So far in Zug

I'm here and doing okay. I'm learning the ways of the Swiss people and, of course, it is an adjustment. Here are a couple of things I've learned or have had to adjust to since moving here:

1. Little Green Men: Don't J-Walk. Wait for the little green man to light up. If you see the blinking yellow man, don't run across the street. Just wait. This so far is the hardest adjustment for me. I feel soooo stupid staring at the little red man across the street from me and NO CARS are on the street! But, at least for now I will follow the rules of the Swiss and not J-Walk.
   
2. Grocery Shopping: A couple of things about grocery shopping. First of all, bring or buy your own bags. The Swiss are very "green" (more under recycling below). That being said, you can buy the reusable shopping bags to put your food in. Second, there are no bagger (boys). Each person has to bag their own groceries! It's very difficult because the cashier scans your food quicker than you can bag. And then, God-forbid if she's finished scanning, your not done bagging, and you have to pay, and there's a line behind you! So what one grocery store has is a separating bar that runs down the conveyer belt. So, if you're not done bagging the cashier can start on the next person and just push that person's food to the right or left of the separating bar while you continue to bag. I'll try to take a picture of it (without looking stupid). Oh! And the grocery carts. If you want to use a grocery cart you have to make sure you have a 2 or 1 franc coin on you. They lock the carts to each other and the only way you can get one is if you push out the lock with your coin. You then walk around the store with your coin stuck in the cart. When you're done you have to return the cart and push your coin out with the cart lock. It's such a great system because it ensures that if you want your money back you have to return the cart. This eliminates people taking carts out to the street or parking lot or even leaving them randomly around the store or at bus stops. I think stores in the States should adopt this system, if they haven't already.
   
3. Worthless: This must be a joke: I'm frugal (okay, lets be honest: I'm just plain cheap) and I'm living in one of the most expensive countries in Europe. Switzerland is very expensive compared to my comfortable living expenses of Durham, North Carolina. Some people from NYC say that the prices are similar to what they had to pay there...but again, I'm coming from North Carolina, things aren't too expensive there. I wish I had saved my first grocery receipt to show...but I was just too disgusted at how much I had spent on just eggs, milk, bread, and OJ. The next time I shop I'll save the receipt. And the exchange rate right now is not helping the situation. The USD is worth nothing in my eyes. For example, last week, I wanted to exchange $2o. Guess how many Swiss Francs I got back!? Take a moment and just guess!....................................................................................No, not 25 Francs.................No, not 20 Francs.............................Not even 19 Francs. Can you believe I got a measly 14.40 Francs back! CHF 14.40. To me, this is ridiculous! What can I do with CHF 14!? But it will be okay! I love it here and get paid at the end of the month! :-) And with the exchange rate as it is now...I can save all my Swiss francs and be "rolling in the dough" if I decide to return to the States...IF!
   
4. People: The people here in Zug are nice so far. I haven't experienced anything out of the ordinary. Of course you're going to come across people who are just mean but that's natural. I've also seen so many people from around the world in Zug, too. I must admit I was a little hesitant about moving to Switzerland because I am a young, black, woman, with natural hair. But, I feel very comfortable and welcomed here. This is because Zug is a very "global" canton (state). It's the canton big businesses go to because of the low tax rates. That being said, I've seen people from Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
   
5. Cough, Cough: People still smoke here. It's the first thing I realized when I arrived. There is smoking everywhere (except inside buildings).
   

Okay, I'm getting tired. So I'm going to stop here for now. I'll still post about:

1. Trash and recycling: Do it!
   
2. The lake: Beautiful!
   
3. My school: Awesome!
   
4. The language: Gotta learn it!
   
5. SGI: Truly international!

The pictures: The first two are of the view outside of my apartment.
The last one is Teacake enjoying the view.