Susch no öppis? = Looking for anything else?
As I have already told
you, I have joined our neighborhood association Quartiertreff Enge to learn to
know our neighbours but also to experience Swiss traditions together with
locals.
A brilliant example of
this was Engemer Weihnachtsmarkt last Sunday. The competing Christmas market which,
on the same day, takes place in
Wollishofen – our neighbour district to the South - apparently attracts far more
visitors. Ours here in Enge is neither the largest nor the most prestigious in
Zurich, but so what? - It is ours! It is here and only here where we can
coincidentally run into our children's classmates and their families or even
recognize some of the people working in the stalls .
The sun was shining
and there was hardly any snow on the ground but the atmosphere was still perfect
for an Advent Sunday. In all honesty, I would have bought both mulled wine (Glühwein)
and roasted chestnuts (heisse Marroni in Swiss German) even if the temperature
had been five degrees higher – it is simply that time of the year!
A big share the profit
gained at the Enge Christmas market is sent to local non-profit organizations,
this year the Brunau-Stiftung - a foundation helping people with different kinds of difficulties to enter the ordinary labour market. So it was this noble cause my
wife supported when she bought a large, beautiful candle wreath.
For my part, I again primarily
contributed through physical work. At the Enge Christmas market we only have around
twenty stalls, but they still need to be first erected and then dismantled. True,
this task takes a few hours, but what am I not prepared to do to learn Swiss
German in a natural way? ;)
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