There are many services in this region designed to help expats integrate within their local communities – indeed many of them are listed in our Know-it-all passport guidebook! Networking groups, for example, provide a wonderful opportunity for people to meet others and make the most of their time living in this region as expats.
One networking organization, which is benefiting from the global popularity of social media platforms is InterNations. Set up in 2007 with the sole aim of making life easier for expats, InterNations now claims to be the largest expat social media platform in the world. With 1.4 million users, InterNations communities can be found in 390 cities across more than 195 countries – with 9 cities in Switzerland, including Geneva (about 15,000 members) and Lausanne (about 5,600 members). France also has a number of communities of which the two closest are in Lyon and Grenoble.
The best way to capture what InterNations does for expats is to give a brief overview of the services it provides for its members:
Couldn’t get enough of the summer? How about extending the holiday feeling by organizing a party with friends, family or colleagues? For many, that's easier said than done! Where can you go to find a different, fun and memorable venue? How do you go about booking the most appropriate, reliable and mouthwatering caterer? How do you pep up the event with an original animation or special decoration ?
These, and many more overwhelming questions, were raised by two entrepreneurial friends, Valérie Overdick and Katja Dutruy, when tasked with organizing a birthday party last year. This revealing experience convinced them both of the need to create a website that facilitates the organization of small to medium events. Their challenge was to make organizing an event fun and easy. Persuaded that sharing experiences, addresses and tips would save time and lead to a successful party, they set about collating many addresses, which would offer party organizers a large variety of options for all budgets. A year later, www.partybooker.ch was launched!
A new casual soccer league has been set up in Lausanne to help raise money for street kids around the world. Called StreetSoccer-Lausanne, the new league was created by Glyn Atherton, a local soccer enthusiast inspired by the many fund-raising events, which took place in Rio throughout the recent World Cup in Brazil.
Explaining why he decided to set up the league, Glyn told knowitall.ch, “My step-daughter enjoys having a kick about with me and I wanted to find a way for her to enjoy soccer with other kids but without it being too serious. As I got to thinking more about it, I realized we could also use the opportunity to raise funds for the world’s street kids at the same time. The idea of forming a fun and casual soccer league for charity was quickly born.”
Meet the authors at Payot Chantepoulet this Saturday, 27 September!
Lisa Cirieco-Ohlman invites you to attend the official launch of the 9th edition Know-it-all passport 2015/2016 (KIAP) and the 2nd Edition of Education Guide Switzerland (EGS2), produced in collaboration with Denise Nickerson.
The launch will take place at a special vernissage, including drinks and nibbles, being held on Saturday, 27 September from 16h-18h at Payot Chantepoulet bookstore in Geneva, near the Cornavin Train Station. Having recently merged with the popular English bookstore, OffTheShelf, Payot Chantepoulet has undoubtedly one of the best selections of English-language books in the region. You can read about this merger in a recent article at this link. The recently renovated Cornavin train station boasts a new Payot branch exclusively offering French-language books –and open 7/7– leaving the nearby Chantepoulet location room to expand their international books in English, German, Italian, Spanish, and Russian.
On Saturday, an offer of 10% off both books will be available at this location! This is your opportunity to get these books at a great price.
Know-it-all passport 2015/2016
Now in its 9th edition, Know-it-all passport® is THE English-language reference book for anything you want to know in Geneva, Vaud and neighboring France: it includes recommendations on everything from shopping, housing and education to birthday party venues, places to eat, night life, and even chocolate! The chapter on OUTINGS AND TRIPS (56 pages) is a book within a book. You won't need anything else!
It’s not every day that a new sport is created, but one has just arrived in Switzerland that looks heaps of fun!
Originating in Norway in 2011, Bubble Football is rapidly becoming a craze in Switzerland amongst football enthusiasts keen to add a new dimension to their favorite sport. Indeed, anyone looking for a fun time with a group of friends can enjoy the sport – the game is ideal for birthday parties or work outings!
So how is the game played? The rules are very similar to traditional football or soccer – split into two teams, the aim of the game is to score as many goals as possible for your team. The key difference is that all players are encased in a huge transparent, plastic bubble from their knees up to their head! So when players start to tackle each other for the ball, the fun really begins! Not only does the football roll around the pitch, the players do too!
