The plane lands at 06:00, my lady-friend told me.
I got to the arrivals hall at Zurich airport at 05:45
I’m an optimist, some flights actually arrive ahead of schedule.

A glance at the flight board:
Planned arrival 06:40 - expected arrival 07:40!
I double check the flight number - correct!

I look at the note that has been tucked into my pocket - 06:00!
Oh no!!
And the time of arrival has shifted again - another ten minutes!
So what does one do at Zurich airport for two hours or more?

While drinking coffee, I reflected on something I’d read on Charlotte’s Web.
I lived in England for the first 21 years of my life and have lived in Germany and Switzerland since ...
I am still a British national, but am I really British?
What am I, if not British?
German? Certainly not! Swiss? No Way! European perhaps?
Whatever - I do have a lot in common with Charlotte!

Things that help me fit in:

• I am not as conservative as British people I know. But I used to be.
• I enjoy dark Weizenbier (as often as possible).
• I always have a crate or two of beer in my Cellar.
• I often visit, or have visitors for coffee and cake on a Sunday afternoon
and go for a walk afterwards.
• I have difficulty changing gears with my left hand
(And whenever I want to use the hand brake it has disappeared).
• I automatically say ‘Sie’ (Thou) to strangers.
• I prefer ground coffee beans to Nescafé.
• I complain about the size and shape of Bretzels in Switzerland
(which would make me German).
(I complain about life in general in Switzerland, which again places me in Germany)
• If someone drops litter in the street, I will reprimand them.
• I get up earlier in Winter to clear snow from the drive.


Things that make me British:

• I never learned to use my elbows in a ‘Queue’.
• I can’t understand, that Europeans can’t see the logic behind said queues.
• I can’t get into the habit of removing my shoes in my own home, but will in other people’s homes.
• I can’t see anything good about a Metzgete.
• I import tea and Daddies Brown Sauce from England.
• I prefer custard to vanilla sauce.
• I still can’t see logic behind ‘the, the and the’ (der, die, das, le, la and les especially as they often conflict in German and French).
• I can’t resist Liquorice Allsorts, Salt and Vineagar Crisps or Ginger biscuits.
(Why on earth does my spell checker want to remove the ‘e’ from vineagar)
• I prefer vineagar on my chips and don’t even want to try to imagine what they would taste like with mayonnaise!
• I didn’t realise you could put the hood up on a Cabriolet!

I shall never be a real German or real Swiss. For one thing I can’t see why I should pay a fee for not having served in the Army, just to obtain a new nationality.

Where do you fit in with the country you live in and what makes you typically different?
If you feel like playing, consider yourself tagged!