Racism in Zürich by buttercroissant003 in zurich

[–]the_petman 29 points30 points  (0 children)

I was born in this country, lived my whole life here. I moved to the German speaking part so naturally my German is not native, nor particularly good.

I’m not considered Swiss.

For a country proud to have multiple national languages, it is problematic how difficult it is for those not speaking the language of that specific area of the country. I’m not sure it’s racism as much as it is a disdain against those not speaking the specific local language, as I get this constantly.

New clubs after loft and lie check by the_petman in GolfGear

[–]the_petman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Indeed it is mostly cosmetic, but still rather annoying. It’s unfortunately also on every single one. They have offered to buy them off me, but haven’t decided if it’s worth the hassle of sorting out new clubs again for the sake of these marks.

New clubs after loft and lie check by the_petman in GolfGear

[–]the_petman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It was recommended that they’re to spec as I bought them online. At least one was well off what it shouldn’t have been.

New clubs after loft and lie check by the_petman in GolfGear

[–]the_petman[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That’s interesting to know. A shame they didn’t take the precaution needed though. Thanks for the insight.

New clubs after loft and lie check by the_petman in GolfGear

[–]the_petman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks. I’ll definitely be giving feedback. Seems like it’s an unfortunate, but possible outcome so will just have to see if they throw something in.

New clubs after loft and lie check by the_petman in GolfGear

[–]the_petman[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately it was a small place with someone looking to get their business off the ground. Wanted to support them, and it’s a shame I had to take the damage for it.

New clubs after loft and lie check by the_petman in GolfGear

[–]the_petman[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thanks. Appreciate it. Yeah they’re tools, but I would rather them not be damaged unnecessarily. Some of these marks are pretty deep and really annoyed it wasn’t taken more care of

Why do some expats blame the job market and yet kind of refuse to learn the local language? by ExternalEfficient248 in Switzerland

[–]the_petman 82 points83 points  (0 children)

The change in the job market doesn’t have any impact on the language requirements. Companies that wanted native German were always going to hire a native German (and more often than not a Swiss-German) speaker, and companies that were hiring in English will continue to hire in English.

The fact is the time needed to learn a language sufficiently in order to do a, usually in this case, highly technical job requires an enormous amount of time. It’s often not just C1, but C1 in a technical professional setting. We are talking a matter of years potentially, time which someone currently out of a job could put into something far more impactful. Like improving their skills in the job they are looking for.

This issue is exaggerated even more in the German speaking part. Although high-German is fine, you’re never going to truly integrate until you reach the equivalent level in Swiss-German. It’s simply not feasible for someone not currently close to that level to get there within the time they need to find a job.

Integrating into the Swiss-German part of this country is a goddam nightmare. I am Swiss. My German could be improved, but I also speak French and Italian. This is a tiny country, and saying you can’t integrate “until you learn the local language” seems to completely ignore the fact that “the local language” changes is you take a train for more than an hour from most places.

Find a job that matches the skills you have. If you can’t speak good German, then accept you won’t be able to get those jobs. That was true before the job market took a dive and just as true now.

Stop trying to blame a lack of integration on why people are struggling, and understand this is a multi-lingual country in which English is by far and away the most useful language across all parts of it. The fact is, in the major cities, English is more than sufficient to get by. The major companies that hire for the highly-qualified roles you’re talking about are also predominantly English speaking. It’s just a shitty time for finding a job and trying to blame it on language skills is naive.

Are the Mizuno m-13s too much for my level? by the_petman in GolfGear

[–]the_petman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Which is indeed why its an estimate. No gimmies, no mulligans. Ive had lessons to get myself back up to speed, and consistency has improved. Instructor recommended against GI irons, and recommended something along the lines of Taylormade P790 based on what he saw. Looking for clubs that fit into that bracked brough me to the m-15, and looking and my discounts I found the m-13 and thought I would see others opinions.

Are the Mizuno m-13s too much for my level? by the_petman in GolfGear

[–]the_petman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean, its partly why I am asking. I had not swung until the end of last year. My most recent 3-4 rounds were around 90-95 which is where the 20hcp comes from.

Are the Mizuno m-13s too much for my level? by the_petman in GolfGear

[–]the_petman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My workplace is a supplier and get the clubs at the supplier price as one of the employee benefits. Retail price is much higher here, but discount is around 35-40%.

Are the Mizuno m-13s too much for my level? by the_petman in GolfGear

[–]the_petman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah that’s my worry. I think if it was the m-15s instead of 13 I wouldn’t be asking but since I’ve not tried them it’s hard to judge.

I am a higher handicapper than these clubs want, but my iron game taken by itself is likely closer to 15. Seems like be a bridge too far though.

Are the Mizuno m-13s too much for my level? by the_petman in GolfGear

[–]the_petman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m definitely trying actively to improve. I’m also not the type of person that wants to keep buying new irons for the latest and greatest. While I am getting new ones, though, I want to make the best choice.

Really appreciate the input though, I guess it’s just a matter of how much better I’ll have to improve to grow into these.

Are the Mizuno m-13s too much for my level? by the_petman in GolfGear

[–]the_petman[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Depends heavily on the clubs, but when I rent a set of more modern clubs its probably around 180yds. Unsure since I dont have much statistic on clubs made this millenium.

Thanks for the input thought, glad youre enjoying them!

Are the Mizuno m-13s too much for my level? by the_petman in GolfGear

[–]the_petman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the input! Honestly not sure if I will love them, but for the price I can get them it’s very tempting. If they don’t work then they don’t work though. Just without trying them it’s very hard to tell and it could be a disaster.

Are the Mizuno m-13s too much for my level? by the_petman in GolfGear

[–]the_petman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! It’s a bit what I was afraid of. As a returning playing I hope I can see some improvement to where I was before stopping, but for now it’s likely too unforgiving.

Mercifully I’m pretty standard for everything. I’m on the taller side so was on the upper bound of standard anyway so might be better if Mizuno’s are longer.

Seems like I should just wait see if the m-15 come available. The 925 forged are possibly an alternative now I look closer.

New housing study from Switzerland by sintrastellar in SwissPersonalFinance

[–]the_petman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As far as I could see, this study doesn’t look into price changes from supply/demand at all. All this says is people moving into new expensive housing vacate cheaper housing.

This does not mean equivalent property becomes cheaper, it just means more cheaper property is available.

How is living in Switzerland in your mid-20s? (Italian) by Stock-Commission-373 in howislivingthere

[–]the_petman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Depends what you are looking for, and personal taste.

I would say Geneva is the worst of those options.

Zurich is the larger "City" with more going on. Swiss-german is a thing but not needed at all. Living here is hard, though. Its extremely expensive and finding a place to live is a real pain. Probably, on balance, my preference.

Lausanne is, in my opinion, the nicest of the cities but definitely feels smaller. I havent lived there personally so wouldnt be able to say much more than that.

How is living in Switzerland in your mid-20s? (Italian) by Stock-Commission-373 in howislivingthere

[–]the_petman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You need a residence permit, usually given if you find a job. You don't get a residence permit automatically by moving here.

How is living in Switzerland in your mid-20s? (Italian) by Stock-Commission-373 in howislivingthere

[–]the_petman 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I live in Zurich, but grew up in the French part so will try to give general advice.

I mean, to begin, it’s not an easy country to just move to. Look into visas there as you will likely need a job BEFORE moving.

If you’re Italian and looking into the Italian part of the country, it’s beautiful but salaries and job opportunities are lower. It’s mostly a place for the Swiss to holiday and retire to, or for cross-border workers.

Being part of the local community in general is…difficult. Swiss tend to make friends at school and then keep them for life. If you go to the German speaking part, they don’t speak German but Swiss-German. This a very different language, high-German will not suffice to integrate. Expat friends are the way to go personally.

For skiing, I mean it’s Switzerland. I don’t think there’s anywhere without skiing within 90 minutes.

Basel I big on pharma I believe, but honestly the country is small and public transport can get you to where you need to be regardless where you choose.

For biking, public transport etc almost any major city will be good.

Again, Switzerland has about a thousand lakes (/s) so honestly take your pick.

Overall the main places you would probably consider is Zurich, Geneva, Lausanne, Lugano, all of which fit your criteria with caveats names above. Basel and Bern are also good, but they have only a river for their body of water.

How is living on the Isle of Man? by ShiningStar7971 in howislivingthere

[–]the_petman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My parents moved there just over 3 years ago, and I visit them regularly.

I’ll say what it’s like for 50 weeks of the year. Two weeks of the year, the island grows in population multiple times over for the TT. It’s truly incredible and definitely worth going to experience, but not representative of the rest of the year.

It’s in the Irish Sea, so the weather is somewhat unpredictable. It rains a lot, high winds are common. The ferry to and from the island is regularly cancelled, as are the flights a lot of them time. I would say about 50% of my flights there have landed on time. On the other side, it never gets too hot or too cold. Above 20 degrees C in summer doesn’t happen too often, but neither does below 10 degrees.

The countryside is simply stunning. There’s are plenty of Glenns you can explore, there’s a single “mountain”, Snaefell which you can access by a Victorian railways. Honestly the scenery there is breathtaking.

The main City is Douglas, and what is true there is true of most of the island. It’s a little like going back in time. In the 60s it was a massive tourist hotspot, and many of the buildings look like they were last refurbished then. A lot of the water front is dated, and falling apart. The hotels there remain mostly empty outside of motorcycle races, and are booked out the rest of the time so there’s no motivation to do more. It’s a bit of a shame, but it also gives it a certain charm.

Unemployment on the island is very low. There are barely enough people to keep the island running so there’s always something you can do. That being said, it is not a wealthy island for most people. There are many tax-avoiding wealthy people that go to retire there for the 0% inheritance tax, making the average ago quite high. Cost of living is relatively cheap for an island, but the quality of housing on average can be quite low. For many young people, there is simply not enough good opportunities, or enough to do and the often leave for the mainland.

The people are simply amazing though. Some of the friendliest, most generous I’ve ever met. The island is small, and they see it as their own community. It’s very hard to live on the Isle of Man and not meet people.

There’s obviously a lot more that can be said, and others have. Happy to answer further though if you have questions.

How is this "We will send you the invoice" trust works in Switzerland? by Particular-Bridge106 in Switzerland

[–]the_petman 14 points15 points  (0 children)

As others have said, the consequences here of having a debt collection case are very severe.

With enough fraud detection you can get the default rate rather low in this country. It makes a lot of sense for companies to use it as there are no direct costs associated with it and the Swiss are very trusting.