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Touring Geneva as an English speaker

Friday July 01 2016
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A bus in Geneva, Switzerland. Driverless trams in the city make announcements about destinations in French. PHOTO | FILE

The Brexit referendum has kicked off a debate that many frequent travellers should follow closely, especially those from English-speaking countries, as they plan future trips to Europe.

There has been talk of dropping English as an official European Union language as the bloc’s countries look to isolate the United Kingdom.

The issue of language came home to me when I travelled to Geneva in Switzerland, an economic hub known for its high quality of life and efficient systems. It is a city that hardly needs supervision from authorities.

In Geneva, French is the dominant language used. Even their driverless trams make announcements about destinations in French.

The minute I landed in Genève Airport, I was informed that I needed to learn a few basic French words in order to communicate and find my way around. I learnt how to say hello, and to ask if the person I was talking to understood English.

This helped in my transactions especially in shopping malls and restaurants, where ordering for a meal needed the use of symbols.

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This experience reminded me of when I bargained for items at Silk Market in Beijing, China by typing figures on a calculator.

The language barrier is a major challenge for English-speaking visitors in Geneva as they navigate a border city that is dominated by foreigners, some commuting from France every morning for official business. Some visitors and workers with modest budgets stay in border towns in France to take advantage of affordable accommodation and other facilities.

Movement within and outside Geneva is convenient because all you need is a prepaid transport card and a Schengen visa.  

Geneva hosts thousands of visitors every month, thanks to major international bodies that have set up their headquarters and regional offices there.

It hosts the International Labour Organisation, International Red Cross, International Telecommunication Union and the second largest office of the UN housed in the Palais des Nations.

Switzerland is one of the most expensive cities in the world and I spent about CHF50 ($50.6) for a simple meal. Different delicacies were available from Chinese to Senegalese, Indian, Italian, Japanese and Brazilian. You will also find a vast array of both local and imported alcohol brands from all over the world.

The Mumbai was my favourite restaurant and I enjoyed eating nan and spinach for dinner, a meal close to what I am used to eating in Nairobi.

The quality of life in the city is very high and tropical diseases like malaria are unheard of. If a case does occur the patient is quarantined to wait for importation of drugs from Third World countries. A colleague in our delegation was diagnosed with malaria and had to wait for the drug to be flown in within about four hours before his treatment could commence.

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