Proud, proud Mummy

Our family has reached another milestone this weekend and I am not sure if to be happy or sad. I have decided to focus on the positive. 

Expat daughter, our baby girl, has graduated from High School with flying colours and a whole load of honours... yes, I am a very proud mummy... and Papy needs to wrap his head around the fact that she is no longer a baby girl!

Expat Girl is a beautiful, confident, strong-headed and focused young lady who cares about others as much as herself. She goes out of her way to include everyone around her and is a tireless advocate for the less-fortunate. She's a believer without being a dreamer. She is a doer and won't wait around if she's set her mind to something.

She is convinced she can make a difference in this world and has proven how to in more than one occasion already. Her life is not about finding herself but to create herself as she grows into a resilient and determined young woman with a bright and diversified future ahead of her.

Whatever it may be that you wish to achieve, my love, you go get'em and keep reaching for the stars. Remember to be happy ALWAYS, pursue your passion and work hard. Excel in what you are good at, look after others and trust your instincts for they will guide you through thick and thin.

And one day, maybe, your peers' prediction will come true when they voted your name as most likely of Class 2021 to become President. 

... and then we went into lockdown... again!

Friday afternoon and we are heading back to Paris early after a short half-term break. We cannot ignore the heavy feeling in our stomach. 

As of today France is on highest terrorist alert and on total lockdown. The only difference is that schools remain open as do the parks. However, if you live further away than 1km of a green space you won’t be able to reach it since the max radius to walk, run or grocery shop for necessities is 1000m.

We are heading into at least four more likely six weeks of staying home 24/7 except for the kids who - until further notice - are allowed to attend classes. 

Education is probably the main reason many parents are heading back to the Hexagon's capital this weekend given that most of us have been recommended to “télétravail” whenever possible. Nevertheless, over the past two days Paris has registered over 1000km of traffic jam heading OUT of the city!!!

Expat daughter who will be turning 18 soon is not happy because according to her these are suppose to be the best years of her life. Now that she is finally old enough to go out at night and meet up with her friends for a drink, she can’t even ride her bike to enjoy a bubble tea in the Marais with her besties!!!

Whatever the situation, it too will pass and as long as we stay healthy and safe we will come out the other end eventually... in the meantime I am stocking up on bottles of Prosecco and continuing my yoga classes online to keep sane. 

Vote! Vote! Vote!

It seemed vital last time around... back in 2016... when it was hard to believe that Donald Trump would actually win the US presidential elections... need I say more?

This time around casting my vote seems even more important. New York State has voted Democratic in national elections since 1988 so I am not sure how much of a difference my ballot will make but I have the freedom as well as the right to vote - a privilege not every citizen in this world can claim - so, I WILL VOTE!

A few months back, my teenage daughter asked me if she could participate at a black lives matter demonstration in Paris... after we had just been confined for 3 months due to Covid outbreak?!? Honey, get real! 

Instead I sat her down and asked her to join me while I registered to vote. There are ways and ways to make a difference and timing is everything! This weekend we sat down in front of the computer together casting my vote. However, Expat daughter was not impressed with the format and I don't blame her. 

Having to print your electronic ballot is one thing but having to tape your printed template of an envelope to send the other end of the pond seems mighty old-fashion for the world's leading technology power. Whatever the process might be, whatever nationality you are... if you have the privilege to vote.. USE IT!

Back to school

 

Today I registered to VOTE!

Voting is the expression of our commitment to ourselves, 

one another, this country and this world!

Make a difference. Register to vote!

An unusual communication campaign

The coronavirus is also fought through communication and prevention. Paris' mayor has been using all the means of the city's display, such as information panels, social networks and media to mobilize and inform Parisians about the situation in real time. Here are a few examples I came across on my morning jogs around the deserted avenues...

The beautiful days have never been so beautiful

Thank you. Take care of caregivers! Lets support them.

Neighbourhood spirit

Parisians in Exodus (this is actually an exhibit currently closed)

Protecting ourselves together while protecting others: Stay home

The right moves to limit the circulation

Expat with Kids recipes

Looking for some inspiration in your kitchen? Have some time to cook together with your kids during self-confinement? Why not check out my Expat with Kids Recipes blog?

I have a passion for cooking and a curiosity for any new recipe as long as it is easy, uncomplicated and fast to prepare. Desserts are my speciality but I can bash up a 5 course meal if I have to in a couple of hours.

I adore recipes and have been collecting them since my teens. Only few know, that tucked away I own a third blog called Expat with Kids Recipes. As of late, I have decided to blow some wind into its sails and have revamped the site entirely.

Expat with Kids Recipes are a mix of origins true to my own heritage and travels. You'll find Swiss, American, British, Italian and French recipes. My faible for the Caribbean is also quite apparent in my choice of exotic recipes.

My biggest success is definitely the Italian Tiramisù recipe but the Raspberry&Prosecco version isn't bad either. So, tell me, which is your favourite?

Click HERE, enjoy and BUON APPETITO!

It's just an illusion...

An invitation to the Musée de l'Illusion popped up on my facebook feed... that's weird I have not heard of this museum before. A bit of googling confirms it has opened just one month ago. There is no excuse I gather my girlfriends and we are off to explore.

Turns out it is not really a museum rather a few rooms scattered over two floors hidden under a scaffolding in the 1st arrondissement. Our first impression is a rather spartan space but as we go along with the interactive experiences and shoot the photos we are invited to take from a specific place in each section the fun gets better and better.

The parcours exercised our little grey cells by providing a scientific and rational explanation for what our eyes could neither explain nor understand. Every corner of the museum taught us extraordinary things about our vision, our perception and the functioning of our intellect. The goal was to discover why our eyes perceive things that are incomprehensible to our brain.

My first is surreal, my second is as educational as it is playful and my third is unique curiosity. Who am I?..... An optical illusion!

Of the three of us, I was the only one brave enough to jump into an illusion created by the Vortex Tunnel that at first was fun but then drove me slightly crazy as I made my way forward stepping through what seemed a slowly rotating cylinder. What began as a light-headed sensation turned into a real struggle – and yet the surface was completely stable and flat!

For over an hour our reliance on senses were tricked and as we entered the fascinating world of illusions we were confused and amazed... and ultimately also educated!

It's all about deceiving your eyes and entertaining the mind! Definitely worth a try but be sure to visit at a time without too many people, and take your camera with you.

Having fun in the smart playroom

Vortex Tunnel: more challenging than I thought!!!

Can you see him?

Feeling slightly sick looking down into the void.

It's all about illusions!

The cultural diversity of an insect hotel

On my mornings runs I have noticed more and more of these insect hotels popping up in France and in Switzerland. 

If you are a gardener by hobby and a nature enthusiast by heart, chances are that you are already familiar with the concept of insect hotels. Offering a sanctuary to beneficial insects, especially pollinators, they are considered to be the urban solution to declining population of beneficial insects in human environments due to habitat loss, pollution and abuse of pesticides.

Looking at them closer, I could not resist noticing the difference between the Swiss and the French construction depicted via an insect hotel... and then you wonder why we keep on having water infiltrations in our Parisian flat?!? 

Mind you, I ponder who's inhabitants are happier? The orderly, well-protected, insulated Swiss or the rather messy, disengaged, relentless French?

Je mange donc je suis...

How can I resist an exhibit entitled "Je mange donc je suis"? Even more so when my teenage daughter asks me to accompany her because it's part of a TOK homework assignment. Theory of knowledge will ring a bell IB (International Baccalaureate) parents!?!

Of course, the fact that it is held at the Musée d l'Homme is another plus not to mention that "Je mange donc je suis" must be one of the most quintessential phrases for the rhetoric, erudite, food-loving French.

I eat, therefore I am....

How does the act of feeding oneself, vital and daily, at the same time shape our identities through cultural practices, rituals and prohibitions? What role has food played in our evolution? Are there any "gendered" foods? What are the environmental impacts of producing resources to feed the world today and tomorrow?

Discussing all these questions with a teenager - ignoring the TOK complaining - was enlightening as we discussed the development of taste, table manners, gastro-diplomacy, agricultural models, culinary heritage and meat consumption. No, Expat Girl was not becoming a vegetarian under my roof.

A good mix between the research carried out by scientists from the National History Museum and works by modern and contemporary artists including Pablo Picasso, Gilles Barbier, Pilar Albarracin and Liu Bolin, as we discovered preconceived ideas on how we produce and consume food.

Albeit feeling slightly doomed as it seems we are heading towards ever increasing contemporary food-related challenges, it did satisfy our appetite… for knowledge!

A peek out of the Musée de l'Homme onto the Eiffel Tower

An unusual tourist strolling around Trocadero

Gilles Barbier's hommage to chocolate!

A simple, unpretentious museum with a nick for unconventional exhibits.

Back to where it all began...

A long weekend and we are heading out of Paris... of course! This time to catch up with friends and family in Geneva and Lausanne.

Geneva was home for nearly a decade, it is the place where I lost my heart and married my handsome Italian in the little Anglican church in the city center before we set off to travel the world.

Lausanne is where Expat Boy is now studying hard, having found his passion and following it with great dedication and determination.

It was also an opportunity to visit yet another University with Expat Daughter even though EPFL was not necessarily on her "wish list". The architecture of the Rolex Learning Center was definitely worth the visit.

Last but not least, we enjoyed a home-cooked Neapolitan family lunch at my sister-in-law's new flat with a view... and what a view!

Ah, it's good to be back!

Domaine du Château du Crest... and the scenery is magnificent.

Ready for a glass of local wine.

A typical Geneva autumn day... nevertheless I am happy to be back!

Lunch with an old friend at La Belotte, one of my favourite spots in Geneva.

The École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is a research institute and university in Lausanne, specializing in the natural sciences and engineering.

Its roots can be traced back to the foundation of a private school in 1853, 

which to start with only had 11 students. Those days are long gone though with student numbers in Lausanne now totaling over 10,000. 

The Rolex Learning Centre is the campus hub and library for the ÉPFL. Designed by the winners of 2010 Pritzker Prize, Japanese-duo SANAA, it opened on 22 February 2010

Archival Constellations of the Montreux Jazz festival. This installation called "Jazz Luminairies" is based on the UNESCO Memory of the World collection, digitized at EPFL cuts, remixes and replays 5'400 jazz greats and over 13'000 videos. The mind boggles!

A morning jog along the lake.

When a photo says more than a thousand words!

... and finally a quick visit to the new Platform 10 “arts district” in Lausanne brings together the Cantonal Fine Arts Museum, the Elysée Museum and the Museum of Design and Contemporary Arts.

Expat with Kids: how it all started

It has been 9 years... nine years I have been online and blogging. It all started as a challenge... a goal I set myself feeling slightly bored living in Lugano: I was to create a blog by myself without spending a penny.

At first the ambition was to figure out how to set up a blog, however, as I dug deeper into the net and spent endless hours googling CSS coding, I realized there was a niche to be filled in the Lugano sphere.

A decade ago Switzerland's most Southern canton experienced an influx of Expats, the real estate market was at its peak and the Swiss banks were having a field day. My aim was to provide an English speaking online guide for all the city's newcomers ... et voilà... Expat with Kids was born.

I continued to self-educate myself about web design and social media marketing while promoting my funky guide to Lugano written by a American/Swiss globetrotting, chocolate-loving mum who likes sharing wacky information.

However, a few months later my hubby announced we were moving to Paris... never the one to let a hurdle stop me, I realized how passionate I had become about blogging and how much it motivated me. It was my way of being unique and part of something bigger than myself at the same time.

Therefore, Expat with Kids in Paris was born not long after.

Ever since I have kept up both blogs, the Lugano guide continues to attract readers in search of information and inspiration around town, the Paris one is a more personal account of an Expat's daily adventures in the city of lights.

How would I describe the author? A Swiss globetrotting mum, figlia di Americano, con corazòn Napoletano and a British accent based in Paris who left her heart in various parts of the world with an insatiable curiosity for beauty and knowledge. Passionate about languages and the culture that comes with it. A lover of the eclectic and the quirky - accompanied by a touch of glamour.

Happy 9th Blogaversary Expat with Kids!

What is Erasmus all about?

This weekend our destination was the Netherlands. With a quick two and a half hour train ride Expat Girl and I had reached Rotterdam. Arriving at 9pm the place was quiet and within minutes we were sitting in a taxi heading towards our hotel. What a welcoming change from Paris hassles.

Early the next morning we hit one of the best breakfast buffets EVER before we crossed the street to Erasmus University to attend a string of introductory sessions by various departments: International Arts & Culture studies, Liberal Arts & Science, International business administration, Business economics and Management of International social challenges.

Turns out the University's name takes its inspiration from Monsieur Erasmus of Rotterdam, a Dutch humanist and theologian from the 15th century, who travelled in different European countries to understand the various cultures. Kind of like we are doing in search of a university fit.

Expat daughter as well as I were convinced that the more intimate University College option would be the answer until we actually visited the campus which turned out to be 20 min into the city center and consisted of one building only! 50 minutes later we were back on the tram again returning towards main Erasmus University campus. We both had felt the University campus vibe and preferred the hustle and bustle of Dutch and International students mingling in their hood to Rotterdam’s city center anonymity. Expat girl approached many student ambassadors in the quest to get a better understanding of the Bachelor’s Degree programmes trying to figure out a match for her interests and passions.

At the end of the day our minds seemed to be more confused and the answers we had came for were not the ones we had expected. But then again, that’s life... Expat girl still has enough time to figure what and where she wants to study and I am happy to help her by trotting around Europe and visiting prospective universities... it is a great way to spent some precious Mummy-daughter time and the big advantage of living in Paris is that we are based in the center of Europe.

So, we are not quite clear about which subject to study... or in which country for that matter... but when Expat Girl sees it, she'll know!! With that in mind... where shall we go next?!?

View from our hotel room straight onto the Erasmus University of Rotterdam

Scrumptious breakfast buffet

We both pinched some goodies from the kids buffet

Welcome to the Netherlands 

Expat daughter found the architecture a refreshing change from Paris' Hausmannien style

The Erasmus University campus

A pink business presentation... they must have known I was coming?!?

The lovely but lonely University College building in the center...

... as modern on the inside as it is traditional on the outside

A well deserved gigantic stroopwafel with honey at the end of a very intense day!

Betty Bossi, a Swiss hero

On a total different note and feeling slightly homesick, I have decided to share my Swiss hero character with you today.

If you grew up in Switzerland you will know who Betty Bossi is.

Hardly anyone knows her outside the Confederation, but generations of Swiss have grown up with her. Inventor of the fictitious character Betty Bossi is the Zurich advertising specialist Emmi Creola, born as Emmi Maag in 1912.

Taking inspiration from Betty Crocker, Betty Bossi was created by Emmi Creola-Maag for Unilever to help sell margarine to the butter-friendly Swiss. This took form in 1956 as a magazine style leaflet called the Betty Bossi Post, which attempted to answer the eternal question "What Shall I Cook Today?". French on one side and German on the other, the leaflet was so popular that it grew into a full magazine, and then a recipe book.

In 1977 Betty Bossi split from Unilever and it became its own, separate publishing company. The brand continued to flourish, publishing countless cookbooks and expanding into TV and radio, as well as recipe development and convenience foods. Today Betty Bossi is Switzerland's biggest cookbook publisher and can be found in most every household.

Emmi Creola-Maag's creature Betty Bossi became the "cook of the nation" and conquered television when no one in neighbouring Germany thought of cooking shows. Many believe that Helvetia's national cuisine would be different without Betty Bossi.

In 2012 the company was purchased outright by the supermarket chain Coop, which had previously taken a 50% stake in 2001. Today Betty Bossi continues to be one of the dominant authorities on Swiss cuisine, especially for the home cook. The shelves of Swiss houses are lined with her cookbooks and Coop, uses her name on everything from orange juice to ravioli.

The "Betty Bossi" newspaper today has a circulation of around 900,000 copies. Over the past decades, I have had my magazines sent to Geneva, to Buenos Aires, to Milano, to Madrid, to Lugano and now I look forward to receiving my monthly Swiss dose of homemade flavours in Paris. I have been a loyal reader since 1996 because as Lin Yutang once wrote: "What is patriotism but the love of the food one ate as a child?"

A week in Scotland

Talk about perfect timing. My mum turned 80 this week and Expat girl had uni visits the following weekend... in the same country!

So, off I trekked to the far, far Northwest of Scotland to spend a few days surrounded by fresh air, sheep and Gaelic heritage. A little island with rugged nature and generous, friendly locals with an accent to die for. A wee celebration with delicious Hebridean seafood and a scrumptious sticky toffee pudding to mark the occasion. Yes, all the ladies in our family have a verrry sweet tooth!

Lots of long walks along the windy coastline, watching surfers in the freezing cold waters and avoiding crossing paths with the scary-looking highland cows. A friendly greeting here and there from friends as well as strangers. “Hayye” is my new favourite word, a cooler version of the Italian “ciao” in my opinion.

After three days of Scottish breakfasts and teas - because who needs lunch and dinner - it was time to wish Mum farewell and head on to Edinburgh to meet Expat girl arriving from Paris.

With four hours to kill at the airport I rented a car and took myself to visit Blackness castle along the West-Lothian coast. Lucky me, it was an exceptional day with blue skies and glorious sunshine which needed to be enjoyed to the max.

So on I went to explore yet another castle... this one being Linlithgow Palace, Mary Queen of Scots birthplace!

Back to the airport to pick up Expat girl and whizz her up to St. Andrew’s where we endulged in a real dish of fish and chips followed by homemade fudge ice cream.

The uni visit at St.Andrew’s was instructive and short given the size of the town. We squeezed in a visit to the castle grounds and the cathedral before meeting up with a friend who guided us towards the best scones everrrrrr. Clotted cream and strawberry jam and we are in teatime heaven.

On to Edinburgh where a university open day was scheduled. An intense day of talks in sustainable development, geography, climate change, sociology, international relations, politics, economics and East Asian studies have led to utter confusion of what to study once Expat girl gets her International Baccalaureate.

Nothing better to clear your head than heading down to Edinburgh’s legendary rugby stadium to watch the varsity match between the Universities of Edinburgh vs St.Andrews. The girls selling the tickets asked us which side we were on... a minute of silence while mother and daughter stand looking at each other... neither of us are not known for being at a loss of words!!!!

Bagpipes, mascots, rugby chants, spitting fires, kilts and lots of alcohol ... fun for part of the match but we decided to skip the second half in search for some tea and cakes... back to the city center and into Harvey Nichols. My daughter needed a little lesson on British shopping culture.

More tea, more cakes, more happy faces!

Today - after yet another yummy breakfast - we visited the castle of Edinburgh and the Golden Mile because a bit of culture has never hurt anyone.

Following our instincts we veered slightly off the beaten track to discover the quaintest teaplace. Turns out it won Scotland’s best cafe award in 2018.

Carrot cake, Lime & Courgette cake, Coffee & Walnut cake and a brownie to sooth our sweet tooth before we head back to Paris with our heads and hearts full of Scotland’s exceptional hospitality and wonderful sweets. It was grrrrand!

Hebridean beach seems like the Caribbean

Curing my sweet tooth with fudge doughnuts

Blackness castle

Homemade Scottish pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast

Light reflections throughout the centuries

Linlithgow castle where Mary Queen of Scotts was born

St.Andrew's cathedral grounds

Scrumptious scones with jam and clotted cream

Where cultures clash: a Scottish bagpiper in front of an Italian pizzeria in Edinburgh

British icon: the red telephone booth

Best cakes in town: the Scottish Café

Venturing into the side alleys in Edinburgh

More cakes...

A menacing view from Edinburgh castle