Oct

6

Swiss Questions

Filed Under General, Humor, Migrant Life, Society & Culture, The Philippines | 7 Comments

Okay, I’ve blogged about the silly and crude questions some of my compatriots, who are also based in Switzerland, had asked me in the past. (The post, apparently, has become one of the most commented and most linked blog entry on X-Press Files of late).

I guess it’s time for the Swiss version of the blog post.

So here it goes — a list of (silly) questions posed to me by some Swiss acquiantances:

– “Do you have wine in the Philippines?” — asked by my husband’s first cousin during a family reunion.

– “Does your family sleep in straw mats? Do they live in a hut made of dried leaves?” — asked by a German language teacher during class.

– “Do you know how to operate a washing machine?” — asked by the lady caretaker of our apartment building during my first month in Switzerland.

– “How come you can speak in English?” — asked by a group of French-speaking Swiss classmates in a German course for the jobless during the first day in class.

– “How come you know when America was discovered and when the First World War was?” — asked by the same group of French-speaking Swiss classmates during a trivia game in our German class.

– “Am I already considered rich in your country?” — asked by a cash-strapped, French-speaking Swiss classmate in the same German course during a speaking exercise.

– “Would you like to work as a guinea pig in a pharmaceutical company in Basel?” — asked by the same cash-strapped, French-speaking Swiss classmate during the start of a lesson.

– “What is the Philippines?” — asked by a Swiss lady customer during the monthly outdoor market in our town.

– “How does it feel to ride a carabao?” — asked by my husband’s former officemate, who takes pride in being a “wide reader,” during a visit to our apartment.

Thank goodness nobody has asked me yet which Philippine tribal group I belong to (note: not that it’s bad per se to be a member of a certain tribe).

With regard to the question if we Filipinos have wine in the Philippines, I managed to answer in a calm way that yes, we do have wine in the Philippines…as well as clothes (apart from loincloths to cover the male genitals), cars, houses, office buildings, schools, computers, and many other things. Not just tribes, carabaos, and nipa huts.

Sep

25

Theater Treat

Filed Under Language, Life & Leisure, Migrant Life, Society & Culture | 7 Comments


When I first heard that Andrea, my Colombian classmate in my Monday and Friday morning German class, would have a stage performance in our town, I got really excited.

I love watching plays and musicals. But somehow, since I migrated to Switzerland as part of a ‘big romantic adventure’ (i.e. to fly to a strange land to be with the Swiss spouse and “suffer” the consequences of displacement later), I’ve never really sought out the Swiss theater scene.

I think part of the disinterest had something to do with the language barrier. Most theater plays, as is expected, are staged in either German or French — and most probably even in Italian — depending on the Swiss region they’re being shown.

At any rate, I told Andrea I would be watching Hairdreams, which she had explained to me would be presented in French and Spanish. It had an interesting theme: it tells the story of a Colombian hairdresser named Clara who struggles with integration issues in a European country with so many rules. So I texted a message to the reservations people last Friday morning for a guaranteed front seat. Two of my Mexican classmates, one of whom is a good friend, did the same a few days before.

So there we were, my Mexican classmates and I, at the cellar theater on a cold Friday night, watching Hairdreams. The show started at 8:30 p.m. with a soulful saxophone performance by a talented Swiss musician, the sole co-performer of Andrea, at the right side of the stage.

Andrea appeared on center stage soon afterward, delivering angst-inspired lines in French, and then Spanish, and sometimes, even a mixture of both — with a comic flair. To be honest, I didn’t understand 70 percent of the monologue, but I kind of expected that. It was a good thing that the theater show was a highly visual one, as aptly described by the Swiss husband of the lady director.

What I really liked were the song and dance sequences. Andrea was a great dancer who fully uses her body to express herself well — be it on the floor or on top of a mini table — without the use of words. The Swiss musician was equally top-notch with her saxophone playing and singing (what a powerful voice).

I went home feeling satisfied with my theather treat (it was worth my 50 minutes and CHF25). However, there was this part of me, wishing I had not stopped my French language lessons in the past (well, I’m taking refresher courses now). Being fluent in French could have eased up the understanding process. Oh well.

Overall, it was inspiring to see a fellow migrant — she’s also married to a Swiss and has been living in Switzerland for approximately seven years — who’s confident and well integrated in the community, doing the very thing she loves best.

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