Hi, I'm Elli, new to here, old to Switzerland....not sure which smilie I should use to represent 13 years in Switzerland...maybe that one says it most adequately!

Anyway, I'm here with an ulterior motive...I want to find other people with smallish english speaking children in the St Gallen area, my three are 8, 6, 2 and would like some friends, who speak english, to share very interesting discussions about life as a child (princesses, monsters under bed, poo etc), to swap books, cds and films with and generally find someone to speak english with other than boring ole mummy.

Any takers?

Elli

Hi Elli,

Just wondering if you have had any answers to this question, or maybe success finding other children in St. Gallen? I have only just joined the forum, but my wife and I are considering moving to St. Gallen with two small children - 4 & 7. One of the things that we are worried about is how well they will fit in not speaking Swiss German (or French/Italian), and how they are going to cope with local school.

How did your children cope?

Thanks

Oliver

my children speak fluent swiss german as their dad is swiss. However, if your children speak no German, they will take a while to settle into the new language. I don't know if you know but children go to kindergarten here 4-6 and then start school, so your youngest child would be in Kindergarten, the oldest in school. I've seen other children start Kindi without any german and they have had extra support and german lessons and most have settled in within a few months and have been more or less fluent after a year. Your older child will also get this support but I don't know where you'd be advised to start in the school system. There are many different options available and there is definitely a good choice of options within the many.
Children pick up language far quicker than adults and I have read that anyone who is totally immersed in a language before the age of 15 (and has no other major problems, educationally or pyschologically!) should pick up the language quickly.
I hope that helps a bit and, if you do decide to move here, get in touch!

Elli

Hi Elli, I wasn't sure if you would still be using the forum. Your last message was a while ago!

I guess that having a Swiss Dad makes it a lot easier on the children. My two are both at the same school here, but the youngest is in the Nursery part of the school, just changing from half days to full days. They both speak English and Japanese so at least they aren't going to be strangers to new languages.

I have just been reading a thread about Swiss racism on here and I worry that as they are half japanese, they may get trouble at school. Are the children at school in SG predominantly/totally white or are there a few different nationalities?

Oliver

there are many different nationalities in the schools, though it depends where exactly you live. There are different kinds of reaction to "foreigners" here....my children aren't "foreign" because english is their other language. English and Japanese should be fine....it's the turkish/balkan type people and, woe betide us, muslim and/or black people who are contaminating our purebred swiss. It annoys the hell out of me, as I am a woolly, liberal, PC kinda person...but my children have had no problem with racism and neither have any of their friends (Brasilian, chinese, italian, austrian). Like I say, it depends where you live but in St Gallen itself or any of the bigger towns around or any of the closer villages, I can't see any problems occurring...and I can hardly believe there would be problems anywhere else, unless you go to an extremely cut off area where rightwing politics predominate!
Elli

Thanks Elli, that was just what I wanted to hear. Its not really that different from the UK at the moment then. I had guessed that it couldn't really be that bad since 20% of the population is foreign. I just hope my family don't resent me too much for making them learn Swiss German!

Oliver

Elli - there is a Yahoo group for Expat Moms in Swtizerland. If you haven't already found English-speaking playmates for your kids, I would think you'd have good luck there.

glad I was of help, Oliver. Swiss German is a nice language, a bit weird for an outsider to speak it though...like a German speaker learning Glasgow English
I'm on the look out for someone to teach me how to make sushi, as you have a Japanese connection, I thought I'd drop a hint

And thanks for the tip, Music Mole, I'll have a look! I have been in contact with a few people...funnily enough, daughter#2 has just started school and someone else in her class is also British! So, it looks like it may be possible for them to keep up their English after all and not just learn Elli-ish, which hasn't got much to do with English anymore

Elli

Hi guys,

Don't want to rain on your parade, but if you have a specific issue to discuss like get-togethers for kids, please start a thread for it in the appropriate area. Remember that there may be people who will benefit from this discussion, but they will never think to come into the introductions area and find it in a thread titled "Hi all". This is why I asked everyone in the sticky thread at the top of this section to not use the intro forum for stuff which isn't an intro. Hope you understand, and I hope that a specific thread on the subject gets lots of traffic (with an appropriate subject line and placement in the correct area).

Mark

ok scary gorilla person, I take it you are the mod here...any chance of you moving the whole thread to a more appropriate place and entitling it..errrrr....errrrr...."english speaking children, st gallen area" (catchy, eh? but it is sunday, my brain don't work on sundays).
Anyway, pretty please
I think it's better than starting something new, otherwise half of it is missing....

Elli

maybe, 'english speaking children, sushi and scary gorillas, St gallen area', just to make sure everything is included?

Elli - my wife says she is happy to help on the sushi issue, but you don't know if there is a japanese/oriental shop/market in st gallen area do you? I am supposed to look for one when i am there for an interview next week...

no one is going to argue with the gorilla - move the thread as you see fit...

There are a few "asian markets" in St Gallen, one near the station (walk along road by tracks towards Marktplatz, you'll find it!) but I have no idea what it sells because I've never been brave enough to go in. There are others too but, yeah, I'm not very brave

Elli

Hi Elli,

Thanks for the local info, I found the asian shop (actually found 3 in total while exploring) and it turned out that the hotel I was put up in was next door to the japanese sushi bar! I wasn't particularly expecting to see such a range of restaurants from Asia - Japanese, Thai, Chinese etc.

The English pub was a shock. Full of snuff-taking local teenagers.

Looks like I am going to be in SG by Christmas, so time to find some accommodation...

Oh. This post in start from 2006. Is still anyone interested to meet up with kids and be friend in St gallen ? I guess all your kids are getting older. But I have a son 2.5 Years old. Is anyone interested to be friend and share time together with kids together in St gallen? I am new here.

I think SUNHC deserves a medal for searching for all threads by Mums looking for contacts in the St. Gallen area. She has turned up those in Introductions and also this one, which includes a comment by Mark, the founder of EF, saying that suggestions for meet-ups belong in this section and not in Intros. Things haven't changed a bit have they?

I hope you find some other Mums SUNHC (how on earth does one pronounce that name? ) and that your child finds new English speaking playmates.

HAHAA.. SUNHC. Yes. It 's my name in short form. hahaha.

okay. So at the end. no one really meet up and have a kids playtime together. How pity it is.

I am from Hong Kong. So just lucky that I met one girl from Taiwan. Then we just yesterday have a Chinese group 's dinner party in St gallen.

but I would really love to meet some other people like Japanese, French. or I should say. I speak also Japanese, French, German, Cantonese, Mandarin and English. So I would love to meet many different type of people and also my son can also enjoy to be in an international environment.

When I was in Zurich. I have many friends from all over the world. So it 's my style of life to be in an international background and I enjoy really much to share our differences. I think this is also really good for kids as well.

Okay. Anyway my son is going to join the playgroup soon.
so I guess I will meet some mom there.

Bye. Take care

I suggest you try to remember to check on here from time to time. I don't know what actually happens, but loads of people seem to be looking for similar things (iin pretty well every section of the Forum) but all too often they seem to go away if they don't get a reply within five minutes.

Hope you find contacts - it makes such a difference to life in a (very) strange land.

Hi. Lonybt,

Thanks for your message. I found a new mom friend in this forum. I think this forum is good and I got the response really quick.
We already made our appointment.
I am going to meet a mom with two kids in St gallen This week.

So if you would like to meet more new mom in St gallen. I guess you can just write your ideas on different topic which related with St gallen.
I didn't write particular with kids issue.
And I still new ( not longer than a week in this forum ). so I have no right to write my own thread. but it works really good so far.

Happy to meet two new female friends in next week.

:-)