Easing into work

Just completed my second week of work, and I'm getting a little bit more comfortable and confident, at least I think so! I'm remembering and performing more of the procedures correctly, and, more importantly, I'm starting to understand more and more of the Swiss German spoken by the players. I don't think I've said much about Swiss German, but it is almost an entirely different language than the High German that I have been learning, which does not bode well. Many words are pronounced completely differently, much of it appears to be slurred, and there is different slang used. This is like having to learn two distantly similar languages simultaneously, while also having to learn a new job, in a new culture, and a new way of life. And did I mention that there are multiple dialects of Swiss German? And that they often mix in bits of French and Italian, just to keep things fresh? How can one tiny little country, one-sixth the size of Oregon, have multiple dialects of multiple languages? A very interesting history. Sometimes I am wondering if I haven't bitten off more than I can chew. It can all be overwhelming, and I'm not a yungin' anymore!

The absurd level of detail they apply to work procedures here is mysterious. This is such a small casino, with such small limits, I would think that they just wouldn't care about most things, but I'm beginning to realize that the Swiss simply really like to be anal. This has it's benefits, of course, in an obviously clean, orderly, and safe country, which I like very much. It also has it's drawbacks, in a neurotic attention to detail, rules, procedures, and bureaucracy, much of which is senseless and counterproductive. I am mystified that an entire country can exhibit symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(OCD). I call it PanCultural OCD, or PCOCD for short. It seems that the Swiss penchant for precision engineering has permeated most aspects of their society, or perhaps it was that aspect of their society that led to their knack in this area, who knows?. What I do know is that the Swiss are very preoccupied with the "proper" way in which to do things, and this can lead to the appearance of them taking themselves waaa-a-a-a-aaaaaay too seriously. I'm not saying that the Swiss do not know how to have fun, or that there isn't any fun in the particular way in which they choose to view, and participate, in life. I'm just saying that perhaps they need to chill out a bit.

Back to work. This week was just four days. It looks as if most work weeks will be four days in length, with every fourth week or so being a five day week. However, a normal work shift is 8 1/2 to 9 hours long, so we still average quite a few hours a week, and we still just get two days off, which means that our days off change week to week. Not a really big issue for us since we don't have children yet, and we have no particular need for weekends off. In fact, just the opposite. Weekends tend to be very crowded in the shopping areas, stores, streets, gyms, museums, attractions, and so on, so it's not much fun being out and about on Saturday and Sunday anyway. Parking sucks at most of the stores when they are crowded because none of them build enough parking spaces for their customers. If they are going to let so many people own and drive cars, then they really should pay a little more attention to parking availability!

Enough griping. I'm sure everyone is getting the impression that I hate it here, and I really don't. I simply want to analyze and explain everything that I am experiencing here, and the thoughts that go through my head when I experience them. Europe is a very different place than America in many ways, for many reasons(all of which I eventually hope to get to), and I am seeing those differences through an American's perceptual "eyes". I really think that there are so many great things about Europe, but I don't think that anyone who has experienced life here can honestly say that day-to-day life here is easier than in America. America has by far the easiest, most convenient, luxurious lifestyle possibilities on the planet. It could also be argued that Americans use up far more of the planet's resources per capita in order to enable this lifestyle, and that would be a fair argument that should be addressed. But, man, life is easier in America!! The USA is a country full of moronic consumers where most of the men live to watch football, and most of the women live to shop, but it's so easy! Big cars, big houses, garages, 24-hour shopping and entertainment, cheap goods and services, plenty of parking, great gyms, the list goes on, all at your fingertips.

Could it get any better? Yes, it could, like less crime, less homelessness, better health care and primary education, cleaner cities, less work and more vacation, less war, and so on, but for the average American yokel, life is as easy as pie compared to the rest of the world, including Europe. So, in conclusion, I'm just an American oaf experiencing Europe my way, and writing my thoughts down in a Blog. I didn't come here for an easier life, just a different one for a while. That's all, Folks!