Unlike me, the Swiss are class in ‘ruling out’ lots of stuff. Nobody can escape the humongous amount of rules, bureaucracy and tightly held norms and values. Look, I won’t make a fuss out of having to hand in three passport photographs when filling out an administrative form at the local council, but I do get annoyed when it is not allowed to mow the lawn on Sundays, or to flush the toilet and wash my clothes after 10 PM. The Swiss are taking ‘Thou shalt not disturb thy neighbor’ far too seriously.

Evidently, the Swiss are genuine rule fanciers: The trains arrive on time, there’s no rubbish where it isn’t supposed to be and I can safely march the streets. Unfortunately, their love for the law affects their day-to-day activities. The Swiss aren’t quite spontaneous: Announcing your weekend plans on Friday is far too little, too late for them. This Swiss decency makes me miss the silliness of the Dutch student.

Even though I probably won’t fit in completely, I am genuinely enjoying my stay in Switzerland. I suspect that I will never get re-accustomed to the Dutch ‘flatness’, as flat streets are hard to find in Lausanne. Moreover, I leave for the alpine meadows and tundra’s every weekend. My hiking boots never fail to carry me to high-altitude areas and let me breathe in the alpine breeze. A Swiss day out with green fields, monstrous mountains and some friendly sunshine always beats an Erasmus party.

Switzerland is an expensive country, as it is a huge Alpine postcard. In-between those mountains lies the world-class EPFL, lecturing extraordinary engineering courses and management masterclasses. Furthermore, Lausanne is a lively, youthful city with tons of Erasmus activities.

Venez ici et profiter; à bientôt!