Interview with Sabrina Chudzia (Zurich Spotter)

Spotted By Locals
June 12, 2010
2 min read

Sabrina - Zurich Spotter

Today an interview with Sabrina Chudzia, Spotter for our Zurich cityblog

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I‘m a 23-year-old anthropology student, articulated, spontaneous and slightly naive with a liability to exaggerations, extremes and accidents, who loves life and individuality, hates stagnation, suffers from a constant self-discovery compulsion, has an annoyingly pronounced sense of smell, a passion for travelling , can‘t dance and dreams of renovating a farm, anywhere, where summers are long.

How do you like being a Spotter?
Very much. It opens your eyes to the familiar. Creates a completely new awareness of your surroundings. While you let tourists feel like locals, it makes you feel a bit like a tourist, constantly discovering and rediscovering places. For people with nomadic tendencies like me, a great way to stay in love with the place you live in.

What is the most popular neighborhood to live in Zurich at this moment? Why?
There is two. First, and leading, Kreis 3, Wiedikon. Preferably in a renovated old building at the Idaplatz. Or any other place or street that has a female name in it. I think Ida, Berta and Erna are most wanted these days.

But of course, the gentlemen also have their trendy area in town (gender equality is big here!), Kreis 5, industrial area. Konrad-, Heinrich- and Josefstrasse regularly appear in every hipsters dreams of a fulfilled life. If you want to upgrade your status to become an integral part of the urban scene or you simply want to impress a little, Ida, Berta, Erna, Konrad, Heinrich and not to forget Josef, will catapult you straight on top of the mount olympus.

Why exactly everyone wants to live in these two areas, I don‘t quite understand. Maybe because hip people like to be surrounded by hip people and close to hip places, where they can drink hip beers and buy hip clothes 24/7 a day. And there is definitely most hipness going on in Kreis 3 and 5 (and also Kreis 4).

But personally, for living, I prefer my hood, Wollishofen, right by the lake and full of old people‘s homes and 16-year-old gangsters wearing lots of „bling bling“. Still, I must admit, on weekends and some evenings, I also feel like being hip, so I take my bike and go get my share. Close to Ida and Josef. Of course.

Which prejudices about Zurich are true? Which ones are not?
We really are the most arrogant and reserved people in Switzerland. Always polite if approached, but not very inviting or warmhearted, unless you meet an immigrant we haven‘t ruined with our mentality yet. The unfriendliness is only true at the first glance though. Be patient, give us some time and we‘ll become quite a pleasant little nation.

What do you know about Zurich what no tourist will know?
Nothing anyone couldn‘t discover that walks through the city with open eyes.

Check out all Sabrina’s articles and the other interviews with our Spotters.

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