L’Escalade for beginners

L’Escalade for beginners

Geneva for beginners

In this article, you’ll learn why in Geneva, it is more important to have a costume ready in December than in October, why you can expect people to knock on your door and sing in a strange language, and how a chocolate cauldron is connected to the most important battle in Geneva’s history.

Ready? Let’s do it!

Escalade 2022 program

L’Escalade is a cantonal holiday, that is celebrated way more than any other national or cantonal holiday. It also lasts more than one day! Escalade starts with a weekend of runs (or a series of races of different difficulty levels, even kids can run!). It is continued up till the middle of the month with many different celebrations. On this occasion you can visit places closed the rest of the year, see a parade, and more.

What does “L’Escalade” mean?

It means climbing.

Why do we celebrate climbing?

Not to honour all those strong, courageous folks who climb nearby mountains, nope. We celebrate the fact that on the night between 11th and 12th December 1602, the furious Savoyards people didn’t manage to successfully climb the Geneva walls and conquer the city.

Who were they again?

The Savoyards, led by Charles Emmanuel I. Encouraged by the pope, the catholic Savoy wanted to conquer the protestant Geneva. Psst: It’s those living across the French border, but please don’t hold the grudge.

When do we celebrate?

The celebrations start on December 3 & 4 with the Escalade run (followed by a candlelight parade in the evening). From 9 to 11 December, in the Old Town of Geneva, volunteer actors from the historical reconstruction group “La Compagnie 1602” will perform scenes from the daily life of Geneva at the end of the 16th century. It all ends with the traditional Escalade parade (approx. 800 volunteers on horse and foot). Visit this website for more details.

KIDS

Escalade is not a work-free holiday. Everybody goes to work and kids go to school (or creche). But they will not have lessons. They come dressed up by whoever they want, they will play games, sing the Escalade song, smash chocolate marmites and even eat the vegetable soup! In the virus-free era, parents were invited to schools and nurseries for bigger celebrations, let’s hope this tradition will come back.

Anyway, have a costume ready for your kids – the school will announce on which day they will celebrate Escalade.

A marathon again?

No, just 7.3 km running up and down around Geneva and its old town. There are several options of the course’s length, including those for kids. Check it all here.

FOOD

Traditional Escalade food is a vegetable soup (download the recipe here)! It’s very simple, from the old days but it comes with a traditional escalade desert – a chocolate marmite with marzipan veggies, but don‘t just bite on it. It needs to be smashed in a particular way.

MARMITE

The legend has it that the Mere Royaume (wife of Pierre Royuame and mother to 14, bless her), was cooking late at night when she saw the troops approaching the La Monnaie gate, where the family lived. She had opened the window and poured the boiling soup on the attackers, and then also threw the heavy cauldron (fr. marmite) their way. This woke everybody up, so thanks to her Geneva was saved.

To commemorate this story, somewhere at the end of the XIX century Geneva started making chocolate cauldrons filled with marzipan veggies.

You can buy chocolate marmite only around Escalade dates (from November till December). The only way to have it during other months is to book Chocolate Flavor Tour.

Here’s how you eat this desert. It need to be smashed by the youngest and the oldest person in the room holidng their hands. While destroying the couldron they need to say: “Ainsi périrent les ennemis de la République!” (Eng. Thus perished the enemies of the Republic!).

Any songs?

Yes! « Ah! La Belle Escalade » – a song about furious Savoyards that may explain the common reluctance towards the frontaliers, though… those from Ain were not involved, so maybe the roots of this border conflict comes from elsewhere.

There is another song for Escalade: “Cé qu’è lainô” (meaning “He who is above”), and that is not any song but the Geneva anthem that also tells the story of Escalade.

Don’t be surprised if someone rings your door on the Escalade day and asks for candy after singing one of these songs. It is a mixture of Halloween and carols choirs (not very common nowawadays).

Dress up?

Why? I have no idea, I have been trying to find the explanation for this Escalade tradition, but couldn’t find anything specific. Maybe you could help me out? Anyway, if you like costumes, you have one more occasion to dress up however you want. And prepare your kids for Escalade celebrations at school, when everyone (including the teachers) comes wearing costumes (from princesses, HP characters to self made costumes like UNO cards or poop emoji).

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Moms-friendly French course with Spell

Moms-friendly French course with Spell

Geneva, Geneva for beginners, Places

The first thing you need to know before reading this article is that I worked for Spell Languages for a year in the past and witnessed how amazing this school is no matter which teacher takes the class, no matter what age kids are, and no matter which language they are learning.

ABOUT SPONSORED ARTICLES

So yes, this is a sponsored article, one of those that pay my bills, but as always on Parentville, even a paid article appears here only because I believe the service or the product is worth sharing with you. As a result, every month, I turn down several paid collaborations. Either the brand does not meet my values, or I don’t think it will be useful for you.

Back to the topic.

Back in the past, I thought the one thing that was missing at Spell was the parent-child classes. But what I had in mind were lessons for kids. The idea could have not been realized back then. Now that Kasia, the founder of Spell Languages, is a fresh mom, she understood my idea and, as usual with her, took it to another level!

As a result, Spell now offers French classes for adults with kids!

MOMS WITH KIDS

Let me explain. You take your baby or your toddler, and without needing to find a creche, a nanny, or booking the grandma, you can go and learn French!

I participated in one of these classes the other day. It was wonderful! All adults and kids sitting on a colourful flow, pillows available, toys and children’s books in the middle. The teacher started revising passé composé and l’imparfait (blah), the moment she would see kids needing more attention she would switch to a kid-friendly activity – a song. Not any song though, but one that would be fun for kids, and bring new vocab to parents. A perfect mix!

Parents will also learn to read, acquire new vocab through children’s’ books that they will be asked to read to their children.

It is just fantastic! I remember advising some of my friends to start learning French via simple kiddy songs and books. They’re simple yet rich in new words, and you can find a children’s book probably for all grammar problems!

This is how the lessons go. Moms are learning, kids playing, walking/crawling around the room, bubbling with one another. Worksheets are involved, and occasionally some voluntary homework.

The end of the lesson takes the form of a casual conversation.

FLEXIBILITY IS KEY

There is one more important thing for moms/dads/nannies in this course. Lessons happen three times a week, but it is totally up to you how often you will come. You purchase a “pass” that will be valid for a certain amount of time (a month – 110 CHF, a trimester – 320 CHF, a semester – 420 CHF) and within that time you come to as many lessons as you’d like! You can join once a week for a while, then come three times a week, then change again. Alternatively, you can purchase 1 lesson at a time (for 25 CHF).

It takes so much stress away! You are not obliged to come, and will not lose the money if your baby was up all night and you can barely think in your native tongue, not to mention a foreign one. Your toddler gets sick; it’s still ok – stay in, take care of yourself and your kids and come back when you’re all in good shape again!

Current groups work up from the intermediate levels, but a beginner’s French group will start soon as well.

THE STAFF

The staff is gentle, helpful, used to working with small munchkins so they will never be disturbed with a child crying, singing, or making a mess. They will even assure your kid is safe and sound while it’s your turn to solve a grammar exercise.

LOCATION

The Spell Language centre is located in Geneva Old Town, at the Place de Bourg de Four. It is an old building without a lift or a place to leave the prams downstairs, but do not worry! A smiling Spell employee will come down to you and take your pram up and then down again. No hustle.

This is how it is at Spell: smiles, help, flexibility, and a solution to every problem small and big.

I wholeheartedly urge you to try these classes and be better prepared for when your child starts school or any form of a French-speaking social life. That is not even to be able to talk to the teachers and other parents but to avoid not understanding your kids talking about you their friends… (they will turn into teenagers sooner than you expect).  😉

Why many parents in Geneva choose public schools?

Why many parents in Geneva choose public schools?

Geneva, Geneva for beginners

Why anyone would consider public schools in Geneva as the right choice for their children?

Many private schools in Geneva offer fabulous programs, with a rich program of high-quality after-school activities, trips to fascinating places, and individualised care.

Of course, international schools are probably best for those kids who change countries every couple of years. The international system will make it easier for them to continue wherever they go. But even for those coming here for just a year or two, the answer is not always straightforward.

For many families, this choice does not exist due to budget limits. Many dream they could place their children in one of many excellent private schools but can’t afford it without going on a 100% potato diet for life.

So why is it that so many parents in choose public schools in Geneva, even though they don’t have to?

I didn’t want to guess, so I asked the parents on 2 of Parentville’s Facebook groups precisely that. I received an overwhelming amount of private messages, and here’s a roundup of what they said (in random order).

Integration

While many private schools teach children about local history, traditions, and culture, integration means more. It means knowing locals. Public school offers precisely that. It gives parents the opportunity to meet other local parents, and kids to meet their neighbors, as they will always attend the school close to their home. It is the best integration process according to many, and it’s free.

Diversity

One of the parents wrote: « I want my children to learn in a truly diverse environment, not in a bubble (as this is how I see most private schools, especially in rich Switzerland). One of my challenges as a parent is to make them aware that an average human on this planet lives in completely different conditions than they are. I want them to know that they are lucky to be born here and to have everything they could dream of. I want them to appreciate that, and at the same time to do whatever they can to help those in a less fortunate situation. »

Quality

Public schools in Geneva are good. Period. They are not great, not Swedish, not perfect – but which school is? Public schools in Geneva are simply good. Many parents refuse to pay high allowances for primary school, and instead, prefer to save that money for the university, or sabbatical year, or invest in great after-school activities. Many expats are terrified upon finding out that kids here do not learn how to write and read till they are 6-7 years old. But this has proven to be nothing but beneficial (LINK) for children (and the same has been done for years in many north and east-European countries). Here’s how Switzerland is doing in Pisa.

Social life

Children attend schools on a straightforward rule: the closest school to home. It means more probability that the way to school will be easy so that kids can try to walk on their own rather sooner than later. It also means they will meet tons of friends from their neighbourhood at the school. And that translates into hours of fun after school, on weekends, and even over the summer! At a very early age, they can become members of the local community and bring whole families closer. Strictly connected to point no 2 (integration).

Practicalities

School being close to home means drop offs and collection are easy. It also means neighbours can help each other out when needed! And have I mentioned making friends in the hood?

Language

No language course can never teach you a language like life can. Teachers will teach them the official language, but their friends will show them the customs, the nuances, the kiddy slang, the teen slang. It all will make them native speakers in a very natural way.

Higher education

Some of the parents participating in my research pointed out that not all private schools offer diplomas allowing them to attend Swiss universities, or even the vocational training program (which in Switzerland is quite amazing!). It does not mean it is impossible for them to get to local schools, it is just more complicated. Public schools graduates apparently have easier access to local universities, and at the same time can apply for abroad programs no problem. I haven’t personally checked that information. If you have any input on that, I will highly appreciate!

It is by no means an article pointing out which school is better. Private schools have plenty of advantages! Just sometimes they are presented to incoming expats as the only right decision. There is no right or wrong here. Each system has different strengths.

A big thank you to all those who participated via comments, email, and private messages! It was fantastic to meet you virtually and hear your point of view!

Please, do not hesitate to comment/msg/email with your thoughts, no matter what they are!

Other articles you might be interested in:
Geneva is not boring
Starting public school in Geneva: 1P
Childcare system in Geneva

SuperMamans – pampering new moms with homemade meals

SuperMamans – pampering new moms with homemade meals

Geneva for beginners

Pampering new moms with homemade food is the goal of SuperMamans – an association created in Lausanne, present in Geneva and all French-speaking Switzerland. They have also started the same concept in Germany!

 

It wasn’t until Z was a toddler that I discovered the association of SuperMamans. But it wasn’t until I actually met one SuperMaman that I got really interested in the project. Aline is an active member of the association, helping with association-things, and cooking for moms around the canton. I introduced her already as an inspiration to the article about vivisting MAH with toddlers.

//If you’d like to implement the concept in another country/region, do not hesitate to contact SuperMamans, they will happily help!//

The idea is so simple, it is hard to believe nobody have thought about it before!

Superwoman Cape

It takes a village to raise a child, they say. But it also take a village to help women get through the so-called 4th semester. Caring for a newborn, possibly older kids, trying to keep the house from falling apart, and… cooking. We all do it wearing our invisible superwomen capes.

SuperMamans’ cape

Wouldn’t it be amazing to sometimes just throw down the cape, give it to someone else, and be a human again?

SuperMamans and their capes to the rescue!

They offer a free homemade meal with a free delivery to families with a newborn in the house. This magical service is also available to the bed-bound pregnant women, adoptive parents, mothers grieving after a miscarriage. The delivered meal is not just for them, but for the whole family, so that this one day (or more!) they can stay away from the stove.

That one day (or more – details below) you don’t have to worry about groceries, pans, and timing. The meal will arrive carried by a friendly, smiley woman, happy to stay and chat a bit if you wish. FYI: many of the SuperMamans speak English, and other languages!

This is how it works. There are two types of women in the Association: MamansCadeau and MamansABichonner.

MamansCadeau

MamansCadeau (fr cadeau – gift) enroll as women willing to offer a homemade meal to families with newborns/pregnant women/new adoptive women/etc. They can do it once a week, or once a year. They decide on the area they are willing to cover, and the timings. And well, they don’t need to be moms (any women willing to cook is a sole requirenment).

MamansABichonner

MamansABichonner (fr a bichonner – to be pampered), are moms that would like to benefit from the generosity of MamansCadeau. Cooking with a newborn, and a contracting uterus is not always fun… ordering meals is costly and never as healthy as homemade food.

The village

SuperMamans are representing women power, and women solidarity, that many of us miss in everyday life. SuperMamans offer not only a free meals, new friendships, support, or a possibility to be kind an helpful. They give us a tool with which we can reclaim the village to raise our children, in the world where most people have time to only care about themselves.

This project is our hope.

Batmaid – superheroes with brooms

Batmaid – superheroes with brooms

Geneva for beginners

Sometimes I look around our place and think only a superhero could deal with the mess. But which one do I choose?

Batmaids are cleaning maids hired by a company under the same name. They are checked, have credentials, are legally hired, and what is best for you: they are easy to book!

Disclaimer: Batmaid offered me a 3h free cleaning by one of their top cleaning ladies, to test the service and share my thoughts.

Bonus: There’s also a discount link waiting for you at the bottom of the page!

Like an Uber

You book your cleaning online, like you do with a taxi, via your phone. You can choose the day, the hour, indicate the number of rooms and bathrooms. You can choose additional things to clean, eg. windows, fridge, oven, kitchen cabinets etc.

You can book for regular cleanings or a one off thing. The only thing to do offline is to print, sign, and scan one document.

Most importantly, you can add special requests, let the Batmaid know where to focus the most. I asked for Z’s room to be cleaned in every detail, the smallest wholes and corners, as at the time it was a pollen season (Z is allergic and a bit asthmatic).

The Batmaids

How are the maids recruited?

This is an answer I got from the company:

“All of our Batmaids are hand-picked based on their extensive experience, references and possession of a clean police record. Even a well qualified candidate must then pass a two-round interview process. We do this in order to ensure our clients access to a range of fully reliable and dedicated professional cleaners.”

My experience

Our Batmaid was amazingly fast and good at the same time which I find is a rare combination. She didn’t need detailed directions and quickly found her way around our mess. Z’s room was done perfectly!

The Batmaid was cheerful, warm, easy to get along with.

We loved the little details added, that made us feel like a professional service took care of us. Check out these cute stickers on our toilet paper! A clear sign the bathroom was cleaned.

The mission

But there is much more to Batmaid than just offering an easy way to find a cleaning service. Batmaid was created to fight the black market, offering the cleaning staff the conditions they deserve, to be legally declared and protected. The company wants the Batmaids to be recognized and respected for the valuable service they provide.

After all, every cleaning person that we hire, saves tons of our time, stress, and gives us opportunity to do things we love, or need. It means we have more time for our families, to read a book, get on with our projects. They are valuable, they are doing a hard and messy job, and need to be recognized.

Having a cleaning lady declared is one of the things that can change their well-being, but seems complicated to many. Happily Batmaid will do it for you!

Your experience

If you also used Batmaid services, please feel free to share your experience, good or bad. It is important to me for this website to provide all angles. As each of us has a different situation, we also have different experiences, I would love this website to reflect it – with your comments being a main tool!

Now here’s your discount link! 20 CHF off of your first booking.

It will also add some cash to my Batmaid account (you won’t be charged additionally!), so I have more time to prepare valuable content for you!

Batmaid discount - clicke here

Pediatric emergency in Geneva

Pediatric emergency in Geneva

Geneva for beginners

Annoyingly, most of the times children get sick, is at night, or during the school holidays. Do you know where to go when it happens? Which pediatric emergency in Geneva can take you in? What qualifies as an emergency anyway?

When it comes to night-time/evening and holidays care, Geneva has quite a lot of options. But it’s important to know how to use them. Some are walk-in emergency wards of hospitals, others require an appointment.

if you’re not sure whether your child requires an urgent medical help, a brilliant app Info Kids by HUG can help you out (in French only). You can read all about it in this article on Parentville.

InfoKids HUG online

The life-threatening emergencies require a call for an ambulance over at 144 or 112. For intoxication cases help, dial 145.

Not every emergency requires an ambulance though. Where to go then?

WALK-IN facilities.
    1. HUG Urgences Pediatrique. The biggest, and the best equipped emergency ward in Geneva. But because of the overload parents are asked to use it only when really in need, when urgent. Opened 7/7, 24/7. Their website is available in English, too.
    2. Grangettes – though it is a private clinic, its emergency ward for children will accept holders of every type of insurance. Opened all week long, from 9 am till 10 pm. Check out all the necessary information here on their website.

 

Appointment only.

In these places pediatricians are available for emergency consultation. Available during the week from 6pm till 10 pm, and on weekends from 8 am till 10pm.To get help in these places call as soon as you can to schedule an appointment. They can be all reached under the same telephone number: 0844 022 022.

  • Centre médico-chirurgical des Eaux-Vives. To schedule an appointment, you can also call 0227 360 611, or book online here.
Home visits 24/7.

If you want to help your child asap, but the case doesn’t require an urgent medical intervention, you can also ask for a home visit with one of the 2 companies. If they think it’s needed they will transfer your call directly to the ambulance dispatch, or tell you to go to the hospital.

  • Geneve Medecins: for website and phone numbers please click here.
  • SOS Medecins: follow this link to reach their website.

 

24/7 pharmacies.

Sometimes, all you need is a bottle of over-the-counter medicine to control your child’s fever, or an OR solution, to hydrate him after a bad vomiting series.

  • There are 2 pharmacies at the airport opened till 9 pm daily. One is located in the CFF station, the other on the departure level.
  • The pharmacy on the main train station, is opened every day till 11 pm. Click here for details.
  • Every day 2 pharmacies are opened in Geneva 24/7, but it is not always the same pharmacy. You can check the « pharamcie de garde » for each day on this website.

 

 

 

 

 

Geneva Parents on Instagram

Geneva Parents on Instagram

Geneva for beginners

Apart from using Parentville, Facebook, and Google, what are your online resources for finding places to go, brands to check out, and events to attend? You might be surprise but following certain parents on Instagram might give your more insight on the city, than any other online source!

Instagram can definitely take some getting used to. The biggest hurdle which most people face at some point is having a limited number of followers. This can be frustrating as it means that your posts will get fewer engagements (likes, comments etc.) and won’t be getting the appreciation they deserve! Some people choose to take the long route and authentically grow their follower count, whilst others take a shortcut and use a growth tool like Kicksta (although you might want to read the review at https://platypusreviews.com/kicksta/ before committing to that). However, arguably the most frustrating thing when starting on Instagram is having no clue who to follow. You don’t want to follow any old account, as you want to see posts which will actually interest you and help you. So here below is a list of Instagramers essential for parents in Geneva. All you need is an Instagram account, and click « follow » at the every account you want to follow. You don’t need to post any pictures yourself (though once you start, it gets addictive).

Here they are:

 

@lespetitsgenevois

Instagram account of probably the most informative French-speaking blogger for families in the region. It’s an endless source of information, ideas, and interviews with fascinating locals.

Geneva parents on Instagram

@BereniceSuisse
An incredibly positive and optimistic mom of 3. Observing their journey is a joy, and her daughter’s outfits are the sweetest!

Geneva Parents on Instagram

 

@ChicKids
A restaurant quality label: allows you to find restaurants with the infrastructure that suits every family

@Ecoccinelles
Everything nature, montessori, bio: « born to be green! »

 

@Genferin
Mom of 3 sharing pretty pics of her everyday life.

 

@Lamaisondecolette
A lot of inspiration for parents and children alike!

@Mel_nyn
A full of ideas mom of a sweet boy, and a curious, passionate blogger.

@Mirrorsdonotlie
an instagram account of a inspirational blogger: food, shopping, parenting

@Parentvillegva
Behind the scenes, personal side of Parentville, kids friendly places and events, pictures of the city

Geneva parents on Instagram

@roli1219
Stunning pictures of a certain fairy and Geneva (especially of the architectural pearl of the city – le Lignon)

@thesistertheory
Geneva, travel destinations, kids activities.

@velocargogeneva
everything about the bikes, presenting many ways to transport kids with the bike.

Hope to see you soon on Instagram, and in the meantime remember to leave your email here and never miss a post!

 

 

Finding a medical specialist in Geneva

Finding a medical specialist in Geneva

Geneva for beginners

So you need a dermatologist and a gastroenterologist for your baby, an eye doctor for your 6 year old, and an allergy specialist for your toddler. You know they must exist, and maybe even speak your native language, but how the heck to find them?

It’s great when a friend can recommend one, but you only have so many friends who have ever needed a specialist…

In the perfect world your child’s pediatrician will be able to refer you to someone she/he trusts. But even then, you might want to know your options. And some other time the world is just not that perfect.

Fortunately Association of Doctors in Geneva came up with a website that will save lots of time.

It’s amge.ch – there’s a lot of interesting articles there, as well as important news and announcements. What’s mostly excitingt is the directory (« annuaire ») – a place where you can filter doctors by specialty, languages spoken, location, and sex.

Hove over the « medecins » in the top menu, and choose the first option from the drop-down menu: « annuaire des medecins« . (check out the picture below). Choose the specialty (google translate might be needed), the desired language, and finish with « lancer la recherche ». Few clicks and you got yourself a neat list of names.

Now you can hop over to the FB Baby Group to ask other parents for their experience with those doctors.

There’s also a website of Geneva Pediatricians Society, and it even has an English version. Sadly, for some reason their directory doesn’t work in English. The French language version (here) has a decently working directory. But sadly, some info on some doctors is missing. The website contains some other useful info though: emergency addresses, support contacts, vaccinations etc., so do check it out.

Fingers crossed you will never need medical specialists for your child, but if you do, you’ll know where to find them.

What is a ludotheque?

What is a ludotheque?

Geneva for beginners

What is a ludotehque? Who is it for? Where can I find one?

A ludotheque is a concept not known all around the globe, and so the idea is not so easy to grasp at first for all. Here’s the first hint: the name comes from the french word « ludique » – playful.

(suite…)