Once we realized we were going to relocate, we started working on "The Move." Anyone who knows anything about mass production knows that "division of labor" is essential to effective use of resources. Anyone who knows US knows that we employ a "division of labor" approach to our life: my hubby manages his work and I manage the homefront. In other words, I would say, "He makes the living, and I make the living worthwhile," while HE might say " I earn it, she spends it."....nonetheless, what's important is that everyone contributes by doing what he does best, everyone is happy with his assigned duties, and everything runs smoothly. Sorry, I diverse.... so, due to our clear cut division of labor ideals, The Move, (excluding his work issues, of course) falls under "homefront," and thus, my realm.
I wish there had been an instruction manual guiding us, step by step, how to relocate to Switzerland. Paraphrasing Donald Rumsfeld, "There's things we know, things we don't know, and things we don't even know that we don't know." My knowledge of relocating, and Switzerland, etc. fell under the latter. Although I had been to Europe three times, I would have been hard pressed to accurately locate Switzerland on a map, had no idea what the currency, temperatures, culture, languages, foods were like. I might have well been relocating to the moon. Clearly, I needed information.
Fortunately in this age of technology, everything is on the internet. I began to search the web for information while the kids were in school. Initially, I searched tourism websites for the Zurich landmarks, history, activities, geography, weather, travel ideas, and the International Schools where our children might attend. I was fortunate that we had a couple work-related friends who have done assignments in Switzerland and I was able to ask them about their experiences as well.
Early n the process, I was invited to Switz for the "Orientation Tour." I continued my internet research, shifting my search more from a perspective of "What is Switzerland like" to a more personal level, "how does a family relocate overseas?" I needed information on the social support network, living conditions, and on the logistics.I blogsearched for "American Family, ExPat, Switzerland, Zurich." I found several, but one struck me as having some similiaries to ours and I contacted the blogger! Gasp...a complete stranger. One of her posts described moving overseas as living without a safety net... that there was noone to rely on, but yourself. Like the feeling you feel right before the rollercoaster starts, it is both terrifying, and exciting, and I completely understood the feeling.
I contacted her and explained our situation and was comforted by her reply and offered a wealth of information and insight. We have continued to correspond, and I visited her on both of my trips, and I have come to think of her as a friend. I am so grateful for her and would probably still be staring at the Map of Switzerland if it hadnt been for her.
Once over in Switzerland, I scrutinized everything as a potential resident, not as a optimistic tourist on holiday. I took copious notes, noting things about the customs, simple language phrases, grocery store (100 types of chocolate, and only 20 types of breakfast cereal, albeit no brown sugar, baking powder, nor chocolate chips!), clothing (what do the kids wear, where do you buy it, ee gads - it costs how much ?!), housing (quite the opposite of the US - few homes, escalating prices), locations, etc. I was fortunate to visit with my blogger friend and she and her husband gave us insight into their relocation process. Preliminary haushunting gave us a guage of the housing options: small apartments and houses with spectacular views of Zurichsee (Lake Zurich). Most Americans and English speakers live in the vicinity of the English Speaking International Schools.
Perhaps it was my jetlag/ sleep deprivation, but the first day in Switz I felt very aware of amusements that our kids would be missing out on. I didnt see any mega 30 movie complexes, no Laser Tags, no bowling alleys, no Chuck E Cheeses/Gameworks/ESPN zones, no roller rinks, nor Science Centers, etc. I wondered if I was just doing The Move for hubby and me. Were we really thinking of the kids' best interests?
Visiting the International Schools on the second day was informative, and put my mind at rest quite a bit about the kids' adjustments.The International School was filled with ExPats from various English speaking countries: South Africa, England, Canada, Australia, Ireland. Americans comprise about a quarter of the student population, and the School appears to be the Center of ExPat family life. The children were all happy, chatty, confident, bouyant....very American seeming in their dress and behavior. I loved watching them play on the playgrounds, hanging out in the cafeterias, spying on the MS science lab, and creating impressive works of art. During our visit, the elementary students were studying Economics and they had organized a global market day. From what I could gather, the students made items to sell (baked goods, etc) and had prepared advertising, and pricing strategy, and were selling their goods during our visit. It was very fun and impressive and I liked the hand-on teaching approach. The school's setting seemed so cozy and familiar as it is a small community with just 60 kids per grade. Like many schools in the US, they have a very active Parents Assn that organizes many activities and supports the curriculum. Although we were in the heart of Europe, the atmosphere seemed oddly "normal." Well, let me throw in the exception: the cafeteria was quite different than its American counterpart. There are huge baskets of fresh croissants and breads, fresh fruits, yogurts, and the entree of the day was Chicken Curry. Living in Europe would definately stretch their minds...
We left with a fair understanding of what our life in Switzerland would entail. I digested all of my information on the long flight home....along with decadent chocolates and Swiss wines. : )
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