Ninetta Fix: in Saanenland’s embrace

Foreigners in Saanenland. Chances are if you are reading this, you may well be one of them. And you are not alone, numbering one of several hundred foreigners who are domiciled in the Gemeinde Saanen and who make up 27% of the population. Our sister publication, the Anzeiger von Saanen, has been running a series about foreigners in Saanenland, interviewing people about the current hot topic of migration and integration. One particular interview in this series caught our eye, so we had translated for you.

Ninetta Fix has lived in Gstaad for 25 years, and has been registered locally for the past seven. When Ninetta Fix was 32 she and her husband Karolos Fix left their home in Greece. “We decided to move away because of the lack of law and order,” she says. “Citizens had occupied our breweries in Athens; they wanted to replace them with parks. The police ignored the court’s ruling, and refused to do anything about the occupation in fear of conflict with mayor of Athens. In the wake of these circumstances we decided to leave Greece in 1982 with our two children.”

Above: Ninetta Fix, who is often to be seen on the hiking trails with her six dogs, enjoying nature’s tranquility. Swiss air, she says, is as delicate as champagne.

After several months in Munich and London, the family settled in Gstaad. Ninetta and Karolos Fix invested their savings in the financial markets, successfully re-establishing themselves. Ninetta Fix studied psychology in the US, and worked as a school psychologist. She also supported her husband’s financial transactions. This was a radical break from the past. “What else could we have done? We had to accept and make the best of our situation. We were overwhelmed by the beautiful landscape and the friendliness of Gstaad’s locals,” Ninetta Fix says. “We were accepted into the community. The locals were somewhat reserved during the first two years, as though they wanted to check whether we were decent people who paid their bills on time. But since then we won their confidence and they became loyal friends.” At this point the children needed to enroll in school. "We asked them, where they would prefer to go to school. Without any hesitation they said: “In Gstaad.” Our daughter started attending the John F Kennedy International School and our son went to Le Rosey.

Naturally, Ninetta and Karolos Fix wanted to stay near their children and they therefore made Gstaad their main residence. Since then, the family has become rooted to Gstaad. Twelve years ago they purchased a chalet on the Oberbort with a spectacular view: the Palace, the silhouettes of mountain ranges on the horizon, the Saanen valley. “I intend to spend the rest of my life here,” she says with conviction. Although she often visits the US, Paris and Greece with her husband, she remains in Saanenland for nine months of the year. This mix is optimal. “It can be good to leave Saanenland, because each time I return I know that this is my home.” She takes a whiff of air. “The air in Saanenland is like champagne. I can already smell it when I board a Swiss plane in Greece. It immediately fills me with anticipation for the mountains.” During her first two years here, Ninetta Fix did feel homesick. But now she has become accustomed to the Swiss mentality. In fact, she has become estranged from the Greek one. “When I am in Greece, I sometimes feel like I am from a different planet, I even make remarks when people drop litter. That’s how much of a Swiss woman I have become!”

Ninetta Fix is not one of those chalet owners who come to Gstaad for the bustle of the international high society. “My favorite time here is the low-season. In March and September we have the mountains to ourselves.” Of course just being registered at the Gemeinde may not make her a local. Yet her familiar use of “we”, separating herself and Saaners from seasonal visitors, does blur the distinction. Indeed, Ninetta Fix is not only part of the local community, she also shows deep emotional attachment to the landscape. “Is this valley not shaped like a huge hug?” she asks gesturing with arms. “I feel snug in its embrace.” The tranquility of the mountains is not the only reason why she prefers the low season. Contacts are more personal and intense when the village is not crowded with tourists. “During high season, people are always busy and cannot even spare time for a chat while shopping.” Nonetheless, she is well aware of the high season’s positive aspects: “When I think how much the area benefits from tourism, I am always pleased to see the bustle which fills Saanenland’s streets.” After that comment there is no doubt: Ninetta Fix has joined ranks with Saanen’s elders. Ninetta Fix has become a part of Gstaad - and yet she speaks hardly any German. She shrugs slightly ashamedly: “I have tried to learn, but I didn’t make much progress,” she explains apologetically. “However, when everyone speaks English and French there is no pressing incentive to learn German.” The only words she knows relate to food and the weather: “Rösti”, “Bratwurst” and “Sonnenschein”. “Food and weather are two things I especially enjoy here” she says. “And as you can see, it has kept me very healthy.”