AMERICAN CULTURE SHOCKS | A Swiss POV on culture in the USA versus living in Switzerland

Hey guys! In this video we’re talking all about AMERICAN CULTURE SHOCKS! Louis will describe what it was like living in the US as a Swiss. We'll take a look at Swiss Culture and society in Switzerland versus the American culture and way of life in US and compare our experiences! You wouldn't believe some of the differences!
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Bienvenue & Willkommen! We are Lex & Louis - and together we are The Traveling Swiss. We're an international couple (USA + Switzerland) who have recently moved from NYC to Switzerland. Come travel with us - we'll give you tips and guides, and hopefully have a few laughs along the way. Our goal is to show you that borders are meant to be crossed!
Keep up with us!
→ Instagram: / thetravelin. .
→ Email: [e-mail]
This channel is a labor of love, if you enjoyed the video please make sure to subscribe!
xx Lex & Louis

[@dontworryimfinite]

Great conversation! It's always nice to see the differences in our cultures and kind of recognize and joke about them!

[@nusvivin6905]

Jokes are good and nice but for me as a swiss it would be bizare to be forced to tip just because the employee will not be payed well enough to live

[@ericadebonis3410]

nice video... I liked watching a you two from different backgrounds have a calm and not angry conversation about your home lands... nice to see you can each apprecaite the others culture

[@TheTravelingSwiss]

Thank you so much 😊

[@nusvivin6905]

His homeland is not just one culture. "Stai si, defenda romonsch tiu vegl lungatg" ☺

[@alifeFullertravel]

Not going to lie, I think the Swiss way wins for me!! I absolutely love the US though, but I think the Swiss way pops it to the post!

[@rickhanna8865]

This is awesome . Thank you

[@cryptopeter1]

Louie I'm Pete and in the US, fell in love with a great Swiss gentleman in Los Angeles and I'm in love and need advice. Love you guys. Peter

[@pattyspring4410]

I LOVE these 2, they are a joy to listen to and they are very easy to follow, etc.

[@SlovenianGirlAbroad]

Such an interesting talk. I haven’t lived in the US, but some of the things Louis mentioned shocked me too when I visited as a tourist. 😀

[@rokan81]

Such an awesome story you guys share, it’s amazing to see and hear about it and explain in detail life and culture differences. As a U.S. citizen I enjoy hearing about the Swiss culture fany different culture in fact). Actually I was just there 8/24/21 visiting my dad who lives in Baar. I enjoy the pace of life in Switzerland much more in comparison to Chicago. Keep sharing to stories guys they’re very cool. 😄👍

[@sibylleacatos]

I agree so much with my swiss compatriot...👍merci !

[@TheTravelingSwiss]

thanks for watching!

[@apabroad6372]

Ahahahah this is great!! We also have the same dynamic, one being European, one North America, so we really enjoyed this one 😂😂 keep it up! Look forward to more!

[@TheTravelingSwiss]

Thanks for watching! Let me know if you had any other points to add! We may make a part 2!

[@Sarikakasbekar]

Nice video 😃✌🏻

[@TripsCultureTC]

I personally think that the mix between cultures brings a lot of richness to the couple, we try to find arrangements to live together 😉

[@livinglife8063]

Nice one❤️ thanks so much for sharing this with us my friend 👍 best wishes for you 💐Hope to see you soon 🙂 stay connected and Stay safe. Good luck 💚

[@Manasuna_manasai]

Consumers' protection is very good in USA.

[@filipinabisdaknurseswissvlog39]

Hi Alexis and Louis thanks for your reply. I am living here for 30 years already. I arrived during winter 1991.

[@TheCountryCollectors]

Love your perspectives! Americans definitely identify themselves by jobs. It’s the first question people ask. You guys are so great together.always enjoy your Comparison videos! Keep them up!

[@IgnemFeram01]

That's one thing I've always hated because people are so much more than that. I'm an aircraft electrician, but the forefront of my personality has always been Star Wars, gaming, and (over the past year) learning German to eventually move out of the US and live in Switzerland. With the exception of actually being at work, my job is rarely on my mind.

[@etmswissvlog5164]

Beautiful video

[@filipinabisdaknurseswissvlog39]

I am your new subscriber here. Nice to hear from you. The same experience with my first time here.

[@TheTravelingSwiss]

Thanks so much for watching! How long have you lived in Switzerland?

[@fahmis-life]

Great videos, I enjoy to watch it and looking forward to see more of them. I'm Swiss and in the past I had to travel often to the East cost. Additionally to your points for me the behaviour of and with authorities was a shock. I missed the proportionality and even my US colleagues were always tense as soon as they saw a uniform.

[@TheTravelingSwiss]

This is very true! The relationship with the police / authority in the US is very different I think because the police is almost militarized, so there is a bit more fear in the interactions

[@fieldsonfire]

I remember doing the pledge of allegiance when I was young, and I remember when my school banned it. Many states still do it, but have exemptions.

[@RenatoRamonda]

I'll have to disagree on the "not trying to gauge"... a super common complaint about Americans is how they tend to talk about how much they earn, and ask other people how much they earn, tied to "what job you have" (and Americans traveling in Europe often comment about how surprised they are that they are not asked about that by locals), so... yeah, it might be so automatic you don't notice, but Americans definitely do that.

[@sams3015]

It’s funny coming from Ireland, which I would say is a lot more Eurocentric than the UK but very strongly tied to the US and the UK. We have a mix of these points. So it was very interesting to hear these

[@samuellasuzzo435]

just had a thought. did Louis travel all around the USA when he lived here? or just stay in the northeast? I live in Texas and was wondering if he went there and what he thought of that culture. thank you for your videos

[@ashleymarie6682]

12:45 I feel like him… hush, let me shop 😂

[@BenGarrott]

Wow 65 is slow. In Washington it's 70 unless in urban areas. They tried to raise it to 75 but it hasn't happened yet. Some states nearby are 80mph

[@hoppeanofasgard1365]

Switzerland is more libertarian than the US, not in every respect but in most and the lack of needing this credit score is just one such way it is. The Swiss actually care about real savings and not living off debt which is something libertarians talk about alot and it's nice to see a country that lives up to some of our ideals.

[@fitzgerardantoniorestituyo938]

Great video! By any chance, have you done one on the Swiss Travel Pass? Do you think it's worth getting it? I'll be visiting with my girlfriend for 19 days.

[@TheTravelingSwiss]

We're currently working on a video now all about transportation options in Switzerland! Will hopefully have that up soon!

[@MarisolsAdventures]

Very cool insights. How you talk about how Americans identify themselves more with their jobs as part of who they are. I can see that

[@CoastsideFamilyAdventures]

Wow, this so reminds me of moving to the US from Germany 25 years ago.

[@hoppeanofasgard1365]

Hey atleast in Germany you have highways with no speedlimit.

[@Aih777]

louie should visit Texas for even more and bigger culture shocks 😂😂😂😂

[@cryptopeter1]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@Shamimakitchen]

Wow it’s amazing video.. Very very beautiful 👌👍👍🌷🌷🌷💖💖💖❤️🌹❤️❤️🌹

[@alirazasahib5049]

Good

[@cruisingwildchild370]

Must have been a huge culture shock from NYC

[@ray-hj1do]

I understand 🇺🇸🇨🇭

[@ashleymarie6682]

Seems like Swiss are more mature self assured than Americans 😂 she doesn’t think it’s true. But I agree with him. I think it’s to gauge people. We have so much of a culture of keeping up with others instead of being ok with ourselves, hence debt etc. i love our patriotism for sure. Good talk yall!

[@bke07]

I'm an American and I agree with much of what you said (especially about driving and patriotic indoctrination).

[@ilovesuisse1]

I like cash better, with cards they can track you everywhere where you bought something, what time you bought it, how much you paid etc

[@TheTravelingSwiss]

I tend to prefer cash in general as well! That way you can’t spend what you don’t have!

[@hoppeanofasgard1365]

@@TheTravelingSwiss So true, I think credit cards are a trap for the most part, not saying there is never a time and place to use them but never get into the habit of it. Perhaps keeping them around for an emergency and nothing els is a good rule of thumb.

[@pappmonika4742]

I living bevor 6 year long in usa and now i living 14 years in swiss and i miss america(i am not swiss and not american)

[@destinyfaith5318]

Oh wow 😯 the Swiss remind me of how Americans were in the pasts not being in debt is a good thing. Most Americans 50 years ago were not in debt. Now our whole country is in debt. I’m American ans so I like seeing how foreigners see us is. This is very interesting for me.

[@TheTravelingSwiss]

Thanks so much for watching! We loved discussing it, so glad you enjoyed watching! :)

[@jonnyjonjon758]

Sounds like I would absolutely despise driving in the US lol

[@TheTravelingSwiss]

Louis would agree with you! lol!

[@filipinabisdaknurseswissvlog39]

Nice to know you. I am residing in the city of Lucerne and you?

[@TheTravelingSwiss]

we live in Zurich!

[@filipinabisdaknurseswissvlog39]

Zürich is also a nice place to live.

[@filipinabisdaknurseswissvlog39]

Welcome to Lucerne if you want to visit Lucerne

[@TheTravelingSwiss]

@@filipinabisdaknurseswissvlog39 it's one of our favorite cities in Switzerland! We visit often - let me know if there is anything you recommend!

[@filipinabisdaknurseswissvlog39]

Alexies and Louis just having my break now. Have you been here in a Gletscher garden? There is also the Verkehrshaus and you can visit Meggen , Schwyz, Rigi and visit Mall of Switzerland and Aeschbach Chocolatier …. etc

[@ilovesuisse1]

The Swiss do a lot of further education in their careers, lots of courses etc

[@yusaman8658]

ilove use

[@callmelil]

Awesome video guys! I've been living in the UK for quite a time now, and sometimes I do miss the US

[@bethupton4787]

America= driving culture but also road trip culture. We love our road trips so spending hours in the car is nothing. We'll do that for days going from state to state.

[@yathradays897]

Worth content. US is more digital and busy world compare with Swiss

[@nusvivin6905]

In my opinion, drinking beer at the age of 16 with friends is much better than addiction to opioides. In the canton Grisons a man greets a women with 2 or 3 kisses on the cheek (depends on how good you know eachother, if you go to kiss 3 times you can be sure she's about to kiss you just twice... its always an odd situation😆). In switzerland we have in % more diversity then NY. also i think that we interact much more with all the different cultures.

[@pleasesmitz281]

I would love to see a perspective of a Swiss German vs American compared to your French Swiss husband which I’ve learned are two different animals completely. A guest

[@pappmonika4742]

US❤️

[@Manasuna_manasai]

I am from India. I lived in USA(forty Wayne, Indiana) for three years. I observed in New York that wastage of food is more. I felt like if you can't eat, just don't order it 🙂. I didn't see it fort Wayne though.

[@paulmcennany5982]

In the UK we don't hug or kiss LOL

[@hoppeanofasgard1365]

Ya'll sound like a bunch of bitter wankers lol J/K

[@victorperlain]

Alcohol: i don't want Americans to think we drink at the age of 16 in bars, restaurants, clubs 😂 - it's more like wine sampling under parent supervision at home. This way we develop healthy relationship with alcohol. In America teens get an impression alcohol is this forbidden fruit to crave for and one day will mean their ticket into society. My american fellows drink a lot. I (croat-american) don't even drink every time I go out. If I do, it's one beer. The same with my brother, friends, cousins... Great videos guys!!!

[@Leenapanther]

Wine samplings at home?😂 1/3 of my class in high school told their weekend stories with pride on Monday. They drank beer behind the church and went home drunk, trying to fool their parents. I always thought they were idiots, thinking the parents don't notice what's going on. They even had fake IDs (village in zurich)

[@kb-wu9tk]

Nice video wellcom mir sheraz kitchen

[@ilovesuisse1]

The 3 kisses are not invasive for Swiss, it’s like Americans hugging. The 3 kisses are for people who know each other well, not for every tom, dick or harry.

[@trinedalhaug2458]

😂

[@JesusEsDios007]

I hate small talk and how superficial most relationships are here in America.

[@ilovesuisse1]

We have too many immigrants, we are too small a country to have more and more people. People should understand that.

[@TheTravelingSwiss]

Speaking as an immigrant i obviously have a different opinion on this, I think immigration and emigration do wonders for the economy long-term, Switzerland certainly benefits from both

[@nt4979]

Oh Snap that's true! I went to private school in NYC and we recited the pledge of allegiance, LOL!!

[@Manasuna_manasai]

In the other video, Alexis mentioned women are not integrated in work. I would like to tell my experience in Japan, Japanese don't accept women as managers. Even if you want to travel from USA/India as MANAGER, they don't give you visa. As a developer or architect, it is ok but not as manager.

[@gaiag8417]

"In the south" lmao The worst drivers I've encounter were all from either Nj, NY and northern states.

[@carolinec6595]

Kissing is bizarre…hugging bothered him & kissing is okay???? There is a disconnect

[@cryptopeter1]

Hi guys.. it's Peter in Palm Beach. I love you both. Both of you are delicious with awesome and sincere personalities. My fiancee is Swiss and a butthead. Would love to talk to someone to see if this solitude thing is real with Swiss men, if they are less affectionate and very into talking about saving money. Jesus he's nuts but he's beautiful and I'm in love. Kisses, Peter 💋

[@TheTravelingSwiss]

It’s a cultural difference for sure! I think Americans are a little more openly expressive with emotions, especially early on! Good luck!

[@cryptopeter1]

@@TheTravelingSwiss thanks for a fantastic channel with great content. I'm so in love, real in love and love, and although he can express himself really well when he's after something, most of the time water the honeymoon period is more about mundane and less romance. He's with his family each and every day in Los Angeles but can't visit until November due to a bunch of important business meetings on his calendar. If I was him I'd jump in the air and get my ass to Florida to visit. Lately I worry about these odd cultural things, that are not the most important things you want to have in life. I've never seen a u haul flowing a body after a funeral. Yes he bea 💜utiful like your man. And I guess if alright if he doesn't leave me beautiful messages and sing love songs on my machine. He used to play the piano and sing "Shallow', etc. Now after 7 months he tells me he's pooping.. ughh Lol. Thanks guys. You're my only friends. Fly to Miami or Palm Beach during your winter and you can stay at my place and video from here. Won't cost y'all something. Bless you both. Peter

[@royaltybeehivecollections8477]

It’s actually quite embarrassing I don’t do the Pledge of Allegiance or the national anthem and I’m from California it’s pretty much you announcing you’re going to be a slave to America it’s really embarrassing not all Americans think this way I’m actually a free thinker and I don’t agree with the way America does things

[@heatherclark8668]

What would happen if a teacher in America decided not to ask the children to swear allegiance to the flag or to sing the national anthem?

[@royaltybeehivecollections8477]

The credit score is to keep black people in control