No sooner had I stepped through Customs in the Zurich airport when I felt the renewed presence of the Staring. Having been in the UK for 2 weeks, I had mostly flown under the radar in crowds, never feeling like I was being scrutinized and examined by strangers. But once back in my Swiss train station, I could feel the eyes following me. Granted, at the time I looked like I was traveling in from Scandinavia, comparing my backpack, jeans, and two jacket layers to the Daisy Dukes and spaghetti strap camisole a nearby girl eating an ice cream cone was wearing. However, I quickly adjusted my wardrobe to the weather here (which feels simply tropical compared to Inverness, Scotland), and the staring continues days later.
Contrary to some belief, it's not just young guys staring. In fact, in terms of gender, staring seems to be an equal-opportunity profession. Sometimes it's older people, no doubt checking out the younger generation and shaking their head sadly as they think back fondly on the Good Ol' Days of their youth; if they hear me speak English and they're particularly right-wing, maybe they even harbor some ill-will towards me and all the other foreigners who've flocked to Switzerland in recent years. Sometimes those staring are young, and the most off-putting things is that I'm not quite sure why they're staring. When I feel the heat of so many eyes on me, I don't know if it's good attention or bad attention, so I go through a quick checklist: do I have on pants? A shirt? .. Yes on both counts? Well, that's pretty much the whole checklist, so I remain stumped.
Other English and American expats in Switzerland have noted this baffling phenomenon as well and offered different theories about it, but I guess regardless of the reasons behind being stared at, good or bad, we should just enjoy the attention... and maybe practice making faces at people and freaking out the Starers.
