Simply Swiss: What makes Swiss people unique

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

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.”

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.