This is a photo of the posting of weekly events at X's school. It took me a while to realize what it was. I was always surprised when X would come home and tell me that she took a field trip somewhere when I had not even been aware that they might be going on a trip. While the drawings help me to understand what each circle (one for each day) says, I now take a picture of the presentation each Monday and decipher the text at home with the help of the computer. 

School information, packaging labels in the grocery store, transportation signs and information in museums, oh, and registration forms, have proved to be challenges. 

When we first arrived we had to register as residents in Zurich and try to open a bank account. While the people we encountered related to completing these tasks thankfully spoke English, the forms we needed to complete were written in German. We translated most information by typing the words into a translate app. German words can be extremely long. Often two or three of our words are squished together to form one German word. Notice the names of the streets on the other language blog entry. 

Why not just type your words into your iPhone or rely on the assistance of Siri. Siri has come in handy at home. We have had difficulty establishing wifi connections when out of our home, however. 

Why not get a friend to translate the forms? Most of Marc's peers speak English. English is the language of all of the courses taught at ETH, the math and science university in Zurich. Everyone living in our apartment building is from another country. We are in university housing and all of the residents in this building are from other countries, as well. 

I have great empathy for parents who are asked to fill out registration forms in our community and school district. I know we try to provide supports at times, but I hope to be more mindful of this in the future, especially for brand new immigrants.