An Algerian Eid in Switzerland

I wrote this post for Multicultural Kid Blogs describing how we intend to celebrate Eid in Switzerland, the Algerian way.

I'd love to hear how you plan to celebrate Eid in your corner of the world!

Of Multiculturalism and Colonialism

BK2, who will be nine in a couple of weeks, was asked to pick a country to research and present to her class. She chose Algeria.

She told her classmates how you could fit Switzerland 50 times in Algeria! (yes Switzerland is this small and Algeria is this big!)
She took with her Tamtunt, Baqlawa and olive oil from Kabylie to share with her classmates.
She wrote the names of a couple of her friends in Arabic.
She told her class how her great-greandmother was imprisoned and tortured during the Algerian War.
Her class re-enacted a battle during the War, where half her class was the Algerian Army and the second half was the French Army.

Her teacher gave her excellent feedback. She got top marks for her efforts.

At that moment, I felt we made the right decision to live 2 kms this side of the French-Swiss border.

Olive oil, Tamtunt and Baqlwa

I lived five years in France. I have close family and friends there. The south of France, where we started our multicultural and multilingual family, holds a special place in my heart.
But I doubt that BK2 would have felt so at ease to share this bit about her family history. I am not sure how well her choice of topic would have been received in a French school.

Her choice of topic and its reception show how she feels totally accepted for who she is. I think living in a country with four official languages, and where over a third of the population comes from an immigrant background, definitely help.

On Belonging and Identity

From time to time, it suddenly hits me. I don't belong anywhere. I left my country, where I grew up. Left my family behind, the familiarity.  There are moments where I feel at ease where I am now, lots of times actually. But then , I suddenly realise, I've not been to a family wedding for a while. Only heard of family members passing away over the phone, not been to see them one last time.

I left home 19 years ago. Another three years, and I would have spent as many years abroad as in my home country. In my heart, I still feel totally Algerian. But I feel definite connections with the places I've lived in: France and England.

But then, it only takes a random sentence, some get-together, to feel excluded. I don't belong. Despite my language and cultural proficiency, I am not French nor English. Actually, I am not sure I still belong in my home country either. And I certainly do not belong in Switzerland!

Ramadan will start in a couple of weeks. For the last eleven years, ever since BK1 was born, I spent most of it in Algeria. There, activity is reduced, life slows right down. Nobody expects you to take kids to the open-door swimming pool in the searing heat while you haven't had a drink or anything to eat for the last 12 hours. Nobody plans a school musical show preceded by nibbles at 5pm. Nobody wonders why on Earth this crazy nursing woman of four kids would abstain from eating or drinking from dawn till dusk.

This year is different. Because the girls are still in school for almost the whole duration of Ramadan, we'll only be able to fast the last few days in Algiers. And it makes me sad. It makes me long for my childhood smells, the market stalls,  the anticipation of sharing a long-awaited meal with my parents, the long evenings, the rituals.

Today is one of those days.

That Swiss Habit

If you take the train to Basel, then step off the train into the station, prepare to be welcomed by a dreadful smell. Not the cows, not chemical industry... cigarettes.

Lots, and I mean LOTS of people smoke in Basel. everywhere. train stations, outdoor swimming pools, children play areas, you name it, if it's "outside", it's allowed.

A couple of weeks ago, we were visiting the scenic Wasserfallen. I sat down on a bench with BK4 asleep in a sling, enjoying the sun and the view. Next to me was a pregnant young woman, smiling broadly at me. Sat opposite to us was a young lady, in her early twenties, who found nothing better than to light up.
I mean, seriously?

A quick google shows Switzerland is ranked 21 out of 185 countries for tobacco consumption. Unsurprisingly, it is the third consumer of tobacco in Western Europe after Greece and Spain, and well ahead of Germany, France and the UK.

Having lived 10 years in the UK, I have come to associate smoking with lower social classes, rightly or wrongly. The National Health Service offers many programmes to quit smoking aimed at young adults with low incomes, particularly in council estates.

Here in Switzerland, it seems smoking does not discriminate: young, old, women, men, low and high income.

I find the habit difficult to reconcile with the idea of a people who like the great outdoors, are keen hikers and cyclists. The good news though is it seems smoking uptake is declining.

Why I'll never Learn German in Switzerland

When we made the decision to move to Basel, two years ago, I thought: "Finally, I'll be able to learn German!".

Haha.

Well, my German has definitely improved but it is nowhere near the level I was hoping it'd be two years down the line.

I've come to realise that Basel is not the place to learn German. Basically, the Swiss do not like to speak German. Many prefer to speak French or English to me rather than Hochdeutsch.

I guess there are many reasons for this.

To start with, people here have their own language, which is unintelligible to most German speakers. Being Algerian, I know exactly how this feels. Algerian Arabic is virtually impossible to understand for anyone who does not come from the Maghreb (time to brush up on your geography!). The best I can do to make myself understood is to speak Classical Arabic. However, I do not like doing so. It somewhat feels false, artificial, forced. The Arab world uses Classical Arabic to read and write, but no Arabic speaker has it as his/her native language.

Secondly, the Swiss may have an inferiority complex with respect to their northern neighbours. With its 80 million inhabitants, strong economy and stature in the world, Germany has the capacity to intimidate many European countries. I have witnessed quite a few Swiss people apologise to the BabelDad for their supposedly bad German!

Thirdly, the Basel area is highly cosmopolitan. Not only does it border Germany and France, but also a third of its population originates from foreign lands. English (and to a lesser extent French) is a preferred Lingua Franca. Moreover, in my experience, Swiss people like to practise their English whenever they get a chance.

In conclusion, I am confident I will learn German, eventually. But it will not be through immersion as I'd originally thought. It will be because I want to and I will put a lot of effort into it.

Ich schaffe das!

BK2 is a pentalingual 8 year old!

BK2 is 8!

We celebrated her second birthday in Switzerland by inviting a few of her friends to a party. As all the children sat down to eat, we realised it was a pretty multicultural/multilingual bunch. Check this out:

Child	Parents	Languages
BKs	Algeria, Germany	Arabic, French, German, Swiss, English
Boy	Australia, New Zealand	English, Swiss, German
Girl	Netherlands	Dutch, Swiss, German
Girl	Switzerland, Hungary	Italian, Swiss, Hungarian, English
Girl	Norway, Germany	Swiss, German, English, Norwegian
Boy	Spain, Australia	Spanish, English
Girl	Switzerland, Germany	German, Swiss

By virtue of living in Switzerland, nearly everyone speaks more than one language to some extent. But these children with their 10 nationalities and 10 languages are multilingual and multicultural. They live their diversity on a daily basis, switching between languages all the time inside and outside.
And we love that!

Fresh Swiss Air

Since our move to Switzerland last year, the children have been spending a lot of time outside. I mean they already did back in England, particularly in our lovely ex-garden and national parks during the weekend.

However, being outdoors here has taken a whole new dimension. Some of it is undoubtedly 'cause the weather in Basel is slightly better than in Manchester.

Walking to school 

BK1 (10) and BK2 (7) walk to school in the morning and come back home for lunch, everyday. Twice or three times a week they do so again in the afternoon. The school is a mere mile away!
On those all-day school days, they sometimes take the (public) bus to school though, in order to be back in time.

Playing outside

We're lucky to be living in a green neighbourhood, with a play area, a bicycle track and trees to climb. BK3 (4) being with me at home usually has at least one bike/scooter ride a day.
After school, the girls play with the neighbourhood kids, outside of course.

School trips

BK2 has been on 13 school outings, that's one every 3 weeks! BK2's class climbed a hill and of course lit a fire to cook their lunch. They've been to the outdoor pool, the zoo, the forest, water tower and ice skating. Kids usually either walk or take public transport.

BK1 was not left out, as she's been on numerous times hiking, ice skating, to the zoo and forest.

All in all, I can safely say I am happy with the amount of fresh Swiss air the children get!

BabelKid 4 is Here!

And it's a girl! She arrived on the 5th of February, and is being adored by her sisters.

Number trivia

BK4 is:

Our fourth child and daughter

My third home birth after a Caesarean (hbac)

My second water birth

My first birth in Switzerland

Birth in Switzerland, a multilingual affair

Like many people in the area, my midwife speaks four languages: Swiss German, High German (Hoch Deutsch), French and English. So for the first time, I was able to communicate with my midwife in a native language. 

As it turned out, I found myself saying some things in English during the birth, mantras I learned to help me through labour like "Let my monkey do it" or "My body's not a lemon", or simply invoking the Lord. Both the midwife and the BabelDad seemed surprised that I would speak in English while in the throes of labour.

Maybe instead of asking what languages multilingual women dream in, we should ask them what languages they labour in. We may be surprised by the results!

2014: Year of Change

As we bid farwell to 2014 and welcome 2015, I, like the rest of the wolrd reminesce on what happened last year, and wonder what (hopefully good) things the new year will bring.

2014 was a year of massive change for our family. When it started, never did we suspect it would mean:

• New job for BabelDad.
• New job for me.
• New country, language, culture in the landlocked, yet huge melting pot, island that is Switzerland.
• Saying goodbye to dear friends that we made these last ten years in the North of England.
• Saying goodbye to our lovely house.
• Saying goodbye to our dream of going back to the South of France.
• Getting one sea nearer our families.
• And last but not least, new pregnancy with BK4 expected in February this year.

So here's to warm memories and new adventures!

Happy new year! Bonne année! Gutes Neues Jahr! عام سعيد

From Switzerland, with Love

So, we are in Basel.

We arrived a month ago, and it's been a whirlwind of changes. First saying goodbye to my parents after a 7-week stay in Algiers. Then joining the BabelDad after such a long separation, in a dodgy B&B, plus BK1 and BK2 starting school two days later in a new country with a totally unkown language.

One month later, and here we are in our apartment, sleeping in our own beds. The older two girls are happily settled at school and seem to enjoy their new life. Sure, some things bother them. BK1 (aged 9) is not keen on the daily homework and the constant threat of getting the loathed cross on her behaviour chart (must show the teachers a copy of Alfie Kohn's Punished by Rewards). BK2 (aged 6) complains that the work is too easy: they are doing phonics at school, which she did in England 2 years ago.

But overall, the girls absolutely love the freedom they have here. They walk to school by themselves, a mile away, sometimes 4 times a day, crossing a main road in the process! My poor nerves!
I don't have to arrange play dates for them, they simply ask if they can go to play at so and so's place, and just go. All three girls have been spending so much time outside with other kids of the neighbourhood, scooting, cycling, climbing trees, fighting, screaming, roller-blading etc.

I feel this independence and freedom is beneficial to all of us. It relieves us, the parents, from the school run pressure. It also teaches the children self-reliance. For example, they prefer to do their homework soon after lunch so they can go off freely to play.

We miss our friends back in England. We miss the familiarity and the sense of belonging we had there. We are however enjoying our new adventure and looking forward to all the new things it brings!

View from our terrace: white specks are storks!

BK3 Lost Her German

The Babelkids spent 7 weeks in Algeria with the Babelwife and her parents this Summer.

Towards the end of their stay, we noticed that the kids became less interested in speaking with me via skype. As an example: three days before their return, BK3 came into the room while we were skyping, only to look at the screen and almost run off.

Now they are back and we know why: she completely lost her German!

BK3 is now trying to speak with me mostly in French, but with a lot of Arabic mixed into the sentences, which means I have a very hard time understanding what she wants.

7 weeks!

It only took 7 weeks for her to pretty much revolutionize her communications. Pretty good going, I'd say.

Am I worried now? Nope. It'll come back.

I am more worried because we're in the so-called "German-speaking part" of Switzerland. My German is tuned to Northern Germany, and I can tell you that I can not understand a single word when people speak down here, unless they make an effort. I am not worried about that, of course, but I am worried because my daughters will very quickly pick up the accent and I won't understand them anymore ;-)

Farewell England

As I sit here surrounded by paperwork, I suddenly realise this is my last week in England. In four days, we will say goodbye to ten years of our lives in Manchester. We're leaving dear friends behind. Our babies were all born here.

When we cam here, we thought we'd go back to southern France after a maximum of two years, once the economic situation improved. 10 years, 3 children and a few local moves later, we are now heading back to the continent. Direction: Basel. How long for? That's anybody's guess.

New adventures await us, linguistic ones not being the least. We'll be in the Swiss-speaking part of Switzerland, with large monorities of various backgrounds. It will be a chance dor the BabelKids to improve their German and be in an inherently multilingual environment. It will be interesting to watch the impact this new chapter in our lives will have on our family's languages and culture. 

Family Language Diagram Update

I feel a bit bad: we haven't updated the family language diagram for ages! I cannot even remember how long ago I touched it. Bad Babeldad!

Then again, the situation has only changed very slightly when it comes to languages. All three Babelkids are now sufficiently fluent to be able to speak pretty normally with native speakers of their four languages. English is the dominating language, by a mile, but it has always been.

So all good in the Babelhouse from a language perspective.

Small Changes

Drill down into details though, and you will notice changes.

BK2 is more and more defaulting to English, when in the past she would speak Arabic or maybe German. We now witness (and sometimes interrupt) long conversations between BK2 and BK1 entirely in English. BK2 starts it, usually.

BK3 has recently jumped onto the bandwaggon as well. And while the long days in school are a good justification for why BK2 does it, BK3 doesn't even go to pre-school yet, so she got it entirely from her sisters!

BK1 is probably the one with the most solid knowledge and command of all four languages, as she's always been. I guess the time we were able to devote to her when she was alone really paid off for her.

Slightly Bigger Change

So all is more or less as usual in our Babelfamily.

Just the right time to overthrow it all and add more complexity to the mix: we're moving to Basel, Switzerland!

This is a work-related move, of course, but we did actually chose Basel on purpose based on its proximity to France and Germany and the hope that we would come into a multilingual environment. I won't make any guesses as to what the move will do to the girls' language, but I'm sure it'll be interesting.

If you were thinking "Basel... hm... German-speaking part of Switzerland, isn't it?" then all I can say is "technically yes", which obviously means "nope!". There's a fine line between a dialect and a language, I guess. For me, personally, Swiss German is a language. I recently spent four days in Basel and quickly found that I was better off speaking English if I wanted to actually understand what people said to me. So, depending on how you see it, the girls will either pick up yet another language (and a new majority language, too!), or learn a dialect that is quite frankly very different from mine.

This blog might just come to life again in September!