Away from home

FRIBOURG — The snow started falling in the Swiss capital of Bern last Wednesday in an early onset of winter. By the time I returned to this city from Bern in the evening the snow was also falling heavily here, blanketing the fiery autumn colors in white.

The train ride from Bern to Fribourg took only 20 minutes. Raymond Ondiana had 80 more minutes to go in his daily return commute to Geneva, where his wife works at the Philippine mission to the United Nations.

Raymond, 40, has been working as an attaché at our embassy in Bern for the past six years. The embassy awaits the arrival of a new ambassador. Raymond, on the other hand, is at the end of his tour of duty here. He will have to spend some time at the home office in Manila before getting another diplomatic posting.

Many other Filipinos here have opted to stay. Raymond estimates that there are from 14,000 to 15,000 Filipinos living in Switzerland, nearly half of them undocumented.

Evelyn Vargas thinks the number is closer to 17,000. About 80 of them live in this city that is more than 900 years old, according to Evelyn, who has settled in the picturesque old part of Fribourg together with her Swiss husband. Evelyn, whose daughter has also married a Swiss-Japanese, is now trying to revive her career as an independent filmmaker.

Even 17,000 is small when compared to the number of Filipinos living in other Western European countries such as Italy. But the figure is substantial in this land whose total population is only about 7.5 million.

No place seems so remote, exotic or dangerous for the Philippine diaspora. Filipinos are in Iceland, Iraq, Somalia. In this country I bumped into several Filipinos at the train station in Bern, and near an ancient church upon my arrival here last Sunday.

In the watch-making canton of Jura the Filipina assistant cook happily greeted us in the restaurant Le Cheval Blanc, in the capital Delemont. Paz Divinagracia has been a Delemont resident for 34 years. She met her Swiss husband when he was working as a musician in Manila. He was an accordion player and they lived together for four years in the Philippines before deciding to settle in his homeland.

In the course of our lunch Paz brought her daughter, now 30, to our table. The daughter, who had dropped by the restaurant, spoke French and could not speak a word of Tagalog, but she seemed as excited as her mother to meet Filipinos. This was understandable since, according to Paz, Delemont has only six residents who originally came from the Philippines. Of the six, four are married to Swiss citizens.

Marriage to a foreigner brought another Filipina out of her own country. Carol joined us for dinner here in Fribourg on Tuesday night, introducing herself to our group after hearing Tagalog being spoken. She married an Austrian several years ago and they live in Vienna with their two children. Carol now works as an inspector of sorts for the NH hotel chain, which sent her to Fribourg for a day trip.

In this season of family reunions for the All Saints’ Day weekend, about eight million Filipinos will be missed by their relatives in the Philippines. But at least the Filipinos I have met here so far seem happy, unlike in other countries where we often hear horror stories of abuse of migrant workers.

With its rolling terrain and majestic mountains, Switzerland is a gorgeous land. It has one of the highest standards of living in the world.

Raymond Ondiana told me that complaints of racial discrimination or abuses at the hands of employers are rare in the Filipino community here, and even in Geneva where many Filipinos work as nannies. Most of the Filipinos here are married to Swiss citizens, Raymond said. The number of Filipino nurses is on the rise.

But life can be lonely here, especially in the stillness of winter, for Filipinos used to Pinoy warmth and the chaos of life in the Philippines. The presence of relatives and compatriots can ease the loneliness. There is also some comfort in the thought that even a lonely life in a strange land is still better than the lack of opportunities back in the Philippines.

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The natural beauty of this country plus one of the most efficient and transparent governments in the world can spoil migrant workers and dispel homesickness.

Everywhere you turn in this country you see postcard-pretty landscapes. Grazing cattle, sheep and horses used for sport make the slopes look like endless tracts of manicured lawns. Centuries-old communities can be found in every canton. In these communities you will find well-preserved narrow cobbled streets and squares that usually feature an ancient church and charming family-run restaurants.

In Neuchatel the slopes were covered with neat rows of grape vines that were resting for the winter, facing the pristine lake. In Gruyeres, home of the eponymous cheese, we pigged out on cheese fondue and raclette in a traditional restaurant that was all decked out for Halloween.

Some of the roads here are now decorated with Christmas lights. This is a predominantly Christian country where the shops are filled this early with exquisite Christmas decorations. The Christmas traditions that evoke memories of similar practices in the Philippines can also minimize Pinoy homesickness.

Even winter has its appeal. The mist rises from the Jura mountains, making the scenery look like a watercolor painting. The mountains, which straddle the borders of Switzerland, France and Germany, date back to the Jurassic period and are said to contain the remains of dinosaurs.

It’s a world where things move with the efficiency and precision of a Swiss watch. It’s not a cheap place to live, but the quality of life can be worth it. Especially when it is measured by homesick Pinoys against the alternatives they have back home.