Marcie’s Swiss Adventure: Moving Overseas

Imagine being given the opportunity to move your family to a foreign country over 4,000 miles away.

Does that sound like the chance of a lifetime…or a complete nightmare?!

Moving your entire family, whether it is down the street or to the other side of the world, can be a stressful endeavor. And it is full of challenges. But it can also open up a world of new possibilities and experiences for you and your family!

While I have no plans to uproot my family any time soon, I’m excited to share the Swiss adventures of my friend and colleague, Marcie.

Marcie and I worked together several years ago. We still run into each other at conferences and follow one another on social media. I was intrigued when I learned in 2014 that she and her family were moving to Switzerland for a few years.

What an adventure!!

After 3 1/2 years in Switzerland, Marcie and her family moved back to the Midwest.

Given that I will be traveling to Switzerland next month (just for 3 days!), I was excited to sit down and pick Marcie’s brain about all things Switzerland. And you can bet I asked her about the good, the bad, and the ugly of moving your whole family to a foreign land!

Making the Decision

Marcie’s husband, Mike, works for a financial company based out of Switzerland, and they always knew that relocation was a possibility. When Mike was presented with the offer to relocate to Switzerland at the beginning of 2014, it was an opportunity the couple couldn’t pass up.

Married 10 years at the time, they had 2 small children. Alec was 7, and half way through 2nd grade. Camille was just 2 years old.

They knew their move to Switzerland would likely last at least 3 years. And there was no guarantee that Mike would be relocated back to their original location in Indianapolis.

Marcie remembers Mike being very excited. Looking back, he remembers talking to Marcie about this opportunity, recalling that she didn’t say no, but she didn’t say yes either!

Marcie was excited about the opportunity, but she had some concerns for her family and herself.

How would her son do leaving his school in the middle of the year, and how would the move impact his education?

Marcie, a public health professional, had always worked full-time and enjoyed contributing to her family in that way. She knew that moving to Switzerland meant putting her career on hold for a while and focusing on helping her family adjust to Swiss life.

She also worried about the language barrier. And being so far away from extended family.

While she had some valid concerns…she knew this was an amazing opportunity for her family. She was on board.

The family was moving to Zug, Switzerland!

Moving to Zug

Zug is located in Central Switzerland about 20 minutes northeast of Lucerne and approximately 30 minutes south of Zurich. Located adjacent to Lake Zug and with its own mountain, the Zugerberg, it is a picturesque Swiss town. Yet it is also a thriving economic center.

Since this move was due to a relocation of Mike’s job, his company paid to move some of their belongings overseas.

Mike and Marcie sold their home in Indiana and both of their cars.  They got rid of some possessions and put the rest in storage. They purchased anything else they needed once they got settled in Zug.

Mike’s company provided them with a car, and they quickly discovered that having just one car was more than sufficient.

Home Sweet Home

They chose to live in an apartment in Zug, as most people do in that area. The apartment complex was very large with 30 buildings and a primary school and daycare right behind them.  That meant there were plenty of kids in the area and new friends to make.

From the apartment, they could see Lake Zug as well as Mount Rigi and Pilatus. Their 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom Swiss apartment was just what they needed to feel at home.

The Language

There are four official languages spoken in Switzerland: Swiss German, French, Italian, and Romansh. In the region where Zug is located, German is the primary language spoken.

Neither Mike or Marcie (nor the children) spoke German when they arrived. Mike was required to take a German class for his job and Marcie picked up some German along the way. In the more touristy areas Marcie found you could get by with English as well. By the end of their time in Switzerland, Alec’s German was fairly impressive.

The Money

One thing you hear said about Switzerland often is that it is expensive. Marcie concurred.

Unlike other parts of central Europe, Switzerland does not use euros. The standard form of currency in Switzerland is the Swiss franc. Some shops will accept euros, but you can expect your change to be given in francs.

Marcie noted that many places in Switzerland do accept credits cards, although this is less common in the mountains. She shared it is best to have some local currency on hand and that you can exchange currency at the train stations.

The Food

Some of the Swiss food Marcie and her family enjoyed regularly included sausage, lots of cheese, and really good chocolate.

One of her favorites was raclette cheese. A wheel of raclette is placed on a special heating device and the gooey goodness is scraped off and onto your plate. Yum!!

Rosti, a traditional potato side dish, often layered with cheese, became a family favorite.

Initially the entire family did miss some of their favorite traditional American foods. Marcie noted that she could only find one kind of peanut butter in Switzerland, and they were not fans of it. This is the one item she would ask her family to bring them from America when they came to visit!

She said they did find Doritos in Switzerland…once. Other common food items she wasn’t able to buy were chicken stock and vanilla…and they only sold one kind of boxed cake mix in Zug. Again, they were not fans!

Marcie did share that after a year and 1/2 of living in Switzerland they stopped missing most of the familiar food from the U.S.

She said Switzerland did offer a huge variety of meats, fruits, and vegetables. And of course, cheese. There was a cheese fondue restaurant just up the street from their home that offered 80 different fondues at Christmas time.

Macarons were another one of Marcie’s favorites. (I’ll admit I fell in love with these tasty treats myself in Paris!)

Apparently horse meat is regularly served in Switzerland as well…but she said they did NOT try that dish.

Kids and School

Even though there was a school right by their apartment, both Alec and Camille attended an international school while living in Switzerland.

Their school followed a similar calendar to schools in the U.S. with the academic year running from September through June with classes 5 days a week.

Alec attended 2nd through 5th grades in Switzerland. Camille attended 2 1/2 years of preschool and then Kindergarten.

English was spoken at the international school, but all students start learning a 2nd language in kindergarten. Then another language in middle school.

According to Marcie, Swiss coursework included more applied learning, less homework, little to no tests, and more critical thinking skills at a younger age compared to typical U.S. schools.

Recess and time outdoors was also highly valued at the Swiss school.  Students participate in recess through 8th grade and even traditional classes were frequently taught outside.

The Best of Swiss Life

For Marcie, some of the best things about Swiss life were the beautiful scenery, the central location in Europe, and the excellent public transportation system. She also expressed her family’s feeling of safety in this family friendly country.

While Marcie and her family experienced all the day to day tasks of normal family life while living in Switzerland, they also took advantage of opportunities to really appreciate the culture. And that often meant traveling beyond the Swiss borders.

With their central location, in just 3 hours in the car they could be in 5 different countries. The easy to navigate public transportation system allowed them to experience many parts of Europe as well.

They took full advantage of the easy access to many cultures, with trips to Austria, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Portugal. They even took a Baltic cruise.

The Hard Part of Swiss Life

Marcie admits not everything about moving to Switzerland was idyllic.

She revealed that she missed her extended family…and cheap Mexican food!

During their 3 1/2 years in Switzerland, they did travel back to the United States at least once a year, usually for Christmas. And their parents and a few other relatives and friends made the overseas trek to witness their Swiss life.

Since the traditional Thanksgiving, Halloween, Labor Day, and Memorial Day celebrations they knew in the United States were not typical in Switzerland, that was an adjustment for Marcie’s family. And tackling everyday tasks such as scheduling doctors appointments and paying bills took much longer for Marcie in Switzerland given the language barrier.

But the hardest part of the entire journey?? Physically moving there…and moving back.

Moving Back

Once Mike’s job relocated him yet again, he made the move back to Indianapolis. Marcie and the kids stayed in Switzerland a few months longer so Alec and Camille could finish out the school year. So their Swiss adventure spanned from January 2014 to July 2017.

Marcie admits that neither of the kids wanted to move back to the United States at the time. Camille had the hardest time as she had never been in a U.S. school system and didn’t have any memories prior to Switzerland.

At school in Switzerland the children spent at least an hour of each day outside, no matter the weather. Back in the states the focus at school shifted to sitting at a desk, memorization work, and homework.

While they hated to leave all their Swiss friends, Alec has found his new tribe with several kids his age in their new neighborhood. Transitioning back to school in the states wasn’t too bad for Alec, although it took a while for the school system to determine where he should be placed. He was ahead in some areas but behind in others, such as U.S. History. And although he continues to study German, it is quite a bit different learning German in the U.S.

The biggest adjustment for everyone was when Marcie returned to full time work. Even though she was initially worried about not working while in Switzerland, she found community over there and didn’t think twice about focusing much of her energy on her family and making the most of Swiss life.

For part of her time in Switzerland Marcie did work a part time job as well as doing some volunteer work. But full time employment for Marcie back in the U.S. took time to get used to, for everyone.

What’s Next?

Marcie and her family don’t have any moving plans just yet…but they aren’t opposed to another overseas adventure in the future.

And if they had to do their Swiss adventure all over again…they would do it in a heartbeat!

While a move to Switzerland is not in the plans for Traveling Tanya, I am excited to visit this amazing country Marcie raves about! I did experience a few days in Switzerland back in Junior High. But I’m ready for my Swiss adventure as an adult…even if it will be a short one! And I now have some great travel tips from a former Swiss resident.

More Swiss blog posts coming soon!

Have you ever relocated to another country? I’d love to hear about your experience. Comment below!

Wherever the road takes you, make it a joyous journey,
Traveling Tanya

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