With the SRF Forgosten family they moved from America to mother Judith's home province of Aargau. For daughter Joy, the transition was not easy.
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SRF – Joy does not like traveling by bike.
The essentials in a nutshell
- Judith Forkosten moved with her family to her hometown of Würenlingen AG.
- The family of five previously resided in the United States.
- Babies are at different stages of getting their feet wet.
From Atlanta (Georgia, USA) to Würenlingen AG …
In the series “SRF bi de Lüt – Homesickness”, SRF accompanies the Forgoston family on their immigration adventure.
A family of five moves from America to Switzerland. More precisely to Mother Judith's hometown of Wuernlingen in the province of Aargau.
The city of Atlanta in the US state of Georgia has a population of around 500,000, while the Wuerleningen is a big change for three children, Noah (10), Joy (13) and Hannah (15). They are at different levels of grip…
Survey
Do you like cycling?
Yes, simply wonderful.
No, I prefer to travel by car.
Weather dependent…
“Cycling makes everything worse”
The children learned German at an international school in Atlanta, and they also speak Swiss German with their mother. So, it is not the language that makes children find strange things in Switzerland.
Happiness, the middle one, is especially affected by change at the beginning. 13-year-old girl's worst thing: Biking to school! In America she was brought by her mother Judith by car.
Happiness: “It's really hard. Driving to school has become easier. “I don't like riding a bike,” explains the teenager. “Cycling makes everything a little worse. If I think positive and think about cycling again, it's negative again.”
The student also misses her friends in America. “I want to be with people I feel comfortable with.”
Although she quickly made friends in Switzerland, many things here were still foreign to her.
Brother Nao feels very comfortable
Things are different for her sister Hannah. She was looking forward to emigrating, but was having trouble finding friends. “Everyone already had a best friend,” she explains. “I tried again and again for a long time.” It was only after six months that she was able to develop good friendships.
Papa Dave could not speak German when he came to Switzerland. He now makes up for it by doing German homework with his kids. American: “I like Switzerland. It's not all perfect, but it's good.”
He doesn't really feel at home in his wife's home country. But: “I don't miss America. I don't feel at home in America anymore.
Only son Noah feels right at home from the start. Unlike in Atlanta, in Argo he can go to the football field by himself and play whenever he wants. He likes it well at school and makes friends immediately.
“Friend of animals everywhere. Web guru. Organizer. Food geek. Amateur tv fanatic. Coffee trailblazer. Alcohol junkie.”
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