Zurich’s high standard of living makes it a popular destination for expats, but linguistic and cultural hurdles can make for a lonely and alienating existence for trailing spouses, as depicted in Jill Alexander Essbaum’s erotically-charged novel Hausfrau.
Hausfrau — the German word for housewife — is the story of Anna, an attractive American married to a Credit Suisse banker whose life as the mother of three in Switzerland takes an adulterous turn when illicit sex becomes a way to combat boredom.
A branch of the Zurich International School is closing its doors in July after enrolment failed to live up to expectations. It’s not the only one. Just what is behind the spate of closures in schools in eastern Switzerland catering to expat offspring?
On a late weekday afternoon, Lawrence Wood, principal of the SIS Swiss International School Winterthur, looks on as a handful of young students climb ropes and chase balls on a rooftop playground.
Food and beverage companies could play a major role in helping reduce global water consumption through their supply chains, says Dutch scientist Arjen Hoekstra, founder of the Water Footprint Network.
Many of the biggest drains on our water supply come not from the kitchen tap but from inside the fridge of a typical home: ice cream, fresh meat and soft drinks, says Dutch scientist Arjen Hoekstra, who coined the term “water footprint” and founded the international Water Footprint Network in 2008.
German marine biologist Ulf Riebesell says the unchecked pace of ocean acidification threatens to deplete future supplies of seafood and fish.
The increasing acidity of the world’s oceans is happening silently and invisibly for now. But the impact on our food chain—including declining numbers of certain edible species—will become more and more visible in coming decades, predicts German marine biologist Ulf Riebesell.
On a cold, winter evening, a large family gathers in an apartment in the centre of St Gallen. There are a dozen or so - uncles, aunts, cousins, mothers, fathers, and children - ranging from the very young to middle-aged.
A few years ago, they would have met up in bustling Damascus. Now they find themselves together in a foreign city thousands of kilometres away from home.
Jwan Othman and Media Joulak sit down on a black couch in the tidy main room of their flat, overlooking the main street of Rothenthurm.
It’s a beautiful winter day outside and the village is busy as visitors go cross-country skiing in the surrounding foothills of the Alps. The couple’s two-year-old son Tirej, and three-year-old daughter Tireva play nearby, popping by every so often to see their parents and grab a cookie.