Fun Facts about Lugano/Switzerland

Fun facts about Lugano and Swiss-Land

1. They wash the sidewalks…with hoses and scrubbers.

2. Prostitutes and drugs are illegal, but every day I see people smoking pot on the street and prostitutes. When I went to apply for my visa, I had ten documents from my school saying that I was going to live at the school, that I had paid for school, I had a bank document showing that I had money in the bank, and all I wanted was a student visa, not a work visa. They sent me away three times to get a trivial paper from school before they accepted my application. Each time I went to the office there were prostitutes there, from eastern Europe, who would go up to the counter, give their documents, and without any questions, they received real work permits. I asked my teacher about it, and he said that everyone knows about it but as long as they don’t see anything it is not really there.

3. People here will not cross the street until the green walk light tells them it is ok. Even when it is late at night and there are NO cars, they wait for a min or two for the green light, and they will ONLY cross at the cross walk. I think it is kind of funny.

4. There are no Laundromats in Lugano. Zero.

5. Everyone takes a 2 hour lunch, thus everything is closed from 12-2… no running errands on your lunch break.

6. The word for tomato in Italian(and Russian) is Pomodoro. Pomo= round, and doro=gold

7. The day for finding – There are no second hand/flea market type places here. There are no thrift stores, but one day each month they have what I like to call “the day for finding.” When people have things that they don’t want anymore, often things that are in perfect condition, they put them neatly out on the street on this designated day each month. Then, while everyone goes home from work, they can look at the stuff, and take what ever they want. From 2am until the morning the trash elves (because you NEVER see them) come around and take whatever is left. I have found thus far: A bike, a fan, a sewing machine, a cafeteria(European coffee maker), and a few other small things, all functioning well.