Traveling abroad for a few months and getting to know a different culture - it sounds like a grand adventure. But what happens when a pandemic holds the world in its grip? Does the adventure fall through? No, say our three Global Management Trainees: Mie Haugsted, Kirstine Rose Arfelt, and Timo Edler. They have been in Switzerland since September 2020, are staying until December, and are experiencing the country in a truly unique way. They dug through their photo albums for ISS and shared a few anecdotes with us.
ISS Global Management Trainee: Mie Haugsted, Denmark
On my birthday, I walked around the office waving a little Danish flag and told everyone I’d brought some chocolate. My coworkers thanked me and snacked on the chocolate, but no one wished me a happy birthday. I couldn’t understand why, since I’d clearly signaled that today was my big day. Hours later, the cultural misunderstanding was cleared up, and I learned that in Switzerland, bringing the national flag to work isn’t a clear sign that it’s your birthday. I guess that’s only the case in Denmark.
ISS Global Management Trainee: Kirstine Rose Arfelt, Denmark
ISS gave us a list of restaurants. I’m now turning this into a challenge for myself and will try to visit all of them before my time in Switzerland is up. Switzerland has an incredible variety of culinary delights to offer. I’ve already tried fondue, but I still have to try raclette. As delicious as Swiss cuisine is - there’s one dish I probably won’t be trying again anytime soon. My two colleagues at the office brought in a traditional dessert. They hyped it up big time and explained that it was very special and only eaten in the fall. After the first few bites, though, I had to admit: vermicelles isn’t my thing.
ISS Global Management Trainee: Timo Edler, Germany
The German-Swiss friendship is, of course, well known. Now I get to experience it for myself. And quite a few of the clichés are true. For example, I’m constantly impressed and surprised by how punctual the Swiss are. I can’t remember a single tram that didn’t leave exactly on the minute. I also have to commend you all for your excellent Standard German. Even though I’ve almost gotten used to Swiss German in this short time, I’m always delighted when people speak Standard German to me. Most of you manage to do so almost without a trace of a dialect. But I also want to stick up for us Germans. People sometimes say we don’t have a sense of humor. That’s absolutely not true. My teammates can confirm that.