristretto coffee. “There is not one day I go without chocolate,” he says, declaring there are many Swiss chocolate brands on the UAE’s supermarket shelves.
Say cheese
Close on its heels comes cheese, which many Swiss nationals eat daily. Blum’s favourite is Glarner Schabziger, which dates back to 1463 and is produced in his home city of Glarus. “The Schabziger is made out of skimmed cow’s milk and the blue fenugreek herb. It’s a very hard cheese and you can grate it and mix it with butter. It goes well with hot boiled potatoes and on fresh bread. It’s a delicious part of my breakfast ritual.”
He adds, “If you take it on the plane from Switzerland to the UAE, you can be sure to have empty seats around you because of its strong smell.”
Other favourites among Swiss nationals (there are about 2,500 Swiss expats resideing in the UAE), include raclette (both the name of a cheese and a special dish) and sausages and rösti (a dish consisting mainly of potatoes). A host of delicacies, local crafts, customs and Swiss music are on display at two annual events: the Swiss Christmas Market held every December and the Swiss Spring Festival in April.
Carmen Beerli, Executive Director, Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi, says the Christmas market, to be held at the Beach Rotana Hotel Abu Dhabi this year, will highlight their traditions and values. A Swiss village is recreated and Beerli says, “Familiar sounds, a Christmas atmosphere enhanced by the aroma of freshly baked cookies and hot spice wine let visitors forget that they are far away from the homeland.”
The Original Appenzeller Streichmusik Alder, a famous and popular Swiss folklore band, is a major drawcard to this year’s event.
Alpine notes
The Swiss Spring Festival also offers traditional Swiss music with a rendition from an alphorn, a long traditional wooden wind instrument, flown in from Switzerland. “It was used by Alpine herdsmen to communicate across the valleys. The wooden mouthpiece facilitates the generation of natural sounds,” says Beerli.
“Being the small community we are, of course we all know each other by name,” says Baumgartner. “Swiss people enjoy their privacy at times but still come together on various occasions.”
As Executive Committee Member of the Swiss Business Council and being involved in the Emirati-Swiss Friendship Forum, Baumgartner works in close collaboration with Swiss institutions in both the UAE and Switzerland.
Blum too is an executive member of the forum and has taken an active personal interest in promoting Swiss art and culture in the emirate for more than five years. “I have had great opportunities to showcase various artists from Switzerland,” he says.
“For Swiss artists it’s a further region of interest to explore as the art market in Europe is already quite saturated. I love to show Swiss paintings as part of the international, regional and local art scene in the UAE.”
