A reader asks: was it love or money? As if I’d get out of bed for either …
Here’s where I sat many mornings, watching my cats chase butterflies while I drank my first cups of coffee and ate whipped honey lemon on rosemary bread. (Bild: Auntie SAM)
Dear Auntie SAM: My question is simple, what brought you to Basel?
For the first 18 years of my life, I lived in various places within a 12-km radius in the heart of Amish Country. Despite not actually moving a very far distance, I attended 6 school districts and, by the time I turned 21 years old, I had lived in 22 places. I stopped counting after that. Nothing pops into my head when I think of „my childhood home“. The only home I’ve ever known came when my husband bought us a 1922 Craftsman in Seattle. The first time we saw it, it looked to me as if a demented circus family had lived there. Every room was a different color, and none of them went well together. The house had settled slanted. The yard had been used to park cars. Inexplicably, we found carpet under the grass. There was nothing „homey“ about it. But we knew we could make it a home.
And so we leveled the foundation; refinished walls; developed the garden; built patios, a fence, and a deck. And, while I was traveling for a month or so once, I came home to discover that my husband had transformed a somewhat useless storage room into a walk-in closet and laundry room off our bedroom. Everything about it, we made work for us.
So why leave? The story is that every expat comes to Switzerland for love or work. According that plot line, my husband came for work; I followed for love. But that’s hardly our story. Or anyone else’s. Perhaps we grew weary of sunnyless Seattle. Perhaps American abundance left us dissatisfied. Regardless, a year or two before our arrival, we had begun searching for new ways to live. I joined a roller derby team & learned how to really cook well. My husband took up blacksmithing & learned to butcher a hog. We studied cheesemaking; creating soft cheeses & mozzarella came easily … we hadn’t yet mastered a hard cheese, but were confident we would.
When the call came from my husband’s former co-worker asking him to move to Basel for a job, it seemed like the challenge we were seeking. But we truly had no idea what real challenges faced us. This month, I’ll have been here four years. I still only know rudimentary German. Festivals and holidays are bewildering to me. And, I cannot figure out how to live in my house. My lightbulbs still dangle on cords in the wall. My kitchen … um, just plain doesn’t make sense. My garden? A disaster! And, I’ve reorganized rooms so many times that I can almost never find what I’m looking for when I need it.
Since I’ve been here, and especially since I’ve started this blog, many expats have told me their stories. Most, like me, have also found it difficult to create a home. And, not just create a home literally, but in a figurative sense, too. It’s astounding to hear how many have said that it has taken them nearly or over 20 years to *feel* at home here. Believe me, that’s a long time to feel as if you’re living life like a gypsy. So that’s why I’m here: in Basel & writing this blog. To try to find out how & if I can be home.
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Looking for your community? Check out these things going on in Basel this weekend:
The BASEL DERBYGIRL KOLLEKTIV is looking for skaters, referees, scorekeepers, and other support talent. Join the team FRIDAY, 23 JAN from 20h – 22h at ST. JAKOBSHALLE for their FRESH MEAT ROLLERDERBY TRAINING SESSION. Bring your skates & safety equipment, if you have them. Otherwise, come prepared to share everything but a mouthguard (bring your own mouthguard). FREE. For more information see: www.baselderbygirlkollektiv.ch or www.facebook.com/baselderbygirlkollektiv Or, try SPOOD.ME to find PING PONG, BADMINTON, SQUASH, TENNIS, or BOULES players. Challenge people to games in parks and other locations. FREE.