Friday, November 16, 2018

American life. The Frau tries to explain it.

Grüezi, people. It’s been awhile. So for that, here's a big American "sorry."

The Frau has been deep into her American life lately, and is still trying to make sense of it all, since not a lot of things make sense in America right now. The exciting news is that the manuscript for American Life: 30 Things I Wish I’d Known, which is the sequel to Swiss Life, is complete and is on its way to becoming a book. It details a lot of things The Frau wishes she had known about American life after Switzerland. In particular, she tries to answer these questions in the book:

Why does everyone in America act so outwardly happy even though we account for two-thirds of the global market for antidepressants?

Why does an announcer tell The Frau to visit Aisle 7 for laxatives every time she goes to the drug store to buy a greeting card?

Why are there no children at the playground, even in a city of 8.2 million?

Why, when The Frau looks for work-life balance, does she find frustration instead?

Why does American healthcare put profits first and people last—and why do so many Americans still vote for people who want to benefit corporations over people?

Why is The Frau treated better as a corporation than she was as a sole proprietor?

And most importantly:

Why, in today’s America, do 99 percent of us feel foreign and isolated in one way or another?

And finally:

Can the United States ever be home again?

What questions do you want answered about American life?

Tuesday, February 06, 2018

Register for the 2018 Zurich Writers Workshop


The Frau needs another mental break from her own country.

Luckily she has a good excuse to take one.

The 2018 Zurich Writers Workshop, which will be held April 13-15, is going to feature two very different, but equally great workshops: Food & Travel Writing with Adam H. Graham and Drafting and Revision with Michelle Bailat-Jones

Registration just opened and The Frau would love to see some of her fellow Yodelers in April. 

If you can’t commit to the full weekend, it’s possible to just attend Pitch Perfect in Zurich, which will be held on Sunday, April 15th. Pitch Perfect in Zurich will offer live feedback on anything a writer might pitch to an editor: from query letters, freelance magazine and newspaper pitches, to personal essay pitches. To reflect reality, the participants will pitch the instructors ahead of time via email, and besides providing feedback on each submission, the panelists will discuss which submissions caught their eye in their packed inbox and why.

In any case, mid-April is a great time to visit Zurich thanks to the spring festival, Sechseläuten, where a snowman called the Böögg will be set on fire on April 16th to predict the summer weather. So enjoy a writing weekend, and then end it with a bang, the Böögg version.

Sunday, November 26, 2017







So here’s your winter tip:







For more information on sledding:
Schlittelweg: Uetliberg to Triemli, 3.1 km
Sled hotline: +41 (0) 44 412 14 71
Wearing a helmet is recommended

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Discovering Switzerland in America

Time (a Swiss preoccupation, how appropriate) has taught the The Frau that small slices of Switzerland are readily available for her consumption not far from her American home. 

Take this refrigerator at Esther's European Imports in New Glarus, Wisconsin. It's not often a selection of drinks in an American store excites The Frau, but that is because most American shelves are not stocked with Rivella, Elmer Citro, Pepita, and Sinalco. Merci vielmal for this cornucopia of Swissness, Esther from Thun. She has run this shop for many years.

Next, take this shelf. It looks like something found in Switzerland, but nope, this is a shelf at Alp and Dell in Monroe, Wisconsin. It's the largest Emmi cheese dairy outside of Switzerland (they even have a supply of Swiss brown cows and proper Emmi equipment here). Esther's husband, Tony, runs this place and will take your order in Swiss German if you prefer. And guess what, American friends, his shop delivers. So forget that pizza delivery, it's time for a little Raclette this winter.

Then...The Frau was recently wandering the streets of San Francisco, when she found Switzerland at Pier 17. It's an expanding hub of Swiss diplomatic presence in America and it comes with a proper Swiss clock so you're not late to discover it. Expect nothing less.

Finally, The Frau can't help it–she always gets a little nostalgic when she sees this plane, whatever American airport it happens to be waiting in. But she feels very lucky to have gotten to spend almost a month in Switzerland this year and even more time experiencing the American side of Switzerland. And there's a lot of Switzerland still waiting to be discovered in the United States. 

Thursday, October 05, 2017

What to do in Switzerland This Fall



Eat Chocolate and Cinnamon-Roasted Pumpkin Seeds at Jucker Farm



For more information visit

Observe the Largest Turnip Parade in the World

Photos by Brian Opyd


For more information visit

Hike the Morteratsch Glacier Trail





For more information


Tuesday, September 26, 2017

So American. So Swiss.

Yodelers. Sorry for the gigantic Pause.


Sorry. The Frau has been busy.

Oh, busy too? How American of her.

The Frau threw a slightly lighter stone...









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