Freaking cost of living...

Rule one when coming to Switzerland : Forget the exchange rate and/or the prices back home. If you start converting the prices and comparing, you will end up buying nothing.

Just to give some idea, the prices are as follows:

• Lunch at mess for student (discounted rate) --- 6-9 Francs = 220 - 330 Rs.
• A slice of pizza - 6 Francs = 220 Rs
• Cheapest McD Burger --- 2.5 Francs = 90 Rs
• Full meal at McD --- 10 Francs = 370 Rs
• Bananas --- 3.7 Francs a kg = 140 Rs

You get the idea, I am sure. So we deviced some ways to work our way out.

Axiom 1 - We are rich.
Axiom 2 - Nothing is free.
Axiom 3 - We have no previous standard.

Since then we have been happy. I have been spending a lot on food and travelling. Everyday, I get to taste new meat dishes at the mess which is like proper European cuisine. The poor veg people, have got no options here, and generally get the worst part of the deal :D.

There was this one memorable meal at the main mensa (that's what the call a mess). It was out first day, we had forgotten our letters which got us the students' discounts (almost half the price), and the way we are, decided to try our luck at it without the letters.
Now, with a long line of hungry swiss people behind you and all menu written in swiss german (average words have 10-12 letters) and with the mess helpers asking you what you would like in rapid, rude german, you tend to say yes to everything quickly. Atleast thats what we ended up doing.
Result - plate full of food which were not part of original menu but was supposed to be extra, charged at normal rates, (ignored my helpless, innocent look), we ended up with a meal of almost 15 Francs each.
Thats a whopping 550 Rs for a meal. But we found the funny side to this also. Thought that now treating people at Pizza Hut for 1500 Rs would be trivial. :D

Now we have either been paid or are close to it, so Axiom 1 is vacuously true. And I cant save money when faced with infinite chocolates, meat items and genuine european cuisine. And we are used to the high rates here. And the food too, which for the record is amazing, except for dinners, since I dont know how to cook at all.
I was hoping I would lose some weight being so far away from home and Indian food. But it doesnt seem likely now :((. Too much milk products and that is staple diet, so cant avoid also. Cheese, butter, yoghurt, milk, in almost every meal.
Have been invited by Asst to Prof for cheese fondue and wine tomorrow night :).Looking forward to it.

More topics coming up --- trip to Basel and some pics from there.

Happy reading till then.