There are four official languages in Switzerland: Swiss German, French, Italian and Romansch. The primary language spoken in the region of Switzerland where I live is French, and it is spoken by about 30% of the people here. However, the majority of Switzerland, about 60% of the population, speaks Swiss German, a dialect of standard German. Just under 10% of the population speaks Italian in the south, and less than 1% of the population speaks Romansch.
Switzerland is not a member of the European Union so they do not use the Euro as their currency, unlike most European countries. Instead, they use the Swiss Franc (CHF). Currently, 1 CHF is worth $1.10 USD.
A bottle of water at the Swiss supermarket Migros costs 1 CHF, which is about $1.10 USD.
A friend invited me for homemade raclette! Raclette is a common Swiss dish that originated in the canton of Valais, which is where I live. Raclette cheese is melted and served with boiled fingerling potatoes. Pickles and pickled onions are also eaten as part of the meal, in-between bites of cheese.
