Life in la Romandie

Three-kiss greetings. Communal-laundry-room rules. Geranium-filled window boxes. When we prepared to move our family from the United States to French-speaking Switzerland, we read about these various customs and traditions. We wondered: what would we actually encounter once we lived here? Would we speak enough French to be understood?

Now that our family has lived in Switzerland for nearly 18 months, here’s a brief overview of my first impressions as I’ve adjusted to my new role as a stay-at-home mom, or mère au foyer:

• Parlez-vous français? Also known as Suisse romande or Romandie, the French-speaking region of Switzerland lies west of the Röstigraben. It generally includes the cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, western Valais, Neuchâtel, Geneva and Jura. Approximately 20 percent of Swiss residents are native French speakers, based on recent data from the Swiss Federal Statistics Office. It seems that most people speak some English in our small city, so I can usually make myself somewhat understood with a combination of my native language and French – at least until my listening and speaking skills improve.
• Daily chores: In Romandie, we’ve generally found that some typical Swiss rules seem a bit more relaxed when compared to German-speaking Switzerland. For example, we can do laundry anytime we want to in our apartment building, even on Sundays. We can drop off our recycling at communal collection bins on Sundays as well, as long as it’s before 8:00 p.m. We can take showers after 10:00 p.m.—although we try not to in case our neighbors complain.
• Going to school: Swiss public schools generally start a year earlier than in the United States, where public kindergarten begins at age five. In his second year of l’école enfantine, my son attends school four days per week. For two of these days, after he comes home for lunch, he goes back to school for an afternoon session. I’m finally getting used to the routine of walking him back and forth to school, with the help of multiple alarms saved to my smartphone. I sometimes take turns walking the kids with other mothers at school, so we can all get a break from time to time.
• Cheese and chocolate: Our assumptions about Switzerland’s famous cheese and chocolate proved correct. Romandie is home to some major Swiss chocolatiers. Cheese-centered dishes known as fondue, raclette and croute au fromage also originated here. Gruyère, one of Switzerland’s best-known cheeses, comes from this region. In addition, we’ve enjoyed visiting boulangeries and patisseries (bakeries and confectionaries) with so many delicious regional baked goods, including my personal favorite—the dark chocolate-filled carac
• What to wear: Romandie residents seem to pay close attention to what they’re wearing. Women accessorize with beautiful scarves. Wrists are adorned with Swiss watches, and many of the famous watchmakers have headquarters here. Shoes, often red, are clean and polished. In the U.S., I would sometimes arrive at my children’s daycare in a hooded sweatshirt, jeans and running shoes. Here in Romandie, I find myself putting a little more thought into what my kids and I wear – most likely in an effort to try to blend in. My unsophisticated attempts at scarf tying probably give me away, though.

We still have so much to learn about Swiss culture and the French language, and these reflections represent our unique perspective from living in Romandie. Please keep in mind, people in more urban or rural settings may have very different experiences. Even though the language barrier can be a challenge, I’m slowly making progress. These improvements can help us to learn more about local traditions and make us feel more a part of Swiss society, while still holding onto our American heritage.

By Heddi Nieuwsma

Heddi lives in Suisse-Romande with her husband and two sons. You can read more about her adventures raising a food-allergic child in the land of chocolate and cheese via her blog, Dairy-Free Switzerland.

Illustration by Laura Munteanu

Laura has studied Journalism and Advertising, and has been working as a journalist and an illustrator. She has been illustrated for magazines, websites, charity and different campaigns. She lives in Zurich with her husband and her 5 year old daughter.