After more than four weeks of unpacking, dealing with Swiss registration formalities and being without phone service or Internet connection, we’re actually beginning to feel at home in Switzerland. More importantly, we are finally able to get our blog up and running. Here is a sum of our experiences to date.
SCHOOL
The kids have settled in nicely at the International School of Basel (ISB). They made friends and learned their school routines pretty quickly. Nina usually talks about her day the entire 35-minute commute home. Larry can never really get a word in, but I think he’s enjoying school too. The only big complaint I heard from the kids is that the ISB has some strict rules (e.g., low voices at lunch time and no outdoor voices EVER – even when you’re outside!). Larry also hates that he's required to make eye contact while communicating with adults. Nodding one's head is unacceptable. On the up side, Larry and Nina may just develop some manners by the time we get back to Berkeley.
This morning Larry left for ski camp. His class will be in Nendaz (about three hours from Basel) for the next 5 days. What a rough life! If you’re interested, you can check out the location at www.nendaz.ch. Parents are not welcome on the trip, so I can only hope that Larry will remember to bathe at least once while he’s gone. I’m sure that there will be lots more to write about when he returns on Friday
ADVENTURES
Although they miss their friends and home life in California, the kids are enjoying their new experiences here. On our first weekend in Basel, friends took Ken and the kids to an indoor swimming pool in Germany called Laguna. I opted out, especially when I heard that the boys would have to rent (yes, rent) Speedo-like swimsuits (sorry, but that’s a sight I don’t need to see). Larry and Nina could not stop talking about Laguna when they arrived home. Wave pools, giant slides, tunnels with strobe lights, hot tubs – maybe I will have to brave the Speedo-clad men after all!
Yesterday Ken and Larry went sledding in the Swiss Alps. (Nina and I were at a High School Musical birthday dance party. Yes, HSM is big here too.) From their accounts, the snow was amazing and the sledding was intense. I stopped sharing in their enthusiasm after I heard something about “Dead Man’s Curve,” 10 foot drop, barbed wire, lost glove and torn ski jacket!
MUTINY
Any attraction specifically designed for the amusement of children goes over very well with Larry and Nina (parks, rides, pools). However, as soon as the kids discover that we’re planning a cultural outing they immediately whine and protest. Nina has said on more than one occasion, “I’ll go. But I promise you that I’m not having any fun.” I’m happy to say that Ken and I have proven her wrong every time. Just look at the photos if you don’t believe me. Of course, every weekend the kids continue to object to our outings and we have to force them out of the house, but at least we know that they will forgive us by the end of the day. (I think)
January Highlights:
Ferrette, France – Larry and Nina throwing snowballs off the edge of an 11th century hilltop castle.
Bruderholz (Basel) – walking to the top of the water tower for panoramic views of Basel and the surrounding countryside. Larry and Nina trying to sled down a hill with plastic bags.
Tinguely Museum (Basel) – watching the kids’ amazed reactions to the mechanized sculptures. Larry and Ken playing on a giant outdoor chess board.
BASEL
Basel itself is a lovely city. It’s easy to get around by foot or on public transportation. On the weekends everyone is outside walking. Joggers run along the Rhine no matter what the weather. Even bikers can be seen riding around in the snow. Maybe they don’t think it’s that cold outside. I’m just happy that the trams and buildings are all toasty warm. (I absolutely love the trams.) In addition to the great walks around town, there seems to be a lot to do here. However, Larry will tell you to avoid the doll museum at all costs! Nina and I disagree.
The old section of town is filled with beautiful buildings, winding narrow streets and charming shops. Everything is quaint and picturesque – just like a postcard. The Rhine even looks pretty in winter. The rest of Basel has a wonderful array of modern structures mixed in with older ones. The only surprising feature here is the graffiti. It’s everywhere.
SWISS LIFE
Swiss people are usually polite and friendly, but sometimes they’re also a little cool and reserved. Maybe that’s because even the locals are finding the recent bout of cold weather to be a bit frustrating (This is the coldest winter they’ve had in a few years. Lucky us.) Or it could be that we happen to live in an older neighborhood where there aren’t too many non-natives. The other day on our commute to school, Larry was blocking the door to the tram as an older man was trying to get out. The man mumbled something in Swiss German then pushed his rolled up magazine into Larry’s chest to get by. He was still mumbling as he walked away (I don’t know the bad words in Swiss German yet, but I’m guessing we were getting an earful at the time). It may not sound funny as I’m describing the experience here, but the kids and I were hysterical as we rode off in the tram. I now tease Larry that I will carry rolled up magazines with me in case he gets out of hand in the future.
EXPATS UNITED
Even with a few bumps in the road, acclimating to life here hasn’t been too difficult due to the large expat community and their eagerness to help out. One day we heard an American struggling to get her crying child into the car. As soon as she heard us yelling at our own kids, she came over to make introductions. It turns out we have a family from Marin living just a few houses away on our street. I was quickly invited to coffee where I was then introduced to another American family in the neighborhood. Whenever other expats discover I'm new in town, they are more than eager to show me the ropes. I thought that I’d ease my way into the social scene here in Basel, but it seems like the school community can’t wait to break in the new expats. While no one can replace my dear friends at home, it's nice to know that I'm not completely on my own here. My calendar is quickly filling up with lunch and coffee dates. Good for my social life, not so good for the waistline - as coffee gatherings usually involve pastry!
SUSTENANCE
Speaking of pastry…Larry will be the first to tell anyone that the food here is wonderful. He can’t get enough of the milk, chocolate, ice cream, baguettes and butter. (He did ease up on the milk a bit after a classmate told him, “If you drink Swiss milk you’ll clog up your arteries and DIE.”) Nina eats everything – especially if it comes from France. If Nina says she doesn’t like green grapes, I just tell her they’re French grapes and she’s all on them. Her latest discovery is spätzle.
Because the food in Switzerland can be on the pricy side, one weekend we drove into France to shop at my favorite store – Carrefour. It’s like a Target with an enormous supermarket. Anyone who has ever heard me praise and swoon over Carrefour will know that I went a little nutty with the shopping. In fact, I bought enough meat and groceries to make Ken nervous about crossing back into Switzerland. Worried that we had exceeded our import allowance for food, Ken drove us back home via Germany where the border is pretty much unmanned. I love living on the edge of three countries!
On that same day we also made a stop at the local IKEA. It may come as no surprise that the store here looks and feels just like any other IKEA. Except that in addition to shopping, people also go there to dine. We decided to join in and have a quick lunch in the cafeteria. Unlike the people around us, we simply ordered a main dish - no starter, no salad, no giant slices of cake for dessert. I believe that the French family sitting next to us thought we were barbarians. We finished our whole meal by the time they were halfway through theirs. Did I mention that we sat down after them? Apparently, even at IKEA there’s no such thing as “eat and run.”
LANGUAGE
While I’ve been enjoying the newness of living in Switzerland, I have to admit that the language barrier has been somewhat frustrating. People in Basel speak Swiss German, which is nothing like standard (high) German. My German lesson books are coming in handy for reading signs, but I can’t understand a word the locals are saying. I just stick to nodding my head and smiling regardless of what they might be saying to me. Contrary to what I had heard, very few people here understand English. Fortunately, many Baslers do speak French. Unfortunately, they’re all too happy to fluently ramble on while I stare at them dumbfounded. Still, the French has certainly come in handy, especially when it comes to reading appliance manuals. My parents will be proud to know that my college semester in Paris is finally paying off. I have successfully tackled the dishwasher, the washing machine and the oven with my limited French skills. And when all else fails, I just start pressing buttons. Voilà!
SLICE OF HOME
When the day-to-day struggle of learning a new language becomes too much I turn to an unexpected source for a little bit of home comfort – the nearby Starbucks! Yes, it’s true. I’m shunning the great European coffee all around me and I’m resorting to an American chain store for the sheer joy of being able to speak English in public. It all started when I wandered into Starbucks in search of a bathroom for Nina. I pointed the kids off to the restroom signs while I headed to the coffee counter, dreading the task of trying to read the menu. To my surprise, all the signs were written entirely in English. Everything in the store was exactly as you’d expect in America (right down to the stale maple-glazed scones in the pastry case) and most importantly the cashier greeted me in English. For a moment I was home… “Tall nonfat latte, please!”
QUIRKS
Now back to the bathroom issue. Before I could revel in the joy of my new discovery, the kids returned confused and upset. “We can’t find the bathroom.” Irritated, I snapped back, “What do you mean? I showed you the sign. Did you follow the W.C. sign?” Larry responded, “Yeah, but the stairs kept going down and we got scared, so we came back.” Unconvinced that the kids had tried hard enough to find the bathroom, I headed to the staircase and began to follow the signs with them. After the first flight, the warmly painted walls turned to cold bare concrete, and the W.C. signs ceased to exist entirely. I was beginning to see their point. After descending three long flights of stairs, we finally came across the restrooms. It turns out the Swiss will stick a toilet anywhere even if it looks like a parking garage or a bomb shelter. Lesson learned: trust my kids in Switzerland when they say something is weird!
Excerpts from Larry’S JOURNAL:
“I learned the Hokey-Pokey in Deutsch. I tried to teach Nina these words: Lisbon, Oslo, and Stockholm. She didn’t get them right. Switzerland is great.” 01/13/09
“It snowed really hard today. I love the snow! I chose friends to sleep with [on the ski trip]. I chose Henry from Korea, Pradyot from I think India, and Danny from the USA. I love Switzerland. My fourth choice would be Henrique from Portugal.” 01/14/09
Excerpts from Nina’S JOURNAL:
“Today was really fun. I met two really fun kids named Stephanie and Olivia. I thought it was good to meet kids who will either be in the same class or have the same recess with me. They were both very nice to me and now I have two friends in Switzerland. And now I am a little more comfortable and a tiny bit more excited in Switzerland.” 01/02/09
“Today we went to our new school to see what it looks like. We’re not meeting anyone like yesterday. Anyway we took the tram back home and played cards for a few minutes then we were bored. But still we did something like breathe, stand, sit, read.” 01/03/09
“Today I went on a walk. I don’t know where. I took pictures of stuff. I ran down a hill. I sledded on mom’s super cool shopping bag!” 01/11/09
Where are the photos of Mom & Dad???
Posted by: Dan | 01/26/2009 at 12:55 PM
I am so glad we finally heard from you...Only one picture of Ken and None of Mary????
Glad you now have email so we will be intouch...Kids long great and yes, it does sound like you all are enjoying your new home (away from home)...what about Ken...is work agreeing with him????
Posted by: kathy kelder | 01/26/2009 at 01:02 PM
Who do you think takes all the photos?!
Posted by: The Goldman Family | 01/26/2009 at 08:21 PM
[this is good] You're now my new favorite blogger! Photos and stories and video, oh my! Such a great post -- so happy to read up on the Swiss Family Adventures. We miss you guys!
Posted by: Michael Sippey | 01/27/2009 at 09:39 AM