[lordnacho]

Not the GP, but I think you might find in Switzerland (I lived there) that it's not so easy to make friends. When I'm in America, people will just straight up come up to me and talk, so the culture seems to be a bit more open. In Switzerland, socializing is quite different. For a start, there's a local language that isn't the one they teach you in language classes. It also appears much of the socializing happens around existing institutions, eg your school friends, or the rowing club, all things that as a newcomer you won't have a history with.

[distances]

Yeah in quite a few countries in Europe nobody will just spontaneously talk to you unless they're drunk or a bit weird. However, many will also be delighted if you start the discussion as a foreigner. That's much less likely to come off as weird as some leeway will be afforded for other cultures.

[bogomipz]

Is this true in all parts of Switzerland? Or is it not an issue in the cities like Zurich, Geneva etc?

[lordnacho]

Hard to know. Of course in ZH you can find a lot of expats to hang out with, but that doesn't necessarily mean the locals are easier to get close to.