Fitting in

There is an entire section of today's Geneva Tribune dedicated to how international expatriates are managing - or not, as is more often the case - to become integrated into Swiss culture.  The feature article, entitled "Il n'est pas facile de se faire des amis suisses" ("It isn't easy to make Swiss friends"), follows the so-far unrewarded efforts of Kelly Brownlee, an American woman employed as a fundraiser by the World Council of Churches, headquartered in Geneva.

Ms. Brownlee, who was joined by her husband some five months after her arrival, relocated to Geneva for her employment nearly 18 months ago.  As the article describes, both have made many efforts to participate in Swiss culture: attending French classes, including exchanging classes in English for help with their French; participating in local Genevan festivals such as the Escalade (scaling of the wall), regional festivals such as la désalpe (bringing the cows down from their summer mountain pastures, as described here; for a comprehensive video of events in 2007, see here); local wine festivals, such as that in nearby Russin; vacationing in different Swiss cantons; tasting the local food specialties such as filets de perche (lake perch fillets) and drinking the local wines; learning how to make fondue and raclette; and taking a workshop where she learned how to bake bread over a wood fire.  About the last, she remarks ruefully that she made more bread than friends.  In all her time here, what social contacts she has had outside the workplace have involved other expatriates rather than Swiss citizens.

Having first arrived here in 1994, both HWMBO and I can well attest to similar experiences.  Never one to be daunted, even by the fact that his spoken French was not among his many strong points, HWMBO made a heroic effort to learn about all things Swiss.  In a role reversal where he was the support spouse here, he did amazingly well, although he never felt quite as at home here as I have.  As a result of his efforts and based on his experiences, he assembled an orientation and advice packet that we used - unofficially - in my first international organization workplace here when recruiting new international staff.  Many found it very helpful. I was literally too busy in the workplace other than to skim and skitter over routine and daily life information so I learned a lot from his work myself.

Being a French speaker, I never had quite the same linguistic barriers he faced, nor those that Ms. Brownlee still faces, no matter how hard she tries, until her French becomes fluent.  While it is true that many Swiss, especially younger ones, speak excellent English, among other languages, not everyone does.  That can make frustrating ordeals out of routine daily transactions that one takes for granted in one's own country.  From what I understand, however, it is more difficult for those who do not speak French in la Suisse romande (French-speaking Switzerland) than it is for those who do not speak German in German-speaking Switzerland.  I am not quite sure why.  It may be that English is the preferred second language in the German-speaking cantons, while Italian and German are more often preferred second languages in the French-speaking cantons, so if one doesn't speak one of the three, one is more clearly left out.  It is also true in my experience that most Swiss people, while always courteous, polite and correct in their behavior, are not as immediately warm and informal in their welcomes as those of us who come from the Other Side of The Pond are generally used to.  In part, I believe that it may also be because we expatriates from Western countries, especially in this area of the country, are quite numerous, not at all unique or exotic.  In fact, in Geneva alone, there are around 180 different nationalities that account for 40 percent of the population.  That is a large minority group, even though it is also subdivided into many smaller minorities.

One Swiss friend confided that, in part, it may also be because so many expatriates are more likely to be transient.  Without having Swiss nationality, marrying a Swiss citizen, or being retired after legally working in the country for the requisite number of years and fulfilling other requirements for residence, one can only stay here so long as one has a work permit.  So, if one's employment ceases, one's right to stay ceases with it.  The Swiss prefer long-term friendships, not short-term or easily discarded ones.

Still, the situation has improved enormously since 1994.  Swiss authorities, especially in Geneva and the western district of Vaud, where I live, have made heroic efforts to address the concerns.  Now, for expatriates who are international civil servants, working with the UN or other international organizations (IOs) based  here, employees of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), diplomats working with permanent missions to the UN and IOs, and those involved with international sports federations, for example, there is the Centre d'Accueil de la Genève Internationale (CAGI).  CAGI was first created in 1996 and Ms. Brownlee has indeed found its services very helpful.  For those who work in the private sector, the Geneva Chamber of Commerce created GEinfo in February 2009.  GEinfo provides a welcome kit (kit de survie) on demand, geared especially towards multinational corporations that are relocating operations to the area.  The kit is so highly regarded as helpful by the multinationals that GEinfo is often out of stock.  Large multinationals such as Procter & Gamble and Cargill also provide their own in-house orientation programs.

Quite recently, the Immigration Office in Geneva has begun informational meetings, in partnership with the Université Ouvrière de Genève (Workers' University of Geneva) to inform expatriates about Swiss and Genevan institutions, the Swiss school system, health, employment, lodging, culture, practices and customs, and local habits and traditions.  All participants are invited and no one is required to attend.  The meetings take place in eight languages (French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Albanian, Turkish, Arabic and Chinese).  The very first series of meetings in Chinese took place during the past week.  One official involved with these encouraged everyone to learn French as soon as possible.  He also encouraged them to have children.  While this may take some aback, there is a lot to what he says, at least for younger expatriates.  Having lived in foreign environments both with and without young children, my own experience has been that children, especially when they are at least well-behaved in public(!), are not only wonderful ice-breakers but force one to go outside one's own boundaries of comfort in order to create relatively normal social lives for them.  That social interaction often turns into a two-way street.  Having to participate in school activities may be a mixed blessing in some ways, but it's a great way to extend one's own social contacts and make friends.

Of course, for some of us, the time is long past for having children.  And thankfully so.  But there are also local interest groups, communities, activities and associations where we can carve out our own niches.  These may require at least a modest knowledge of French at the beginning, but once people feel comfortable with someone new, the barriers seem to melt away, albeit never swiftly.  Long-term and sustained efforts are never easy, but once the breakthroughs are made, one realizes that one has indeed found a home away from home.