VEREIN (CLUBS)

They’re generally very inexpensive and welcoming, populated by a group of people sharing an interest.  Not too long after moving here I joined a basketball club, not specifically as a means to assimilate, I just  wanted to play and I heard that this is largely how it’s done here.  Did you know you need a license to play basketball in Switzerland?   Just because it’s recreational doesn’t mean it isn’t official.  Each club has multiple divisions and I played in the fourth.  Technically speaking, I could have worked my way up to the pros so in a way, the dream was still alive.  

It was fun but it took me a bit to catch on to the customs, which I suppose is part of the assimilation process.  Early on, I was chastised by our coach when, after our first game, I packed up my things and left.  Nothing special I thought.  Game over.  Time to go home.  At our next training he explained to me that the custom here is to shake hands and greet each other upon arriving and when leaving.  I’d sort of observed this behavior but hadn’t realized it was so…rigidly expected.  Now I know.  As I said, it’s part of the assimilation.  You don’t learn these things if you stay in the expat cocoon so, having learned this, it was time to take our assimilation to the next level and study the customs more closely, which meant joining more clubs. 

Here is a website listing websites in Basel. 

https://www.mybasel.ch/links/vereine