what is the couscous doing in there?

lol,,,

Either (i hope) she means kissy kissy... or cookoo.....

Not sure i want to get involved with a bowl of rice like stuff...

Love is the infinite placed within the reach of poodles.

Louis-Ferdinand Céline

Niiiice!

whose the babe?

+1

sharing is caring ...

When I look all post dealing  deal with love and singleness on glocals forum, I guess it should not be that hard to find love here..oups sorry i forget this is not a dating website :P

I think that in spite of the fact that there are the activities organized by Glocals for single, finding THE lover is complicated!!!

I think it's complicated to find this chemistry everywhere Switzerland and other countries. But in some countries more CALIENTE!!!Men come and try to talk and chat with girls, in the street and every public places,  Men in Switzerland don't chat a lot, lol ;)but like usual there is no RULE!!! Everything can happen everywhere! :P

Thank you Celeste for some constructive response!!!!

Watch out David - time is money here in Switzerland - no wasting it on 'pointless and ridiculous threads' ;) 

More caliente..... are we talking about LOVE or one night stand love?

So "Love Coach"... you married or single?

We talking about LOVE, but i agree that the ones coming and chatting are no very serious ;)

It's just that a warmer atmosphere can sometimes help too!!!

Getting carried away here - I thought this was not a dating website ! :)

I only now realize how TABOO the word L-O-V-E is - for sensitive souls, we shall replace it by 'FRIENDSHIP'. 

And NOW is it 'glocals' like?

Charlie it's about time you attended the classes like everyone else, your maladroitness is being to show .  And David, "love" it!  

You naughty 

looking for 'love?' aren't we....

cuckoo.

In the mood for love : love actually :)

FRIENDSHIP with BENEFIT ?

Friendship with the benifit of a close relationship, everybody is looking for benefit and interest for everything, that is the world!!!

Maurice... I've always found that skipping classes and getting on with life and being myself works fine...

p.s. How long will you continue to stalk me in threads with petty abuse? Stop being an old queen and get over yourself.

+500 000 comments from Charlie :-)

That theme was discussed soo many times, let's "find" smth new... *yawn*

Interesting!!! haha

L-o-v-e is just another word I never learned to pronounce

Yes, you can find £©¥€ in Switzerland! ;)

Love is in the air, even here in Switzerland where people don't interact with each other that much. However, approaching a woman on the street or in a bar and try chatting with her is almost unthinkable for many. Therefore your options are reduced to your group of friends and some of the glocals events where you can meet new people and start things off. Also prices are so high here that exploring the field (going out on dates) is quite an expensive endeavor!

This is more depending on the person than on the place. Some people easily establish relationships wherever they are, and others...

Meanwhile, those who are successful aren't always as happy as we imagine.

If you are searching for love, you only find other misery companions looking for the same.

Desire always focuses on the least affordable option.

And if you have everything to be happy, but aren't, what to do?

If you are unhappy, you redo your life, like in the book: eat, pray & love, it's becoming a fashion after 30th anniversary requestionning your life and giving up husband and kids for starting a new fresh life, i find it awful and sad... but nope i am joking, i agree it's hard to be happy even if you have obtained everything in life that u wanted! That's the human being, never satisfied...

you know my point of view about happiness... 

It s make me sick, when I heard all of us complaining about our hard life and sadness being alone or lonely... I will only quote Muhamed Ali after his fight in Africa : 

" you people of Africa, you re stronger than any amercian or afro american, cause you have a dignity and happiness in your poverty, that none of us will ever have".

But here's some input from "Dr Love":

http://www.lovecalculator.com/love.php?name1=charlie&name2=estelle

I suspect a bus from nowhere will be headed here soon...with a driver yelling, "How about a nice cup of stfu!"

I think it's as easy or difficult to find love in Switzerland than in any other country. Because it depends on each individual's objectives, goals, dreams etc. If your objectives are too high you might never reach them if you re not ready or not prepared enough for them.

Yep I know that... and happily married as any "love coach" should be...

The question was in response to her statement that "time is money"...... so directness saves money or...

My joke fell flat for numerous people...... sigh

(Now off for comedy refresher lessons)

Two words in here guarantee it wouldn't work... "work" and "talk"....

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Love Calculator results These are the results of the calculations by Dr. Love: charlie estelle     84 %   Dr. Love thinks that a relationship between charlie and estelle has a very good chance of being successful, but this doesn't mean that you don't have to work on the relationship. Remember that every relationship needs spending time together, talking with each other etc.

ha ha ha!!!!!  - no offense Charlie :)

Just thinking: it has been such fun reading all of you!! Next time I'll post a thread on snail sexual intercourse just to have the pleasure of catching you sighing & cursing on the forum 

LOVING IT LOVING IT LOVING IT ETC. - JUST AS I SHOULD! 

THANKS TO ALL!!!!!!!!

Absolutely agree Juan Pablo!

A lot of women and men, actually expats come to see me and ask if there is anything wrong with them? Men complain that Swiss women give them bad looks when they just even smile at them at the supermarket, whereas women complain to feel absolutely invisible in Swiss men's eyes and start seeing their self-confidence level drop. 

For those trying to understand the Swiss people's mentality and cultural codes as far as privacy is concerned - IT IS COMPLICATED and would need to come with a translation package. This is of course not limited to love and relationship. All of you watch out if I hear you flush your toilets after 10pm, I might call the cops on you!!!! hahaha!!!! 

Thats why you should never date a Swiss girl... they dont shower after 10pm.... eeeugh!

The dilemma in a stinky Swiss individual's mind is clear : smell does not bother the neighbors whereas noise DOES. The choice therefore is obvious. Yep.

I agree with you, no right to complain!!! 

...unless they have their own villa

hahaha...

you're really funny...

hahahahha. Swiss women are not all the same.

Some don't feel Swiss one bit, that's why they're on Glocals. :)

You still don't get any presents this year

Hi Wojtek!

How are you?

I would say: love found me when I was resenting it a little.

But it was not in Switzerland but on the corner of Broadway & 8th st in New York City - it still counts..right ?! 

Have a great weekend!!

Estelle

How much were you charging? ;)

Its always important having some "Cojones" , and a sense of humour when  looking for love / looking for some loving /dating, ...esp in Switzerland

love does exist in geneva

it's all around....

folk love to play the field

love to be seen in the right places

love lack of  commitment

and love the ski girls at their weekend chalets...

now where did i leave my apron....it's time to feed the cats ;)

So if any of ya sexy bitches got nothin planned for da weekend, come "skiin" with me this weekend!

PS. Im allergic to cats, not to pussy.

I have a dream.... to find love everywhere... :-)

Fatma, i know a shop where, for 2 AA batteries and a flexibile....imagination, love literally can be everywhere ;)

Meowwwwwwwwwwww

Thomas smells of catnip...apparently....

Fascinating replies :) An open book to the person's mind and willingness by reading the feedback.

And are we talking about Switzerland or just Geneva? For Gva I have my theory: most people in Gva - well, the majority we foreigners meet and talk to - stay here for a few years only, hence a tendency to no serious investment into any form of a relationship. As it has no time to grow it is better to stay on the surface. This is a kind of a self-protection. Meaningful relationship therefore, where love could grow from, is rarely built.

What is the solution if you decide to stay in Gva? My answer would be to "teach" people to open up, look deeper behind the words heard and be responsible for the promises given - and that "teaching" could work best by acting the same.

Some people are more desperate for love than others.....

And some smell like beer.... right Charlie?

love in geneva?

that's like trying to persuade scottish people that deep fried good are bad for ya..

seriously... car keys in a bowl and bend over and touch your toes

love is measured by the size of a big fat..... wallet here ;)

cheers to all the romantics....knowing wink to all the cynics...

yes that was wInk....

x

Hahahah, Honey u must go to  relax  ... don't be so negative :D
I am not sure,but  maybe the excellent men just want to escape from you? joke but in every joke u can find  a real true. :D
Anyway. if u don't want to,u ll not find it

u ll just continue live the perfect single life :D

Try meetic.com..cut out the bulls*it, it's a la carte dating..and at least you know they are available and "wanting something".

There used to be a taboo with these things, but it's the 21st century, we spend most of our time on a computer/Iphone/BB..it's time to stop dreaming about meeting the person of your dreams over the frozen peas in Migros..and be honest with ourselves..(although it could happen)

If we leave everything to chance, then we could be waiting a LOOOOOONG time for "love".

I am not a sceptic, just realistic.

Sometimes we have to create the "chance meeting" ourselves..

Good luck in love, friendship, friends with benefits or whatever else you're searching for!!

ah Dace i'm over it

i don't expect anything, that way what i do get is a  bonus :)

im a lawyer who works in a bar...go figure that the types of men i meet aren't exactly knights in shining armour, more peasants in tinfoil x

Problem is; you girls expect me to be everywhere at the same moment.

well the dutch are akin to God Thomas,  as you always tell us

why can't you be:p

ow.... nothing personal, but today we are not talking about You, Dear! XXXX :) grrr...

cos that "god" spot is already taken... He can sit on my right hand side though...

We are giving ourselves compliments now?

haaaaa :D

You and Thomas are sooooo cute muppets.! I adore you both!:D But God is too nice word for you!:D

Im dyslexic...so I read and spell backwards... I meant to write "dog"....

I believe they are fallen angels, who were caught being naughty...

yes buddy...every day...dont you?

It help counteract all the slander that girls throw at me and keeps a healthy balance.

Charlie...god of the Redheaded  Guiness-lovers

From Emma1979: "There used to be a taboo with these things, but it's the 21st century, we spend most of our time on a computer/Iphone/BB..it's time to stop dreaming about meeting the person of your dreams over the frozen peas in Migros..and be honest with ourselves..(although it could happen)"

Next Glocal singles event: tonight, 19:00, frozen vegetables section, all geneva branches of Migros.

i would lock them all up in the j-ALE house

It's never expensive enough ;)

ahh, now i know why you have to pass a "bar" exam to practice law in the usa!!!

Some more L's that sum up some of these threads....

Lasciviousness,

Lechery,

Lewdness,

Licentiousness

and a sentence of some mixture of some of these could be ...

"loving licentious lesbians linger longingly luceous legs lower in licentiousness"

I believe Switzerland is the worst country to find love indeed. Men hardly ever make a move here, they look are you and do nothing, there are more women than men in Geneva, most people are money oriented and not willing to commit, there is no real intraction between men and women when you go out unless you have a massive cleavage or a short skirt, the rest of us feel invisible. I have lost my self confidence and felt so transparent in Geneva...Also nobody talks about it but when you go out in some nice hotels or clubs, you are likely to see escort girls everywhere.

Whenever I travel things are so different there is a different vibe, things are natural, recently met a charming man at a gig in London and it never happened in Geneva even in six years. People talk to you easily...The only men that approached me in Geneva were not available and wanting a no string attached kind of relationshp....

Its not a pointless topic at all, believe me some people wonder whats wrong and suffer from it. I think that if the subject comes back that often here it is because something is going wrong.

I thought I would stay in Switzerland but after a few years I can't take it anymore, I need to feel like I am alive again!

Some people find love of course but most of them grew up in switzerland or some are lucky but it is generally speaking very hard in Geneva. Maybe it's easier for men.

No! It is not! :(

Dont know where you go out to... "men hardly ever make a move here".... err... untrue statement. sorry

Ive been in places where if you go up to a girl and chat to her, and if youre lucky enough that she responds, then you should NEVER even turn away to the bar to order drinks for fear of some other wolf suddenly standing between you and the girl giving her his best "line"..... 

Its Dog eat dog out there..

Really? Wow!! I have  hardly ever seen that in all these years... It might be that I haven't been in the right places then.. Same for some of my friends...

Happy to make suggestions of decent bars if you need them....

The places I go, I never notice any escort girls prominently present, so I dont know where you hang out, but certainly at the wrong place.

Yes good idea, thank you Charlie :-)

The men in Geneva are definitely some of the more aggressive and attractive girls are almost always surrounded. In terms of reactions when approaching women I got everything from refusing to acknowlege my presence to "I don't give my number to strangers" (after chatting the entire evening).

Regardless, why don't you take initiative when you see something that you like out there instead of feeling sorry for yourself?

They are not prodimently present but quite a few of my male friends have been disappointed after chatting with a girl realizing she was "at work" and looking for clients there. if I go out at the wrong place I guess they do to.

Some of the more agressive? Well tell that to some of my pretty friends who have been waited for years for a guy to approach them and they are pretty and attractive! If you are talking about night clubs thats another story but elswhere I have not seen that. My friends ended up looking for someone on the internet as in "real life" nothing happened.

As far as "feeling sorry for myself because I don't go for who I may like", I am afraid I am old school and I have never had to be the one to do that before I moved here. it's not my thing to approach a guy, and I assume that, but in Geneva I guess you have to!

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder... but pass me their information and we'll see what we can do about it :)

Places to avoid that guaranteed have working girls there are ,

Floor two

Leopard lounge

Cotton Pub (sometimes but esp late at night)

bars at any of the big hotels in fact... plus there is no ambience anyway.

thta's very kind of you indeed ;-)

ah charlie thank you now it all makes sense :-)

strangely enough this is where my friends took me! 

Personally I go for eyes and legs... "huge" cleavages i leave for others less fortunate.

As to conversation..... as with everything... there has to be a spark to really enjoy it or it dies away if no one has anything interesting or witty to say.

Having said that, most of the guys i know are not shy to hold a conversation and get the girl(s) involved as well. And most are single...

No, I don't think it is a problem exclusive to Switzerland alone.....Pretty much sucks everywhere for the most part.....I live in the States but spend a considerable amount of time in Switzerland with family, and from what i have gathered swiss men are a bit timid to approach a girl compared to their counterparts.......................then again I may be wrong!!

you dont need the conversation spark because you dont intend marrying them but you do have an age range?

surely if its fun, fill your boots?

Just curious, How do you know so much about places to avoid.....!!!lol!

Trial and error

Everthing depends meeeting right people at right place.

1) Where you meet?

2) Who you meet?

3) When you meet?

Never judge a book by its cover (it could be a man or a woman). Blaming each other would bring us nowhere...

Try to find nice groups where you will fit and always find nice groups and meet nice people or make a good friend in the groups. Attend house parties, cozy & friendly wine bars. Avoid snobbish places & people. You will find your love one day.

Life is too short and try to make it simple and happy as much as possible. Definitely some body is waiting you....

Well if your blabbering away during a Chelsea game even I might not be focussing on anything except the game....

I, actually, think that love doesn't exist in Switzerland! :-(

If there aint no love here, then why are you?  Whats more important your happiness or your salary?

You know if something isnt working you must change a factor in the equation

It's more important my hapiness, of course.

But you know, I'm hopeless!

There are certain threads where we just KNOW Charlie will have a heavy presence!

As for the thread itself ....hmm, I can't find an emoticon in my selection showing a big yawn...

Heavy and consistant! Wasn't this thread started like 4 years ago? Popular topic indeed. ;-)

I applaude to Charlie's contribution to this thread! And thank you Charlie for not yawning :-)

Buzz / David ... thanks Guys, Im glad to be so predictable.... equally so Buzz darlin' is your "oh I'm so above this" comment.

Why not turn some of that negative energy around and try and make someone smile?

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, its about learning to dance in the rain.  

Bloody ' eck, it was meant to be a compliment!

Now I'm getting slapped for nuffink! 

And who said I was above anything? We are all in this together duckie.

My Apologies then for misreading your comment...  sincerely

.......but these threads do just go over the same thing over and over again,us veterans must admit?

I also meant sincere compliments on your commitment to such a clearly popular subject, dear Charlie! Especially since you are committed to making us laugh on a thread that's been going on for over 4 years. Yeeeeaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! I am not nearly so witty and entertaining (and rather prone to ranting) so I try to limit my postings! But you good Sir, keep it up! (But don't ask me out on a date now that I'm telling you such sweet things so directly!)

You've jsut read through this incredibly long thread and missed that atleast 3 females have complained of the lack of available men in Geneva. Forget Charlie, maybe you should start with 1 of the above :) 

Believe me I haven't missed anything. ;-) I'm using reverse-psychology, that ancient and time-honoured technique of lady chasing. At least, I think that's what I'm doing... besides I'm still waiting for that day when ladies chase us rather than wait to be chased. I think I will have to be VERY patient.

ahhh...hopefully one of the ladies picks up on the not so very subtle hint there

pls do bcs many girls include me has the same problem as Nat said

Very interesting topic! Although I have been married and didnt look for a partner but I miss some real kind of friends. I do have friends and we do many robotic activities together, we plan calculated and well organised outings and lunches etc. But there is no warm, unconditional, sisterly kind of friendship. Everyone is trying to get the maximum out of any situation or relation they get into/invest into. It's all about networking and how to move forward , people have become more like those horses who can just look straight. It's so sad :( so lonely and so materialistic :(

The fact that 2 out of the last 3 events you attended on here have been "ladies only" might have something to do with it

haha very funny Cataline, suparaciosul a incercat sa ma comenteze :P

You can still find those kinds of friendships here - but it takes time and you have to look hard( it was much easier back in the UK!) Before I was widowed, my partner and I still had some separate friends and an independent social life was always important to me and to him,as well as the one we shared together.

Don't know how long you gave been here but ...don't give up. If you work at finding your niche you will get there.It just seems to take a long time in this environment

When God created woman he told her " I'll put a good man in every corner of the earth for you!"

he then then made the world round!

I'll be hosting a dinner about this topic in March when you can all come around & battle it out. 

See you soon, xx

emotionally stable men????? what??? lol.

I tend to find I am extremely tolerant to emotional instabilty in others....us men have to be

Love coach Matthew Hussey,( for women, but he has coached 10,000 guys first to study how they think and behave when it comes to relationships and love)  has some really excellent points in his video "Will I ever find THE ONE?" It is an eye opener,search You Tube. Sometimes he has 10,000 likes.Check it out!

Keep posting if you want to be quoted on Radio Lac from 8.30-9.30 am:

http://www.glocals.com/forums/general/67053.htm

Rena baby, That thread started and finished even before this one did in 2009..... doubt the show is still running even...

I was in London recently and the amount of people over there who struck up a conversation with me was amazing, all really freindly and funny and from all corners of the globe. What a wonderful city. It really brought it home to me how sterile Basle is. I think it is because people who live and work here, are money driven, and as such as a bit 'hard faced' when it comes to selecting a partner, they have a check list, a set of goals. And as women earn a lot of money too they do not really need to be looked after and are more independent. We all seem to be ambitious, and driven and money mad. (I'm talking about ex-pats not the Swiss)

As for the prostitutes and how to avoid them, a couple of male freinds who go on date sites say its easy enough to spot these women, they are the 30 years olds who put the age range 29-50, or similar.

Sigh, you are so right, Charlie....

Just to change tack slightly, could we perhaps hear from ladies who have found love in CH or, better still, in the Gva area?

R.

Oh god I'm drunk....

went to Three bars and no idea what babes are complaining about.....mayhem......men everywhere rand ended up a complete sausage fest....not enough babes is what I say 

in fairness it was a work thing... but the principal still stands that there are more than enough men out there for women, what everyone needs to learn is to stop being picky... 9 out of 10 aint bad

stop being picky or stop looking for that golden ticket?

A down to earth guy is ok, even if he doesnt have a farrari!

all women are picky 

the mental check list a guy has to pass in this town is enormous....

I love down to earth guys. 

No need for a Ferrari. A boat would do (Rubberboat)

Ive got a rubber duck...... Where is that in the equation?

yes u are right, i think the girls should to be picky but in any measure this is about us...we are made like that but believe me the guys sometimes are more picky then a girls ;) so it's deppend of situation ;)

Ah! I knew that one would come up at some point! ;-) we are not all that complicated ;-)

no for the perfect one but for the right one! bcs no perfection in this life!

If ever there was such a phenomenon as a perfect man, who would want to give him house-room? 

Just imagine never having any cause to nag or burst into floods for no reason? And never savouring the reassurance of “making up” after a spat?

Personally,I can’t think anything more b-o-r-i-n-g.

R.

Hard job!!!

yes mine:) very good David!!

Ooo er, is that meant to be ambiguous?

No just REAL.

For my experience, finding love in Switzerland is not that difficult: just go to some networking events (Glocals events are not bad at all at this job), talk with people and everything will follow. Finding a full-time husband or wife is much tougher: a full-time, 20-year long contract is something that people don't accept so easily.You have to plan your future so much in advance, and today people have problems in making such detailed plans so muhc in advance. Maybe a temporary or part-time job as husband or wife may work better!

I have noticed even among some of my friends that the income/position plays a big part in chosing someone here.. It's sad.. The fact there is so much luxury around and that many people earn good money changes values I think...People wants to have and to earn more and more.. If you have a look around 3 woman out of 4 wears a luxury bag, and many are young.. It's a bit like a bubble here..

Maybe we all go out together and you might find someone. 

Finding love in Switzerland is the same as finding love anywhere else in the world. The easyist way is to plan to leave the country, get in that mind set, pack your bags, book your ticket, STOP LOOKING.

Then go out. You will meet the love of your life and then have to go through the hole process of having to dicide if you should stay or go. 

Happens to most people.

Regarding the other comment over being asked about how much money you earn when one is on a date. ALWAYs respond. I dont have an income. DO YOU? oh I am sorry I think you are from a lower social standing. Go to the toilet and exit the building, YOU HAVE MEET a Golddigga 

Have seen that done in Geneva except with an Aston Martin instead of a Lambo... hilarious. Some women have no shame.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTuBf4BrIgE

so funny!!!

I've come to the conculsion that men in Geneva are in fact looking for gold diggers.

They love to tell you about what they own, what 5 star place the go to, how much they spend on everything. If you show zero interest in their watch, car, horses, access to "the" in crowd and hyper impressive salary their pride gets hurt.

You can't have it both ways. 

They're not necessarily looking for gold diggers; they're just assholes with no substance to them.  In fact, the people I've come across who make a big thing about all of their expensive stuff are usually surprisingly tight with their money.

Ok. So, if the guys like that would just get together with the gold diggers, then we can clear the field for the rest of us.... Simples. 

all I am saying is if someoine on the firsat date starts asking about cash, its time to think about walking.

For the other side, IF a bloke talks about is expensive watch, or how big his ::::::::: is or what car he has then its time to walk

of course if you are after that sort of after, good luck

A woman I knew told me about a date she went on once with a Hedge Fund Manager in Geneva. He took her to a very expensive restaurant and then proceeded to spend the entire evening boasting about how well he was doing, how he estimated his fund would be worth over a billion in a year or so, etc, etc - basically bored her shitless!

As he asked for the bill  he said he needed to call his lawyer in the US before his office closed and he had no reception in the restarant and literally ran out of the building. About an hour later he hadn't come back and the waiter had no choice but to ask her to pay in full - over SFr 500. They even went and looked outside for her but couldn't see him on the street. She tried calling but his phone was off.

As she left, she saw him emerging from behind a hedge pretending to hang up. He said he couldn't pay as he'd just got a new debit card and didn't know the number or some such crap and then had the nerve to ask her could he share her taxi going home.

To say a lot of people in Geneva with money are diametrically tight doesn't begin to cover it!

This isn't about who pays, but rather, what I feel is getting in the way.While yes, cell phones, texting, and email, they are all convenient (and contribute to this forum of course), but they are not BALANCED. I work as a holistic practitioner for balancing mind, body , spirit, and the emotions (and that includes love). All of the above modern tech devices are impersonal. (Please don't tell me that emoticons fit the bill). They also make it far too easy to cancel a date, be late, postpone plans, all of it. We used to get along quite well with answering machines and voicemail.

What happened to integrity? A handwritten letter endures, a text is lost in space. There was a movie in recent years about a love letter that was found, and the woman tracked down someone after about 30 years. Think about it. Let's bring back envelope letters! (by that way, that connects with the thread that is running on "Pretty Stationery." ) It could be called distinctive stationery,  as well as respectful, making a person feel they are valued and unforgettable.

they do... in Java and Floor 2... its worth avoiding those two bars

Nooo!! The worst relationship I've ever had is with a man I allowed to seduce me with his love letters. (wow, that's showing my age... :-o )  It's just as "not real" as texts and email. 

The only way to see if there is a real connection is to spend time with someone in person, stop playing games, take a risk, jump in with both feet, say what you mean and if he invites you on a first date to a really expensive restaurant run! 

Going by the reasons eloquently put down by Charlie on the post right above mine, please find my solution to the thread's problem.

are there cheap restaurants in Geneva?

Would a women be offended if you used a buyclub voucher on a date at a very expensive restaurant

Alright kids, I was making a (clearly not so) funny reference to the story above re: the 500F dinner. 

I'd apologise... but Im not sorry for posting this.

Kate, I certainly appreciate your sentiments about the written word, all the more so as St Valentine’s Day is on the horizon and I would like to think that there are still some folk out there who will send a letter to their love on the 14th.

However, I would just like to add a true anecdote which happened only last week.

I had a couple of greetings cads to put in the post but hadn’t had time to seal the envelopes and stick the stamps on.  As I was running late, I asked my home help to do that for me while I got ready to go out, but she just looked completely blank, so I did it myself and rushed off.  When I returned, I asked her why she’d held back from this – to me – simple request and she told me that she’d  never ever sealed an envelope or stuck a stamp on one in her life and she’d been scared she’d get it wrong.

She’s 30-ish, been in Geneva for going on 15 years, is a good worker and speaks French correctly, but it seems she never receives or writes personal letters.

“So what do you do if you have to send off a form or you want to order something from a catalogue?” I asked.

“Oh, I get  a friend to help or I take it to the Post Office and the girl at the counter does it for me.”

I don’t know how typical she is of her ethnic background, but I do know not to offer her some fancy stationery next Christmas.

Ritchie

Great story, the culture is really changing.

I wouldn't be offended at all.

I found it so sad reading many of these posts. It seems like people are quite urgently seeking a partner to bring something to their lives that they feel is lacking. I don't think that's the way to do it. You can't expect someone else to make your life feel good from inside yourself. That's only going to happen if you change yourself, and then you can have interesting times whoever you are with. 

"If you become a source of joy by yourself and your relationships are about sharing your joy, not squeezing joy out of somebody, then you would have wonderful relationships with anybody. Is there anybody in the world who would have any problem with you if you are going there to share your joy with them? No. You are trying to extract joy from them, that is where the problem is. Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our lives. We are trying to fill the gaps in our lives with relationships." - Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev  

http://blog.ishafoundation.org/sadhguru/masters-words/sadhguru-on-relationships/

Personally I don't expect anyone else to make me feel happy and I am not a joy vampire ;-) You can have all the joy in the world, share it with friends, at some point something is going to be missing which is sharing it with someone you love, someone that is not a friend, it's totally different...

I think the question of "looking for love" puts people ill at ease somehow but deep inside everybody is looking for it. Of course it shouldn't be the only focus and source of fulfillment in your life but it is essential to find it at some point, unless you are someone like the dalai lama maybe ;-)!!

But it always happens when you least expect it so in that sense, yes you have to become a source of joy, appreciate the moment and open your heart.