Integration

Demonstration of assimilation into Swiss society is a key aspect of the Naturalization process.   This was evident in the oral part of the language test and there are also two questions within the application form that touched on this.  In the first you must describe how you participate in the social and cultural life of the local community and in the second how you interact with Swiss people.   To me, these questions make complete sense and are perfectly reasonable.  Swiss citizenship is not a trophy.  It represents not only a willingness but a desire to buy into the way of life here.   As a citizen, you will have the right to vote, which means you can help shape things, so the process seeks to identify those who may try to change the country culturally.  Improve it or refine it, of course, but not fundamentally change it.  For those who just want to live here, whether it’s for economic, work or political reasons, the various residence permits offer ways to do this.    Citizenship, however, is for those who like Switzerland for what it is, not just for what it offers, and who feel at home already. 

It is interesting to me that the question in the form notes participation in the local community.  Switzerland is made up of 2,222 municipalities (Gemeinde) speaking four official languages and countless local dialects and this question is a recognition of the role of these local communities in making the larger Switzerland what it is.  The inherent diversity of the communities makes up the commonality that is the entire country.   Sure, the Zürchers make fun of the Baslers but we make fun of them right back.  And everyone makes fun of each other’s dialects. But no one would wish ill will towards another town or city.  Unless you’re talking football of course. 

Die Sprachstandanalyse

The Sprachstandanalyse is the language test and is, after the basic residency requirement, the first prerequisite in the Swiss citizenship process.  At the Federal level they don’t get more specific than simply “language” because Switzerland has four official languages; German, French, Italian and Romansh and while you’ve probably heard of the first three, the last may not sound familiar.  Romansch is the predominant language for roughly 35,000 Swiss citizens, most living in Graubünden, a canton in eastern Switzerland.  They’re a proud bunch that no one wants to offend and even though you won’t find it used on products in the grocery story it retains its official status.  Fortunately, we won’t have to master it.  Our obligation is to demonstrate competency in only one of the four which, for us, in Basel, is German.  In developing our test strategy, Lisa and I decided that I’d take the test first so I could scout it out and give her a summary of what’s involved.  No need to sweat away time drilling on the genitive if it won’t be on the test.  Paige, of course, places out by virtue of having done all of her schooling in the Basel school system.  So, I signed up for one of the Saturday morning slots, paid my CHF 180 and boned up a bit on the grammar (including the genitive).   As it turned out, any anxiety I might have felt was unwarranted as the test was much easier than expected.  I would even go so far to say that it was fun as the oral part was just a twenty-minute conversation with two nice ladies during which we got carried away and almost went overtime.  We laughed and clucked together like a couple of old hens.  After hearing this, Lisa permitted me to register her and this past Saturday killed it.  It was pass/fail but I’m sure she got an A+ so now, at least from a language perspective, we’re good to go.  The only hole remaining in our full application package is an updated birth certificate confirming that Paige was born.  Come on, Pennsylvania.  You’re holding us up!

Eine Einladung

The other day we received a notification informing us that we’re now eligible to apply for citizenship.  The letter even included an invitation to a presentation led by Mr. Bashi Dürr, a member of the Basel City Council.  Of course, I obviously already knew about our eligibility but I took this to represent a personal invitation.  How nice, I thought, that they’re encouraging us.  It made me feel special.  A few days later I mentioned this to our Dutch neighbor who said that she’d also just received the same letter.  Hmm, I reflected, feeling a bit deflated.  Maybe we’re not so special after all.   She then went on to cynically opine that both of us had probably received the letter due to the lofty status of our western passports and that those from developing countries may not have received the same encouragement.   Suddenly, I not only no longer felt special but felt, dare I say it, profiled, and while this might represent “positive” profiling, it still felt wrong and for us it could quickly turn negative due to association with the deviant currently occupying the Whitehouse.    Sadly, these are the kinds of thoughts that float through our minds these days owing to the frequency with which we must parry inquiries from people we don't even know about the Obergroper’s last tweet.  Would our upcoming interviews with the immigration committee turn into a grilling session during which we would be asked to defend his narcissistic behavior and, by extension, his decisions putting the climate and our entire planet at risk?  In an effort to be rational, I tried to think this through as would a Swiss and decided that my friends and neighbors here wouldn’t take either of these positions.  Our adopted country would have certainly sent this letter to everyone who became eligible this year, including the tired, poor and huddled masses and I was equally sure that we would not be held responsible for Voldemort’s narcissistic behavior.  This perspective immediately lifted my spirits and re-inflated the balloon of enthusiasm I’d been enjoying as we worked through the naturalization process.   And before I forgot, I made a note in my calendar to reserve the evening of May 2^nd to be at the Rathaus to hear what Mr. Dürr has to say.  

Fit für Basel

It may be that for every family project there is one person who champions the effort while the others sort of go along for the ride.  For example, a few years ago we got a new bed and while my input was sought, I was clearly not the driving force.  In the case of our citizenship project, however, it’s clear that I am the driver.  You might think it would be Paige, as she has the most at stake, but it’s not, probably because she doesn’t know any better.  Lisa sees the value and while she’s not reluctant, she’s not chomping at the bit either.  It’s my deal.  In any event, while we wait for our birth and marriage certificates to arrive from the US, I looked into what is coming up and saw that at some point we will be invited to an interview with the Naturalization Committee (Gespräch mit der Einbürgerungskommission).  Have you noticed how the German terms for most things are generally scarier and more intimidating than the English versions?  I wonder why that is.  Anyway, after seeing this I thought no time better than the present to begin preparing and it turns out that Basel offers a class to help you prepare.  It’s called Fit for Basel and it covers everything you will be expected to know about Switzerland with an emphasis on Basel.  Topics include history, culture, economy, geography and government, all addressed in five one and three-quarter hour sessions.  There is even a tour at the end.  Wow, I thought.  What fun!  Everybody should do this, even if you’re not applying for citizenship.  So I texted Lisa, proposing that we sign up.  I noted that the course was almost booked out for the Spring but there was still an opening for the late May option.  Perhaps not enthusiastically but at least not reluctantly she told me to go ahead so I did.  The next day, however, I received a call from a lady at the Bürgergemeinde who mentioned that she looked us up in their system and saw that we were quite early in the process and that the interview for which this was preparation would likely not take place for six or eight months at the soonest.  Wouldn’t we prefer to wait?  No, I thought to myself.  I wanted to do it next week and was disappointed that we’d have to wait until May.  It appeared that I’d actually exceeded their enthusiasm threshold.  Maybe this was a sign.  Feeling a bit like the dog that thought it was going for a walk but learned that the move towards the front door was only to retrieve the mail, I allowed that, sure, we could wait.  I would register again in the Fall when we were further along. 

But I made a note in my calendar.