Waiting to Exhale:

FILIPINOS IN SWITZERLAND

Article and artwork © by: Edessa Ramos
published by Filipinas Magazine, San Francisco, USA, December 1997

For most Filipinos, life in Swiss society is totally unfamiliar and its people's character and lifestyle difficult to decipher. Certain norms of difficult for ill-equipped foreigners to live up to. On my first week in the land of extremely precise clocks, scrumptious chocolates and impenetrable bank accounts, I immediately got the sinking feeling of being regarded as ignorant. Quickly, I that our traditions, rendered irrelevant, are incapable of rescuing us from confusing situations.

The Babaylan Women's Network in Europe estimates that there are about 10,000 - 12,000 Filipinos living here, of which some 85% are women. Filipinos comprise the seventh largest minority group in this country.

Anny Misa-Hefti, a Filipina psychologist in Bern and a member of Samahang Pilipina, wrote about the pain of being a Filipino in Switzerland: "All of us lead a double life. We focus on two perspectives: vacillating between the old and new home; between one's old and new self. It is not easy because then we also have a double identity. This makes us insecure. Who are we? Where do we really belong?"

The language barrier is a major issue. To complicate matters, a country as small as Switzerland with only 6 million people has four official languages: French, Italian, Romanesque (an ancient language derived from Latin), and German which is spoken by the majority. In the big cities of Zurich, Lucerne, Bern and Basel, however, Swiss German is spoken outside the schools and offices, giving the Filipinos who live there an even bigger burden.

Non-proficiency in the language is a hindrance to finding gainful and dignified employment. It's a barrier to knowing the laws, customs and traditions and, therefore, to defending one's rights. If not overcome, it's the biggest cause of isolation. And in cross-cultural relationships, especially between spouses, the language problem magnifies personal and cultural misunderstandings. It's most potent in the case of migrant women.

Majority of Filipinos in Switzerland are spouses of Swiss citizens. Filipinas discover with difficulty that life here lies in direct contrast to their group-oriented social life in the Philippines. Catapulted into married life in a strange country and, too soon thereafter, stuck at home with children and no outside support, many are unprepared for the ensuing sense of isolation. According to the Tuluyang Pinoy (TP) Philippine Center in Zurich, this situation has led to cases of depression and, at times, psychological problems. In the worst cases, Filipinas and their children, particularly those from previous relationships, have become victims of domestic violence.

A large percentage of bi-cultural marriages have ended in divorce, according to the center. Divorce in itself brings a whole new set of problems. Most serious is its adverse effect on the status of Filipina spouses. Swiss law governing marriage and citizenship dictates that the foreign wife's ability to legally stay in Switzerland is dependent upon remaining with her husband. For at least five years, she cannot be a permanent resident. Having children born into the marriage does not elevate her legal status. In the case of marital problems, the wife faces the possibility of being removed from the country and never seeing her children again. These harsh measures came with the revision of the law in 1992.

Tuluyang Pinoy was founded in 1991 by Filipinos in he Greater Zurich area as a result of the problems affecting Filipinas. The Referral and Counseling program soon became the center's most crucial social service. Counselors give Filipinas moral support during their periods of hardship, accompany them to divorce court proceedings, and provide crucial translation services.

Such is the role of Lina Geschwenk, one of the center's founders. Although an engineer by profession, Lina currently works in Frauenhaus (a women's shelter) and is a volunteer counselor in Tuluyang Pinoy.

Geschwenk in 1971 had enjoyed the privilege of being the first woman engineer in Ghana. Soon thereafter, she married a Swiss national and moved to Zurich. She gave birth to her daughter in 1975 and, until her separation 13 years later, found herself staying at home to raise her family. The experience "of being financially and emotionally dependent on a husband" underlies Geschwenk's profound sympathy for women in difficult domestic situations. Today, she's about to finish the four-year course in social work she took to better serve Filipinas, particularly those whose lives and futures are threatened.

"I always stress the importance of self-esteem and self-awareness," she relates. "If you do not believe in yourself, they will step all over you. Women must know their rights, and things such as documents pertaining to their marriage and legal status, and above all, they must learn the language. Many Swiss husbands refuse to allow their Filipina wives to learn German, knowing it would set them on the road to self-assertion."

"Decisions are being taken about them", adds Geschwenk, "without their presence and participation. The women are rendered invisible in the studies and debates on immigration."

Misa-Hefti writes that the unwillingness to learn about Swiss history and culture further disables the Filipinos' ability to communicate. Filipino migrants must also expand their interest beyond their own culture and the realm of private life.

Swiss society sternly emphasizes appropriate behavior as a measure for social acceptance. Filipinos sometimes "forget" this and slip into "normal behavior mode" - such as talking and laughing a little too loud in public. Consequently, they become easy targets for stereotyping. At a loss as to how to defend their culture and assert racial pride, they either lower their heads or lift up their chins in false defiance. Worse, many turn their frustration inward, towards themselves or community members, resulting in incidents where Filipinos destroyed each other through tsismis (gossip) and inggit (envy).

Ironically, it is also exile which drives the Filipino to reach new heights. Such is the story of the Mabuhay Bowling Club. With 16 regular bowling members and a string of supporters, Mabuhay has been reaping achievements on the lane since its founding in 1986. The club has won top places in nearly every Swiss national championship, particularly those held in Basel and Geneva. Mabuhay bowlers won first place twice in a row (1989-91) in the Canton Zurich Schweizermeister tournament, and its all-Filipino line-up won the 1992 Zurich Invitational New Year's Tournament.

Mabuhay's first international success came during the 1991 Zurich Grand Prix International, when the club won the men's doubles, and Wilfrido Castro took 4th place, beating over 300 international competitors. Recently, Mabuhay's all-women team won second place in the 1997 Bowling Championship - Zurich Section.

"All this, in spite of little practice," proudly claims B.C. Mabuhay president Rafael Alcantara. "They go to tournaments with very little sleep, most especially the players who work in hospitals, whereas the other competitors practice day-in, day-out. Talaga yatang nasa dugo ng Pilipino (it must really be in the Filipino blood)." The others join in: "We have no sponsors, unlike the Swiss players who come in the latest fashion uniform. It is only in the endurance aspect where we are vulnerable. Sa totoo lang, if we train diligently, we will always win."

The Filipino bowlers are torn between spending their hard-earned money on this expensive sport or sending it to families in the Philippines. But the biggest ache comes from knowing that there is an invisible ceiling to their achievements, says Nolly Perez. After winning all the local championships, those without Swiss citizenship find themselves unable to compete internationally, having no country to represent. They start to question the value of their sacrifice.

"Once you enter the finals, and you step onto the lane, it's just you and the ball," Castro describes the feel of competition. "You don't even feel the pain in your bloodied fingers. But the real pain," he adds sadly, "comes from hearing only a faint spatter of applause from the (predominantly) Swiss audience, and you realize that you are still considered different."

Mabuhay Bowling Club has chosen to bear the responsibility of proving the Filipino talent in bowling. Tuluyang Pinoy is committed to direct service for kababayans in trouble. These are the multi-faceted efforts of a multi-faceted community. In Geschwenk's words: "We want to bring out our initiatives to show what we can do, not that we're mere victims."

It's not easy to live in a country where every waking moment poses a challenge to one's dignity and pride. When Filipinos in Switzerland send postcards home, these are often pictures of sunny snow-capped peaks and pure Alpine meadows. They hide somehow the dark ache throbbing in their hearts, in a land that's difficult to call their own, even as they struggle together to build a community and create a space for belonging.