I can have a very deep and expressive conversation with a Muotathaler.

Yes! my computer is in French too .... I couldn`t believe my luck when each time I googled what some English computer term was in French (instructions to fix were in English) up popped the answer! What a relief.

Arrived in Dec 2000 from Australia on a temp visit to my then fiance. Within the space of 3 months, we a) got married b) buried my father in law (sudden tragic death) c) found out we were expecting.

In those days I knew no-one, left a terrific job, amazing circle of friends and a fast developing career in Oz. I couldn't speak the lingo, hubby was depressed after his dad's sudden death, I was pregnant and we lived in a 1 bed flat in a high rise building my brother fondly nick-named "mandela house" (only fools and horses!) I had no money, no job and no support. (no EF in those days)

During the first few years - life was not easy (to understate things)

During the last 10 years over time I've

given birth to our son
Learned the language when my husband suddenly refused to speak English to me (this lasted about 2 years and did the trick)
Found local friends through a Buddhist group
Found a great job - furthered my training and essentially picked up where I left off in Australia which has involved....
Studying and passing with Distinction a very tough qualification....
Being able to go to and from England to further my training...
Being asked to be Teacher Development Chair for a national educational committee.
Organizing conferences with the big publishers on a national level.
Giving workshops and professional development sessions all over Switzerland
Attending international conferences - and making great connections with speakers and academics in the field
Leading meditation sessions in German!
Meeting a wonderful network of people worldwide

And - still being home for my son when he gets home from school for lunch 4 times a week!

Am now in the great position of being able to combine professional and personal needs in returning to the UK 5 or 6 times a year......and have learned a lot about myself and other people. Still love the UK - but definitely have a place in my heart for Switzerland too. Still have ups and downs and difficult times - but it's great to be asked to focus on the positive! Excellent thread DB!