Hi! I've been checking out info on this great site you have here for over a year now! Thanks to some helpful tips through EF, I figured out where to live and put my 4 children in school.
We've been living in Vaud for 6 months with the general goal of integration, recognizing that wouldn't always be easy! The children have been very brave about attending public school and French is coming along steadily.
I speak some French, having lived briefly in both Paris and Montpellier. My husband is working for EPFL and speaks English at work.
Would be happy to meet other English speakers and families in the Lausanne area. We're from NY and MA. I've loved living here!

Hello and welcome to the Forum

Welcome. Check the events and www.glocals.com for an alternative to these events.

Welcome here, scarsdale. We have a book club in Morges plus there are a few EF events going on in the area, I know ladies meet up for needlework. Congrats on integrating, if there's a will there's a way...

welcome to the forum! are you from scarsdale, ny? we moved here from ny about a year and a half ago- me, hubby and our 10 year old.

feel free to send a pm if you want to have a coffee and chat about the integration process while the kids have a run around- my son is always happy to play with other english speakers!

Thanks for the welcome!
I'll look into these possibilities!
BTW, I know we won't really integrate into Swiss society, from what I have learned from everyone that's no small task... My older children are just happy to know kids at school that live nearby, having some experience with attending schools at a real distance from our community in MA.
This does put my 13 year old in a challenging position, being the only child in 8eme who isn't quite fluent in French, and wanting to have friends he can actually talk to! If anyone out there has an outdoorsy 13-15 year old English speaking boy into mountain biking, rock climbing or snowboarding please give a holler!
"Integration" will presumably be easier for my younger children, who are 10, 7 and 4.
We all are really active and do lots of outdoor sports. Looking forward to meeting more folks!

Scarsdale, good to see you are in Lutry. I was from Oklahoma and made the much desired move over to Europe, landing in Switz as a first port of call for a project on the Lac Leman, back in early 1985.

Integration into Swiss society depends on which tribe you are looking for.

Mine was the live modern jazz crowd, and once trouve it was great sailing, even though going it on my own was cool too.

There were no barriers involved...great music brings like-minded folk together, I think, better than no other means of human communication. IMHO...as he says genetically hard-wired for great music

Search out your tribe, whatever the content provides as an outlet.

Thanks, tiny tim! That was a cheering response!

Yes, I think you offered some valuable insight. Having had 7 years to reflect since my last effort in becoming a member of a French-speaking village, I realized that I needed to join a team. No doubt, were I a gifted musician like yourself (and I do love jazz!) that would work wonders here. Can't even remember how to read notes any more.

But I run, so I recently joined a triathlon team (never mind I don't even like putting my face in the water...). I am finding that voluntarily destroying myself on a track with like-minded fools is another great way to bond, and everyone can forget my garbled French for a time because who can talk when you are fighting for breathe! So bonding via pain and exhaustion!

Now, how do I turn my French from garbled to graceful?