FAMILY TIME

WE ARE TALKING TO: MIA

Like people with dogs, mothers are also quick to find common things to talk about-our kids!! It didn’t take long before Mia and I became good friends. Actually our common ground went further than both being a mother and a hausfrau, we are also both foreigners.

Q: Why did you move to Switzerland?

Mia: I first came to Switzerland to work as an Au Pair in Kirchberg bei Weil. After that I went back to Slovakia to study finance at the University of Bratislava. My second time here in Switzerland was as a practitioner in a bank in St. Gallen. It was during that period I met my Swiss husband (Florian). My practicum lasted for two years, and after that I went back to the university to finish my master degree. When I graduated Florian and I went four months to Australia. It was a wonderful time with no obligations-just us two exploring Australia. When that adventurous holiday was over, we settled in Switzerland. Today I have two wonderful daughters- Lia and Eli.

Q: If you compare Switzerland with Slovakia, what are the advantages and the disadvantages when it comes to working, living and having children?

Mia: Both Switzerland and Slovakia have positive and negative sides. In terms of economics and unemployment rate, Switzerland is richer than Slovakia. The major cause is that Slovakia has pursued a difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy and it still needs to improve. In my opinion, you can enjoy better life quality in Switzerland. The reason is related to what I have already mentioned- It’s generally easier to get work here, the salary is better and you can buy more for your money.

When all this is said, Slovakia has also its advantages. In my eyes Slovakian social system provides better care for the poor and single mothers. For example, a single mother in Slovakia is granted a maternity leave for up to two years. After these two years she can still go back to her employer. I don’t expect that to happen here in Switzerland and it maybe a bit extreme, looking from a Swiss perspective, but I think it would help if women here in Switzerland would get more than their 14-week maternity leave. It’s better than what it used to be (until 2005 Switzerland had no obligatory maternity benefit), but if the maternity leave was prolonged I think women could more easily pursue their career.

Q: Do you ever feel homesick? Can you tell me what triggers these feelings?

Mia: Yes, I do sometimes feel homesick. First of all I miss my parents, my hometown and a few friends, but first of all I miss my parents. I would very much like to see them more often, but they are beginning to get old and can not travel as much as they would like to. It’s sad that they can not enjoy their two grandchildren as much as they would like, but that’s how it is to live in one country while your family lives in another. Despite that I sometimes feel homesick I wouldn’t want to move back to Slovakia.

Q: How do you preserve Slovakian culture and language while living in Switzerland?

Mia: For example; I cook Slovakian food, I sing and speak Slovakian with my children. That’s how I preserve Slovakian culture. Their upbringing is both Swiss and Slovakian I think. My parents were during my upbringing very tolerant. I think I have inherited this quality. That means I don’t have so many fixed rules. My husband is stricter, but this balance is good, they need tolerant parents but at the same time they also need rules. Perhaps our upbringing is the best out of two traditions-Swiss and Slovakian.

Q: Do you see yourself living here forever or do you want to move back to Slovakia in the future?

Mia: Right now the timing isn’t right to move abroad, but I don’t see ourselves living in Switzerland forever. I don’t think we will ever move to Slovakia, but somewhere else. Because of globalization you have so many opportunities when it comes to job possibility and building a career. At the same time there are so many interesting places to see-why miss out?

anne@mamizeit.com

MILENA STALDER Born: 1977 in Slovokai Family: married to Flo, mother of Lia and Eli Occupation: Assistant Corporate Clients Advisory (bank)

Mias favorite slovakian recipe:

Hovadzia polievka
This is a typical vegatable soup that gathers the family around the Sunday table.

Ingredients:
- 0,5kg of beef meat on the bone
- 2x onions
- 2x parsley, 4x carrots
- half of an average sized celery
- half of an average sized kohlrabi
- half a leek
- one qurter of a little kale
- 10x whole black peppercorn
- 3 teaspoons of salt

Clean the vegetables and cut them into cubes. Put them all into a steam pot filled with cold water. Leave the onions whole with skin.

The beef on the bone goes into the pot, together with all the spices (salt and the black peppercorns).

Let it cook on the highest temperature. When the steam pot starts hissing, switch to the middle heat and let it cook for a further three quarters of an hour. Then put it aside and wait until the pressure in the steam pot falls down.

The soup is served with thin noodles, and can also be decorated with fresh parsley leaves.