Expat with Kids Social Media

Stuck at home with a thigh muscle strain - needless to say the weather is gorgeous and a run would seem like a great idea - I have reverted to streamlining all my social media feeds... et voilà le résultat!

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An Expat wife's salary

Usually I refrain from commenting on politics although I do enjoy following certain countries' politics and passionate campaigns. However, M. Fillion's hiccup is just too good to pass up.

Francois Fillon, the conservative politician tipped to become France’s next president has found himself at the centre of a political scandal after he was accused of paying his wife as - what he calls - a parliamentary assistant.

Penelope Fillon reportedly received the equivalent of 900'000.- Euro of taxpayers’ money.
“Just because she is my wife she should not be entitled to work? Could you imagine a politician saying, as this story did, that the only thing a woman can do is making jam? All the feminists would scream," he said.

Ok. M.Fillion, I would like to thank you. You just put a number to all expat trailblazing wives' duties;
(in brackets would be my personal interpretation of the duty he cited during yesterday's press conference):

- Personal secretary (family social agenda including travel planning, medical visits, documentation)
- Events planner (Playdates, Sleepovers, Sports events)
- Communication officer (Rules and Regulation policy commander in chief, Media coordinator)
- Family representant (Associations, School, PTA)
- HR coordinator (Personal development, siblings litigations, in-laws coordination)
- Customer service (Complaints department, Guarantor of WIFI service, warm meals and clean clothes)

Monthly salary: EURO 4'700.-

Oh... and by the way this does NOT include the housework nor the endless administrative paperwork that comes with every move! However, we could throw in some jam-making if you're really nice to us.

Maintenant, il ne faut plus se trumper!

Every once in a while I get carried away... the Sister March in Paris to the Women’s March on Washington D.C was definitely one of those moments. I am not a political person but this movement struck a cord in me, somewhere between the human rights and women's lib I found a cause I identified with. It was nothing to do with Donald Trump... this was bigger, it was about personal conviction and fundamental beliefs.

I invited Expat Girl to join me in the March which was to lead us from the Trocadero Esplanade of human rights to the Wall for Peace Monument on the Champ de Mars. Rather sheepishly she declined because she didn't feel safe to walk with such a big crowd of people. I respect that. The terrorist attacks had had an impact on her young life and there were things she was not prepared to do.

As I walk towards the terrace where the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948 I was surprised to hear only murmurs and relaxed conviviality. Usually during demonstrations you can hear shouts and chants a block away from the Trocadero.

Sure enough, as I came around the Musée de l'Homme - ten minutes before the March was suppose to begin - I saw a little crowd, women of all ages holding various signs and flags. Were the Parisiennes suitably late or was this just not on the city's agenda I thought a wee bit disappointed?

True to French style, however, people were late, and half an hour later thousands had turned up and it was impossible for the tourists to even attempt to get a picture of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero Esplanade.

With grace, dignity and conviviality women AND men from France, the USA, Mexico, Spain, New Zealand and many other places walked the walk side by side, each with their own belief and their own cause at heart. There was no aggressiveness, no arguments, no shouting or screaming. People were talking with their neighbours, smiling at one another, kids were asking each other where they were from in English, journalists were taking snapshots to capture the serene and peaceful mood of the colourful crowd blessed with sunshine and a wonderful and rare blue winter sky.

A unique and unforgettable afternoon in the French capital born of a solidarity movement with the Women’s March in the USA which will go down in history and in my memory as a very special moment of this complex, modern world.

As one of the signs said: "Maintenant, il ne faut plus se trumper!

Some say we were 7000 at Trocadero today!

A sign that sums it all up

Il faut du tout pour faire un monde

Best script board

The beauty of this march is that everybody can have their own agenda!

Recognise this Spanish sign?

Every person has their own personal reasons to participate

The French are part of the party as well!

An impressive view

Ready to march the March 

The beauty of this sign is that it was carried by a man!

Arriving at the Wall of Peace with police escort

Greeting our sisters in Washington DC

A peaceful Saturday afternoon march comes to an end

The Wall of Peace, a favourite site of rendezvous for militants of human rights

Picture of the day: "Je suis une femme"

My Parisian blog hit the top 50!

What a way to finish the year?

Waking up this morning reaching for my phone, a little notification is telling me my French blog has been mentioned. Curious I tap the link and to my surprise I find my blog listed amongst the top 60 Parisian blogs published by blog.feedspot.com who choose the best ones from thousands of top Paris blogs using search and social metrics.

These blogs and websites are ranked based on following criteria:
- Google reputation and Google search ranking
- Influence and popularity on Facebook, twitter and other social media sites
- Quality and consistency of posts
- Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review

It is the most comprehensive list of best Paris blogs on the internet. I am totally chuffed. I still have not quite come around to calling myself a blogger despite my many published posts and constant viewers' increase over the years. I am still convinced that only my friends follow me but I guess my Parisian adventures are being read by many more given that this is the second time I made into a top Parisian blogger list this year. Paris is after all the biggest blogger community outside of the US.

Expat with Kids in Paris grew out of my first blog Expat with Kids that came to life in 2010 when we were still living in Lugano. I have continued to feed my Swiss blog as a way of staying attached to my home country. I could not bring myself to just drop all my followers and readers. Expat with Kids in Paris began in 2011 as a fun way to account for my daily adventures with the Parisians and the French lifestyle.

Thank you to every single one of you who have enjoyed having Expat with Kids and Expats with Kids in Paris on your daily feed via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Mille mercis to blog.feedspot.com for listing me in the Top 60 Paris Blogs and Websites for 2016 and Bonne Année 2017 à vous tous!

Educating for complexity

It started with three simple words back in 2015: New Strategic Plan which resulted with a three page Strategic vision resumé last night.

In between lay months and months of hard work: preparation, organization, team building, work shopping, brainstorming, cooperation, compilation, creation, realization, revision, leading up to the revelation and launch of the school new innovative and ambitious Strategic plan. A road map towards the future.

Last night a little association created over 50 years ago in Paris announced to the world it was going to play with the big guys of International schools by putting itself on the educational map. It did so with a bang inviting staff, students, parents, alumni, press and local dignitaries to celebrate the official launch in the Natural History Museum of Paris. It was the perfect surroundings to get a very important message across to everyone.

The IB school has reached a crossroad in it's life cycle: it can either engineer its way around this and carry on as before or it can redesign a new, more challenging but ultimately more rewarding path for staff and students.

There is a palpable sense of evolution as the school's mission transforms in the service of a different vision. More than half a decade of accumulated experience in International education gives it the confidence to offer a bold vision for its future. We are moving from experience to influence.

Lived experience is often complex and it is communities such as our school's that have so much to offer. The new Strategic plan provides a road map for the future allowing our children to engage with and succeed in an increasingly complex world.

As for last night, out of roughly 400 kids I can say I did not see a single one walking around with his head stuck in a device! All of them were running along the esplanades of animals under superbly designed lighting effects and theatrical settings. It will be night in the museum they will not forget... and neither will I.

A spectacular backdrop for a celebration

Moving from experience to influence

It's a complex world we are navigating in

Familiar faces

Curiosity never hurts

Amount of waste a family of four produces in 10 days

Best of Paris: Expat Blog nomination

Some of you know that I have moved to Paris a few years ago although I continue to return to Lugano regularly. My blogging passion allows me to share these two wonderful spots on earth through Expat with Kids and Expats with Kids in Paris.

I am totally excited and feel immensely honoured to have made it to Expatriates Magazine's list of "Best Expat blog in Paris" nomination. I am competing with sixteen other Parisian bloggers some of which are seriously heavyweight such as David Leibovitz, Inspirelle, Mama loves Paris and Les Lolos.

My best score two weeks ago was 14% honing in at No.2. In the meantime I have slipped down to 2% just ahead of Thank you Paris and Best Adventure but it doesn't matter.

What matters is the confirmation that people out there are reading my blog and I am on the radar of the Parisian Expat blog scene! A fact I still have difficulty in believing for some reason but I do not know why!

Maybe from now on I will start answering that I AM a blogger next time someone asks me what I do! After nearly six years of blogging it has still not quite entered my mind that I might actually be a real blogger after all rather than just blogging!!!

The vote is still on, so go ahead and make my day!

http://www.best-in.paris/best-expat-blog

Hit by a wave...

We are Expats, we have moved many a times, we have left homes and started anew with much enthusiasm and motivation in new locations again and again. However, there is a limbo in between these two stages that makes my heart sink every time I think about it. Once the movers arrive to pack my life up into boxes I know the moment is near when I'll need to step out of my front door never to return again.

It is like watching a huge wave heading your way. You can see it coming and you know once it reaches you it will hit you hard - really hard - but you also know you cannot avoid it, you NEED to get through it. The wave is a whirlwind of emotions all happening at the same time: vulnerability, happiness, sadness, relief, anxiety, enthusiasm, weariness, curiosity and eventually exhaustion. When you emerge the other side of this wave you are not the same person, something has shifted. You have closed a chapter of your life to start a new one. Your attitude with which you begin writing this pristine page will often set the tone of a more or less smooth settling down for you and your family.

Moving within the same city has been a new experience for me. Usually I get to close the door behind me one last time, rush to the airport and am in floods of tears before the plane even takes off! It is part of the mourning process, a way to bid farewell to a place my family calls home.

This time I climbed into an Uber taxi carrying a hoover and two pairs of curtains to ride 1 km down the road and walk into our new home, only problem is: it isn't home... not just YET!

Leaving our imprint on the flat through these marking of Expat kids' growth over the years!

It will be alright... or how to move a pink flamingo

After five years sitting tight enjoying a splendid view onto the Arc de Triomphe we are moving ... again! It is a weird move, at least for our family! We are used to crossing borders even continents, this time instead of travelling thousands of km we are moving 1000 meters down the road.

This still implies packing up the entire house and fitting your life into x amount of boxes. (I don't dare mention the number of boxes.) What I will say, however, is that it is scary to see your home - yes, that would be the one you spent days, months even years building and improving - being dismantled within hours ... by total strangers!

I usually avoid this part of the move. I will plan all the logistics, including insurance, parking spaces, freight elevator, labelling, wrapping personal items but just before the movers arrive I leave with tears streaming down my face. It is my hubby who takes over for a day in order for me to avoid seeing our home empty and desolate. I then pick up the other end rebuilding our family home for the umpteenth time!

This time around it is me instructing the movers to be careful, label correctly and answering their questions. I must admit it is easier knowing we won't be leaving our friends behind, we can still enjoy a scrumptious fois gras on a swanky Parisian terrace and stroll through Paris' lovely parks and museums knowing we are on home turf. We are NOT tourists! This is our home!

There I've said it out loud and written it down: Paris is our home. We have been living here for the past five years and will most probably remain for at least as many. That is VERY good going for perpetual expats such as ourselves.

But for now, I am listened to my kids playing hide-and-seek in between the many, many, many boxes and making make-shift goals to play soccer in a corridor stripped of family photos and emotional keepsakes.

Last week, a little token caught my fancy and on a whim I bought the transparent snow globe enclosing a miniaturized Tour Eiffel and a Pink Flamingo! I just could not resist and told myself it would help me to keep smiling should things get rough during the coming week.

I have looked at my little snow globe a few times this weekend while preparing our household for the movers to take over and my smile returned. An army of movers turned up at 8am this morning with their moving boxes and you'll never guess what was pictured on their cartons? A PINK FLAMINGO!

At the moment I knew it would all be just fine!!!

Never could they have imagined!

posted on Expat with Kids in Paris on Nov 18th, 2015:

Over the past four days there has been an unprecedented outpouring of solidarity coming from all parts of the world. The entire globe has caught the French fever it seems. Our family - as did many Parisian and Expat friends - received heartwarming messages and phone calls from loved ones in the Americas, Europe, and Asia all looking for reassurance that we are well. Never have I experienced such a human outreach where people are trying to connect in order to feel reassured and protected. The Paris attacks have hit very close to home for many people. The world seems to be bonding.

Lugano as well as Madrid's city halls are dressed in blue, white and red, the colours of the French national flag are projected onto the Jet d'Eau fountain in Geneva, the tricolours lit up the Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, the Milanese stepped out in force in a demonstration of solidarity on Saturday afternoon. These are all cities that are close to our hearts since we have called them home over the past 20 years. They have all proven their support by lighting their landmarks and showing they share the country’s defiance.

For the first time, I actually shed a tear listening to an emotional and powerful rendition of  La Marseillaise being sung during a friendly football match between England and France. The Wembley stadium had turned into what seemed "Le Stade de France" for an evening. The French anthem has become the ultimate symbol of solidarity, a way for everyone in the world, no matter whether they speak French or not, to express their unity with Paris.

I bet the Parisian never knew how much the world cares about them! I follow the news on Swiss, US, British and French national channels to better understand the image as well as the message the International media is projecting outside of these National borders. As I let the information sink in, I ask myself: "Did the Parisians ever think the world would reach out to them in such an unconditional, compassionate way?"  

However, this is not about a country it is about humanity. All of a sudden, our daily routine has come to a grinding halt and we have been forced to reflect hard and deep about the freedom we enjoy, to think about the rights and the values we live by. It is time to reclaim these beliefs but it has become a great deal harder as we realize that they are no longer to be taken for granted. The French are the first to defend these rights today with the reassurance that the world is standing right behind them.

Peace for Paris but what do I tell my kids?

The evening started with a lovely dinner at a friend's house. We were enjoying our wine and were happy to reunite as old friends do on a Friday night in Paris. While we are licking our fingers over a Strawberry Pavlova one of our teenage boys comes into the dining room looking very worried. He had received a twitter... a twitter and a second later... and the world had taken a drastic change for the worse.

We turned on the TV to discover that confusion reigns. One, two, three or more attacks had happened the other side of the city. There was talk of hostages and we are all thinking... please, not again! Scenes of the January attack come flooding back immediately.

A phone call home to check on the kids and to confirm that they are safe.  Another minute for the situation to sink in. It seems surreal as a creeping, familiar feeling of having lived though this anguish not so long ago overcomes me.

Terrible attacks have hit our city. It is a very, very sad day for Paris. The uncertainty and the feeling of helplessness to defend ourselves leads to fear. Now, you can either give in to this fear or defy it. It depends on your personality, culture and attitude, I suppose. Everyone reacts as best they can.

However, the media are producing headlines that can't be helping the current situation of nationwide emotional instability. I have turned the TV off for a while. We cannot let ourselves descend onto the assailant's level. We are not at war! We are a civilized country. We have values, believes and a constitution that prevents us from descending into chaos.

Going for my morning run, I find the ho-bos sitting on their usual corner, the cafés are open as are the local supermarkets. There is less traffic but I am queuing at the boulangerie just like every Saturday morning. Life goes on. People are exchanging knowing looks but the Parisian who ventured out of the house today are sending a message. A devastating tragedy has occurred but we need to "faire face" and stand united and strong against this threat.

As I walk home carrying my shopping, I can hear a familiar tune and I turn my head. All the way down the road a four year old boy is singing "La Marseillaise" at the top of his lungs for everyone to hear while his Dad is pushing his stroller. That is what I will tell my kids: Stand up for your rights and show solidarity. Sing "La Marseillaise".

On the road from Paris to Madrid...

Come visit me in Paris

Come visit me in Paris at:

www.expatwithkidsinparis.blogspot.com

My new home

Expat with Kids in Paris

The time has come again........we are starting a new life - once again!

It wasn't planned that way but then life gets in the way of things and before you know it you are heading in a entirely different direction.

We settled in Lugano in January 2007 thinking we would be staying there until the kids finished their studies....sweet dreams!

As our friends well know we just couldn't get rid of that twitchy feeling in our toes. We tried, we seriously tried to lay down our roots, and I am very happy to say that my children as well as my husband have definately established a couple of long-lasting foundations that will hopefully stick with them for life. I, of course, consider myself Swiss! ;)

Lugano did become a home for all of us: for me it was all about moving back to my home country and sharing part of my background with my children. Expat hubby became more Swiss than the Swiss culminating in the acquisition of a Swiss passport. Expat boy made some life-long friends and for Expat girl Breganzona will always remain home, I think.

We have sold our lovely house and left Lugano end of June with a heavy heart but excited about the change (except Expat girl). The family is following Expat hubby as he starts his new job. We are on our way to Paris this weekend after having spent a fabulous summer in our holiday house in Spain surrounded by our Spanish and International friends here.

Expat hubby and I have lived in Paris before, therefore I dare say this will be a relatively easy start. We have friends in Paris and both speak French. The kids will be fluent by Christmas, trust me. ;)  I do miss the novelty factor a bit, I thrive on exploring new cultures and learning new languages but hey, we are moving to Paris....I won't complain. I am sure the French will provide me with plenty of challenges!

I will be very busy setting up shop over the next couple of weeks and am looking forward to it.

You are wondering: what will she do with her blog? Over the past ten months I have put all my energy and all my passion into developing my Expat with Kids blog. My Lugano guide has become a much bigger success than expected therefore I will continue writing and see where it takes me. So don't worry, I have no intentions at all in letting go of this baby of mine. First love never dies, they say!

In the meantime, I have created a new home for my blogging, where I plan to write about my adventures avec les francais! So keep posted right here:

Expat with Kids in Paris

You can also sign up via facebook at: www.facebook.com/pages/Expat-with-Kids-in-Paris

Mad about Macarons

The craze both sides of the ocean nowadays are macarons. The world seems to have discovered these marvellously light delicacies which dissolve on your tongue. The Swiss have been eating them for over 50 years under the name of "Luxemburgerli" made by Sprüngli.

Now you can try them out at home. Jill Colonna's new book "Mad about Macarons" will unveil all the secrets of French macaron recepies. Once you’ve mastered the basic recipe you can experiment with all sorts of other flavours (see Dark Chocolate filling). Arrange them on cupcake stands or create your own macaron dome birthday cake – a perfect way to dazzle your guests.

Macarons have a reputation of being devilishly difficult to make and accordingly, there’s a price tag to match.  But the process is straight-forward and fun in this colourful new book by Jill Colonna.  She explains simply and clearly her secrets so you can make macarons just like the French at home.

You will discover that making Parisian macarons can be the most gratifying and addictive of life’s little luxuries to make at home yourself.  Warning!  Once you start making macarons you’ll be hooked.

Bon appétit!

The Karl Lagerfeld chocolate hotel room

"If chocolate is the answer, the question is irrelevant."

I came across this photo last week and just couldn't resist sharing this piece of information with my readers. I am a serious chocoholic and always have been. Growing up in Switzerland only fueled my craving. NOTHING beats Swiss chocolate except Belgian pralines!!!

Karl Lagerfeld latest creative venture is a hotel room entirely made from chocolate. The eccentric designer teamed up with Magnum ice cream and chocolatier Patrick Roger to create a chocolate hotel suite at La Reserve in Paris to celebrate the launch of Magnum Ecuador and Ghana ice creams, which are made with specially selected cocoa beans sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in Ecuador and Ghana.

The whole suite is made from chocolate, including its carpet, headboard, book-filled nightstand and occupant — Lagerfeld’s companion and muse Baptiste Giabiconi, who is depicted eating a Magnum ice cream bar. The Karl Lagerfeld chocolate hotel room was created with 1.5 tons of chocolate, according to WWD. Head to WWD to read the magazine’s full interview with Karl Lagerfeld about his current projects and the chocolate hotel room.

Speaking about the hotel suite, Karl said: "It has been an absolute pleasure to design the Magnum Chocolate Suite. My idea was to flirt with a mix of modern and traditional French influences to create something remarkable."

Had this been my job there wouldn't have been much left to show!!!

Discover the universe of Miss Dior Chérie

“My mother says that when I was little my grandfather used to take me and my cousins on one side after dinner and ask us what we wanted to be when he grew up, and I’d say ‘Christian Dior’,” recalled the French fashion designer Christian Lacroix.” He was so famous in France at the time. It seemed as if he wasn’t a man, but an institution.”

Christian Dior, son of a wealthy Norman manufacturer of chemicals and fertilizer, wanted to be an architect, but his family insisted he enter the diplomatic service. He prepared for a diplomatic career at the Ecole des Sciences Politiques but abandoned diplomacy in 1928 and became an art dealer. Illness forced him to give up that business in 1934, and when he returned to Paris a year later, it was as a fashion illustrator - first of hats, later of dresses.

In 1946, when World War II cloth rationing was lifted, Dior opened his own salon. In the spring of 1947 the success of his first collection, called the "New Look," propelled him to the top of the French fashion industry. His idealized, ultrafeminine silhouette featured tiny waists; long, full skirts; padded busts; and rounded shoulders. Everything was made exquisitely of the best materials available. The New Look changed the shape of women's clothing and lifted the French fashion industry out of the doldrums. For this feat a grateful French government awarded him the Legion of Honor.

His successive collections (including the "H-Line" in 1954 and the "A-Line" in 1955) continued to be popular, and throughout the 1950s the fashion world looked to Paris and Dior for inspiration and style. He expanded his company into eight firms and sixteen associate firms in twenty-four countries, reportedly grossing some $20 million a year. His Dior label went on jewelry, scarves, men's ties, furs, stockings, gloves, and ready-to-wear clothing.

Although Christian Dior died in 1957, he is perhaps one of the most famous fashion designers of both the 20th and 21st centuries. In the years after the debut of his first collection in 1947 he was a legendary figure and the world press developed an extraordinary love affair with him, increasing their enthusiasm with each new collection. Dior never disappointed them, constantly creating clothes that were newsworthy as well as beautiful.

After his death the House of Dior continued under other designers, including his protégé Yves St. Laurent until 1960, then Marc Bohan and the (in-famous) John Galliano.

The Fashion world now awaits his successor, Riccardo Tisci's first show with curiosity.

In the meantime, enter into the fragrance universe of Christian Dior. Watch the new commercial directed by Sofia Coppola and featuring Natalie Portman for the Christian Dior perfume, "Miss Dior Chérie", and listen to the famous French song “Je t’aime… moi non plus” by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg playing in the background.

Open the various boxes by pulling the ribbon and let yourself be drifted away into a sweet world full of luxury.

Le monde de Miss Dior Chérie 

A romantic weekend in Paris

“In Paris, everybody wants to be an actor;

nobody is content to be a spectator.”

Jean Cocoteau

"The French are exceptional lovers."

(according to 95% of the French says a RTL radio station ad)