Life in Lausanne
Sandra and her best friends in Switzerland.
Childhood
Before moving to the US, Sandra was living with her family, attending school with friends, and learning and participating in Switzerland's cultural traditions. As she lived in a French-speaking region of the country, Sandra grew up speaking French.
Some more memories from Switzerland include the things that were noticeably different from life in the US. One of those things was her school, which Sandra remembers as being very different from schools in the US. In addition, the lives and practices of Swiss people are different from those in the US. Sandra recalls, "Switzerland is a very small country, and there are three major languages in that small space, so people are sort of forced to be multilingual". Sandra herself grew up in a family in which everyone spoke multiple languages. People also travel a lot in Switzerland.
Traditions
Some traditions Sandra remembers from Switzerland revolve around the celebration of Christmas. For example, the advent calendar is a big deal, and kids get presents every day in December leading up to Christmas. Christmas Eve is also the day of the main family celebration as opposed to Christmas Day. Families eat a big dinner on Christmas Eve and a smaller meal on Christmas Day.
Until she was 18 years old, Sandra's parents had an agreement that she would go visit her family in Switzerland three times a year: winter break, spring break, and summer vacation. After she turned 18, she started visiting at times that were more convenient for her, and she tries to make it there either once a year or every other year.
Lausanne is a city located in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It lies on Lake Geneva across from France.
City of Lausanne
Lake Geneva