One Year Later
- Confessions of a Sports Parent: The Scoreboard
- A Single Tree
- Worb, Switzerland in Fall
- The Volto Santo
- Tuscany, Italy
- The Prayer of Music
- Cologne Cathedral
- Pope Francis, Family, and Joy
- Exaltation of the Cross
- The Crumbs of Holiness
- Brienzer Rothorn
- Paris
- Prayer
- School, Dependence, and Paradox
- Pride
- Reflecting Light
- Loving Plan
- The Emmental
- Paris, Death, and Uncertainty
- Mt. Pilatus
- The Corner of Church and Gay
- Good Parenting
- To Change or Not To Change
- One Year Later
- Blausee, Switzerland
- Time is Love
- Bern, Switzerland
- Mürren, Switzerland
- Happy Thursday
- Die Hausmann (The Houseman)
- The Call of a Father
- Kandersteg, Switzerland
- Hope and Home
- Human, A Christmas Carol
- The Mountains and the Divine
- Christmas Market
- A Stare
- Penetrating Light
- Venice, Italy
- The Passion and the WC
- The Mountain
- Resurrection
- Market Day in Bern, Switzerland
- Happy Easter
- Good Friday
- Maundy Thursday
- Holy Week Reflection
- The Great Adventure
- A Man and His Crocs
- “Say You, Say Me”
- Kids, a Ball, and Nature
- Thun, Switzerland
- Invitation
- Sports and Passion
- Sunrise-Worb, Switzerland
- Seeing the Beautiful
- Our First Month
- Summer at Seven
- I Believe
- Radiant Presence
- Family
- U.S.A. vs. Germany
- Our Swiss Weekend
- The Paradox of the Road
- The Adventure Continues…
- Happy Father’s Day?
- Celebrating Earth Day
- Interlaken, Switzerland
- My Search for Communion
- The Universal Language of Sports
- An Experienced Faith
- Worb, Switzerland
- Lake Lugano, Switzerland
- To Bless the Space Between
- Language of Love
- The Bridge
- Confessions of a Sports Parent: The Parent Zone
- A Fire of Hope
- Eyes Without a Face
- Modern-Day School Day
- 43
- A Moment in Time
- A Hidden Truth
- Now More Than Ever, We Need the Wisdom of Sports
- A Plea for Truth
- “Shining Like The Sun”
- Gift of Silence
- The Greatest Illusion
- A Stomping Joy
- Listening to Time
- A Beautiful Closure
- Perfectly Average
- Baseball, Friendship, and Bathroom Prophecy
- Moments in Time: Worb, Switzerland
- Moments in Time: Helena, MT
- Mystery and Mirrors
- Present
- Confessions of a Sports Parent: Sports Wounds
- Confessions of a Sports Parent: Sports Balance
- 45 and the Mid-Life Brisk Walk
- A Scandalous Christmas
- Fire
- Moments in Time: London (The Tube)
- Some Random Thoughts at 44
- Hard To Be Human
- Two Choices
- Coming Out of Hibernation
- The Whispers of Nature
- Facebook, Beauty, and Good Friday
- Moments in Time: Dingle, Ireland
- Let’s Dance
- Moments in Time: Glen Coe, Scotland (Highlands)
- Age of Wisdom
- Happy New Year…Cheers to Cranberry Juice and Coffee
- Stockhorn
- The Story of Paris
- Solothurn, Switzerland
- Tissot Peak Walk, Glacier 3000
- Man vs. Nature
- The Swiss Alps from Another Time
- Not Just Another Day
- The Image
- Buildings
- Domodossola, Italy
- The Gray
- Feeling the Falls
- Love Is
- Opposites
- Sunrise Over Lake Maggiore, Italy
- Weather, Writing, and Truth
- A “Religious” Walk Home
- A Quick Day Trip to Luzern, Switzerland
- Year Two
- The Castle on the Hill
- Cold as Stone (3 Years Later)
- Change
- Yes, I Am In Your Business
- “Uniquely Me”
- The Human Balance
- Beyond Croatia’s Beauty
- Back to Reality
- A Friend to Man
- Merry Christmas
- Finding Freedom
- High School Sports Hall of Fame
- Bonnie Scotland
- Turning the Big 4-0
- Nice, France
- Wrestling with Time
- Rounding Second Base
- A New Hang Out
- Welcome to a Journey…
- Confessions of a Sports Parent: The Parent Zone
- A Single Tree
- Worb, Switzerland in Fall
- The Volto Santo
- Tuscany, Italy
- The Prayer of Music
- Cologne Cathedral
- Pope Francis, Family, and Joy
- Exaltation of the Cross
- The Crumbs of Holiness
- Brienzer Rothorn
- Paris
- Prayer
- School, Dependence, and Paradox
- Pride
- Reflecting Light
- Loving Plan
- The Emmental
- Paris, Death, and Uncertainty
- Mt. Pilatus
- The Corner of Church and Gay
- Good Parenting
- To Change or Not To Change
- One Year Later
- Blausee, Switzerland
- Time is Love
- Bern, Switzerland
- Mürren, Switzerland
- Happy Thursday
- Die Hausmann (The Houseman)
- The Call of a Father
- Kandersteg, Switzerland
- Hope and Home
- Human, A Christmas Carol
- The Mountains and the Divine
- Christmas Market
- A Stare
- Penetrating Light
- Venice, Italy
- The Passion and the WC
- The Mountain
- Resurrection
- Market Day in Bern, Switzerland
- Happy Easter
- Good Friday
- Maundy Thursday
- Holy Week Reflection
- The Great Adventure
- A Man and His Crocs
- “Say You, Say Me”
- Kids, a Ball, and Nature
- Thun, Switzerland
- Invitation
- Sports and Passion
- Sunrise-Worb, Switzerland
- Seeing the Beautiful
- Our First Month
- Summer at Seven
- I Believe
- Radiant Presence
- Family
- U.S.A. vs. Germany
- Our Swiss Weekend
- The Paradox of the Road
- The Adventure Continues…
- Happy Father’s Day?
- Celebrating Earth Day
- Interlaken, Switzerland
- My Search for Communion
- The Universal Language of Sports
- An Experienced Faith
- Worb, Switzerland
- Lake Lugano, Switzerland
- To Bless the Space Between
- Language of Love
- The Bridge
- Confessions of a Sports Parent: Sports Wounds
- A Plea for Truth
- Modern-Day School Day
- 43
- A Moment in Time
- A Hidden Truth
- Now More Than Ever, We Need the Wisdom of Sports
- A Fire of Hope
- Gift of Silence
- Moments in Time: Worb, Switzerland
- The Greatest Illusion
- A Stomping Joy
- Listening to Time
- A Beautiful Closure
- Perfectly Average
- Baseball, Friendship, and Bathroom Prophecy
- Age of Wisdom
- Eyes Without a Face
- “Shining Like The Sun”
- Happy New Year…Cheers to Cranberry Juice and Coffee
- Some Random Thoughts at 44
- Confessions of a Sports Parent: Sports Balance
- 45 and the Mid-Life Brisk Walk
- A Scandalous Christmas
- Fire
- Moments in Time: London (The Tube)
- Present
- Two Choices
- Moments in Time: Helena, MT
- Coming Out of Hibernation
- The Whispers of Nature
- Facebook, Beauty, and Good Friday
- Moments in Time: Dingle, Ireland
- Let’s Dance
- Moments in Time: Glen Coe, Scotland (Highlands)
- Hard To Be Human
- Mystery and Mirrors
- The Castle on the Hill
- Stockhorn
- The Story of Paris
- Solothurn, Switzerland
- Tissot Peak Walk, Glacier 3000
- Man vs. Nature
- The Swiss Alps from Another Time
- Not Just Another Day
- The Image
- Buildings
- Domodossola, Italy
- The Gray
- Feeling the Falls
- Love Is
- Opposites
- Sunrise Over Lake Maggiore, Italy
- Weather, Writing, and Truth
- A “Religious” Walk Home
- A Quick Day Trip to Luzern, Switzerland
- Year Two
- Change
- Cold as Stone (3 Years Later)
- Yes, I Am In Your Business
- “Uniquely Me”
- The Human Balance
- Beyond Croatia’s Beauty
- Back to Reality
- A Friend to Man
- Merry Christmas
- Finding Freedom
- High School Sports Hall of Fame
- Bonnie Scotland
- Turning the Big 4-0
- Nice, France
- Wrestling with Time
- Rounding Second Base
- A New Hang Out
- Welcome to a Journey…
One year ago, we moved across the globe to Switzerland and began a new chapter in our lives. It feels like just yesterday that we put our belongings on a boat, said our goodbyes, and boarded a plane to a new country with a one-way ticket. It certainly has been a great adventure thus far.
Here are ten quick observations and thoughts on our first year in Switzerland:
- Switzerland is Beautiful
Amy and I are amazed at the overwhelming beauty that this country has to offer. It seems that no matter where we go, either into the mountains or walking the streets of a new city or village, the scenic landscapes captive us at every turn. I have tried to capture as much as I can using Instagram, but the pictures fail to highlight the magnificent views. If you plan a trip to Europe, please try to make your way to this small but beautiful country, as Switzerland is frequently overlooked, you will not be disappointed. And when you do come, please come and say “Hello”!
- Kids are Resilient
Before I left, a wise man told me that our boys would be OK as long as they were with Amy and me. I admit that I don’t know if I believed him when we left a year ago. Moving anywhere new, let alone across the world, to a country that doesn’t speak our language is a transition for anyone, especially young children. Despite this, the boys, and every other child in their school who has faced the same transitions, have been amazing. It has been wonderful to watch Jack and Andrew grow and adapt virtually every day to new experiences and adventures. So much so that I often long to see the world through their innocent and adventurous eyes.
- Trash Kings and Queen
Switzerland has a way of collecting trash that differs from what we were used to in the U.S. Instead of paying a flat fee for garbage collection as we did in the States, we pay by the bag. You buy trash stickers labeled either 35L or 60L, respectively, depending on the size of the bag you are putting out for pick up. You stick the stickers on the bag when putting it out for collection. As you can probably tell, more bags equals more stickers, and more stickers equal more Swiss francs, a lot more Swiss francs (more on Swiss francs in a second). It has taken us a bit, but we finally have consolidated our garbage to a 60L bag, but one bag nonetheless. We still have time to bring it down to the 35L bag.
- Don’t Look at the Bill
Switzerland is a beautiful country; Switzerland is an expensive country. The top 3 most expensive cities in Europe for Expats to live in all happen to be cities in Switzerland. As a result, let’s say that sticker shock is a norm around these parts. Therefore, for my head not to explode during my multiple trips to the grocery store in a given week, I have adopted the “no look” technique. I whip out the card, pay the bill, and look later. Our approach has been if we need it, we buy it and cry over it later, usually over a glass of wine (which is surprisingly cheap here). This is pretty much how Amy and I have decided to roll over here. We are spending a ton of Swiss francs on groceries every week, but as long as we don’t look at the bill, we are doing it with a half ignorant smile on our face.
- The World is Small
Years ago, when I used to travel and live in different parts of the U.S. when playing baseball, communicating with loved ones or friends took either time or money. I remember writing handwritten letters and putting them in the mail and waiting patiently, sometimes for a month, to receive a return letter. And if I did use the phone to call someone, calling cards used on a payphone was usually the only way to go. Today we call our loved ones or friends with a touch of a button and speak to them in real-time over video via Facetime or Skype. It has made the world seem small as we don’t feel like we are far away. Technology has helped ease the transition for us, although there is something about a good old-fashioned handwritten letter in the mail.
- Home
Being Expats has taught us a lot about what it means to call a particular place home. We know that living here in Switzerland is temporary, yet we don’t know where the home will be in the future. This new reality forces us to stay in the present. That being said, there are days when uncertainty can create anxiety. As a friend recently told me, “you never truly escape the fact that you will be on the move again, and this reality sits on your shoulders every day.” This has forced us to appreciate every day as it comes and to understand firsthand that there is no certainty in life and that real peace comes when you find comfort in this truth. What a gift this has been.
- 2 Swiss Francs
A golden rule for us is never leaving the house, no matter what, without 2 Swiss francs in our pocket. The reason? It costs 2 Swiss francs to use most public bathrooms in Switzerland, and when you have the bathroom king of the world (my 8-year-old son) with you at all times, you must always carry 2 Swiss francs with you. I still am looking for a record of trips to the bathroom per day because he has to beat it. As a reminder for you, if you do ever come to Switzerland, always have 2 Swiss francs handy, especially if we are with you!!
- Pace of Life
Without a doubt, the number one aspect of the Swiss culture that has directly impacted our family the most has been the pace of life. The slower-paced lifestyle took us a few months to get used to as we had to unwind both physically and mentally to a way of life that was very much foreign to us. We feel less run down physically and mentally, and we had to get over the “guilt factor” of enjoying downtime. On the one hand, we have come to see that we have much more control over our lives and where we choose to spend our time than we thought we did before the move, and yet this can be true no matter what country we live in. On the other hand, we also realize how much a cultural norm can directly impact the valued time spent with family. And this brings me to #9.
- Sunday
Growing up in a generation once removed from businesses being closed and youth sports not being played on Sundays, I only ever heard stories from folks who did experience this way of life in the form of “the way it used to be.” As a result, although Sundays were extremely busy for our family until a year ago, we never had any other experiential context to base our reality in. We just assumed everyone was dealing with the same Sunday busyness. Now, living here and seeing firsthand the positive impact of not having an option to run errands, go to youth futbal games, or go to work, our family has greatly benefitted. Every week after church, we ask ourselves, what do we want to do today? A day trip? A family movie day? Hanging out together in the backyard? A day hiking on a new trail? Not that these were not options a year ago, because the reality is that they were, it just took experiencing a cultural norm in a different country to realize it.
- “The Big Adventure”
Finally, much is made about moving to a new country. Much is made about dealing with language and cultural differences. Much is made about confronting our own comfort zones. However, as much as these things are important and not taken lightly, they aren’t “the” big deal. They don’t represent “the big adventure.” Living here for a year has made one thing clearer to me more than ever, that the adventure of living here, in the States, or anywhere else in the world is nothing compared to the adventure and journey of one’s soul. The beauty can’t satisfy enough, confronting your own comfort zones doesn’t fulfill enough, and experiencing new customs and cultures doesn’t quench the burning within one’s heart. For that, we must enter into the journey of our souls, a journey that will be like nothing this country or world can compare to, and a journey that is both exhilarating and humbling. And the best thing about this journey is that it can be traveled in the town you grew up in or a village halfway around the world…you have to answer the invitation that is present to you at this very moment…you have to answer with “Ja bitte.” (Yes, please)
“The greatness of man lies in his will whereby he is able to give himself in love and attaining the pinnacles of heroism. It is on these resources that the irrepressible aspiration of man is founded: the aspiration toward truth – this is the life of intelligence – and the aspiration to freedom – this is the breath of the will. Here man acquires his great incomparable stature which no one can crush underfoot, which no one can mock, which no one can deprive him of.”
– St. John Paul II
12 Comments
Maggie
Beautifully written, Brett.
As we aproach our 5th anniversary, I can honestly say: I keeps getting better ?
~Maggie
Brett Illig
Thanks Maggie. Wow, 5 years…would love to get more of your thoughts.
Dawn Gallagher
Brett – loved reading this!! Enjoy every minute! Love seeing Amy’s posts on FB!!
Brett Illig
Hi Dawn, thank you. I hope that you are well. Please give our best to Stone.
Brian Hanlon
I’m finally catching up a bit on your writing, Brett. Great observations and the importance of cultural norms’ influence on us. Hope you keep enjoying the journey of your soul!
Brett Illig
Thanks Brian…I hope that you and your family are well. Please give Sean a big Happy Birthday high-five from us!!!
Tony Ciaverelli
Thanks for taking the Ciaverellis on the journey with you… when you left what was first perceived as a void is being filled by the grace and mercy of Christ as he knew far in advance the impact that your journey would have in all or lives. Thanks Dude for stepping out of the boat…
Brett Illig
Thanks Tony…the waters get stormy at times but that only allows us to look for the One who calms the seas. Thanks for being in the boat with me.
Sharon Gubanich
Enjoyed reading this column about your new adventures. Who does Amy work for That required you to relocate to Switzerland? Two year stay? And then another country?
Brett Illig
Hi Sharon, thanks for the comment. We are not sure how long and what is next…just enjoying everyday as it comes. I hope that you are well.
Victor S E Moubarak
Thank you. Enjoyed reading this.
God bless you and yours.
Brett Illig
Thank you Victor…Blessings to you and yours as well.