Short-term move to Switzerland

[gardengal]

Hi, I don't really go here & I don't feel like I'll be a real International Nettie, but my husband is sending him to Zug for 2 months this summer and is allowing us to follow him (as in they will be paying for a 2bed apt not a single place). I will be taking a 2-month leave of absence from my job (aka, I'm not a SAHM so that's kind of freaking me out too)

If it was just the 2 of us, I'd be unconcerned, but we have 2 kids (7 & 3 at time of travel). Two months is too long to go into this with the idea of a vacation (we'll do some weekend trips, but the week days will be loooooooooooonnnngggg if I can't figure out how to make things work with limited toys/books/etc) but not really long enough--I suspect--to joining the organized groups for expats I've found on google.

There is one other family at his very small company that has children, but they are teens and they've been in Switzerland for less than a year. I will connect with their SAHM though to get basic advice on groceries, transport, day trips, etc.


In short, I'm kind of excited but also overwhelmed at what to do & bring to keep the kids engaged in an apartment for 8wks. They were only one for 1.5wks over the holidays & were bouncing off the walls despite having new presents, trips to the zoo/museums, parties, playgrounds, building stuff outside, etc

Any general advice for "living" abroad for this time span with kids? Or any specific advice about the area?
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[loira]

I've lived abroad a lot of places, but recently my DD and I spent 2 months with my H while he was working in Texas. Our move was supposed to be longer term, but we ran afoul of the border thugs when we entered the country so I was only given 60 days (H is a citizen, and is still there - DD is a citizen too but needs to stay with me). It was a bit weird. Too long to be a holiday, and too short to actually get stuck into a proper routine. Plus my DD is still a baby, so that made it a bit harder.

My best advice would be to try and treat your 2 months in Switzerland like an extended vacation. If you think of it as a move, you might end up feeling quite lonely and frustrated (or at least, I did). Try to find something fun to do most days - you might not be eligible for a library card, but there should be children's programmes. Try and find a rec centre, too. You could see about renting some bikes, many cities in Europe have cycle schemes. There are bound to be some great public programmes there. Maybe sign up for some German classes?

[gardengal]

loira- that's exactly my fear: that we'll feel isolated, especially the kids (I'm basically a hermit).

I think getting a schedule is a good idea, both for my sanity and for the kids to feel normal. Getting a library card is a good idea & I'll look into it. Otherwise, I'm unsure how we'd carry enough books for bedtime stories so things wouldn't get old!

[GilliC]

Definitely start looking into places you'd like to explore in the area. You won't want to do daytrips every day (or even every other day), so the time will probably slip away before you know it!

[origami]

When I first moved with my kids my sanity required that we get out of the house every day. After they went to sleep I would google for ideas of where we could go the following day. Sometimes it was just to a park down the street or a grocery store, sometimes it was to a non-kid-centered tourist site, but we had a good time. I also recommend using this stint as an opportunity to travel, whenever your DH has time off (weekends or whatever).

ETA: also if those teens you're connected to will babysit that could be a huge sanity saver. Finding a reliable babysitter took me more than a year here.

[gardengal]

Jan 4, 2017 18:22:08 GMT -5 origami said:

When I first moved with my kids my sanity required that we get out of the house every day. After they went to sleep I would google for ideas of where we could go the following day. Sometimes it was just to a park down the street or a grocery store, sometimes it was to a non-kid-centered tourist site, but we had a good time. I also recommend using this stint as an opportunity to travel, whenever your DH has time off (weekends or whatever).

ETA: also if those teens you're connected to will babysit that could be a huge sanity saver. Finding a reliable babysitter took me more than a year here.

We will do some weekend trips & then take a longer time to Italy in the middle bc it's so expensive to fly into from where we live in the US & my husband loves it there & the Swiss have a holiday.

[jrabbit]

Zug is my favorite place in the world, we just moved back from Switzerland a few months ago and hubby worked in Zug. Feel free to email me direct. I can even give you baby sitter rec. :0)

[e-mail]

[marriedfilingjoint]

I'll ditto the library suggestion. DD and I spent a lot of time at the library. You've probably already seen this, but I just looked up the library and they have lots of children's books in English due to the large expat population. Try to get something mailed to you at the apartment address early in your stay so you have something with proof of address. I ordered a grocery store savings card online so that I would have mail with my name and address.

You will probably spend a lot more time outside (exploring, going to parks, etc.) than you do in the States. You will be surprised how much time that kills without spending a lot of money.

[gardengal]

Jan 16, 2017 12:56:48 GMT -5 marriedfilingjoint said:

I'll ditto the library suggestion. DD and I spent a lot of time at the library. You've probably already seen this, but I just looked up the library and they have lots of children's books in English due to the large expat population. Try to get something mailed to you at the apartment address early in your stay so you have something with proof of address. I ordered a grocery store savings card online so that I would have mail with my name and address.

You will probably spend a lot more time outside (exploring, going to parks, etc.) than you do in the States. You will be surprised how much time that kills without spending a lot of money.

Oh good tip re library card & mail!

we actually spend loads of time outside here in most weather (boys play outside until dark daily, weekend hikes, long bike rides, etc.) so it's great that there might be even more options there. 

[Cicero]

Also FYI, there is a Swiss 1/2 price Rail pass you can get if you have an address in CH (or at least you could when we were living there). It paid for itself in two trips between Zurich and Geneva. If you plan on taking day trips with the kids and checking out the countryside it's worth looking into.

[Shreddingbetty]

Would you be able to take some short trips to other countries while you're there?

[MauMau]

Get a pass for the local pool/lake there. And just have a blast. Since you usually work. Think of all the activities you always wanted to do with your kids on summer break. Zug has a lot expats. You shouldn't have a problem finding kids their ages for fun.

I lived in Zürich for a time. It was fun. Summer is all about going to the Badi (swimming) Things are $$$ there so it kind of sucks that you are there for a short time. So things like bikes don't work well as a suggestion. But you could pack those razor scooters. They are still pretty popular I believe. Enjoy scootering to the bakery and then spend some time at the lake.

[gardengal]

Jan 23, 2017 18:47:51 GMT -5 Shreddingbetty said:

Would you be able to take some short trips to other countries while you're there?

Yes. We are doing 1 week vacation elsewhere over a holiday & then 2 weekends somewhere plus local trips. I may do long daytrips with the kids during the week too. 

[MauMau]

Jan 25, 2017 15:01:55 GMT -5 gardengal said:

Jan 23, 2017 18:47:51 GMT -5 Shreddingbetty said:

Would you be able to take some short trips to other countries while you're there?

Yes. We are doing 1 week vacation elsewhere over a holiday & then 2 weekends somewhere plus local trips. I may do long daytrips with the kids during the week too. 

Take your kids to Titlis or elsewhere. I went sledding and tubing in August on my trip to Titlis. It's fun and the adventure of the train and gondola would make a fun day trip. They have a crazy bridge up there now too.