"WELCOME TO SWITZERLAND: ENJOY AT YOUR OWN RISK!" / Rigi

Now that I have a bit of experience under my belt, I have figured out what the multitude of German signs and paperwork at the Airport say "WELCOME TO SWITZERLAND: ENJOY AT YOUR OWN RISK!" I've always thought of the Swiss as practical, efficient, careful, and precise....not macho.  I stand corrected...these people are thrill seeking daredevils. I completely defer to them in all matters involving death defying feats. I don't even know why we bother competing in the winter Olympics; perhaps we should just mail them all the gold metals for sports involving whizzing down mountains lightning fast, and save everyone else the trouble, expense, and travel.  Just as they love their snow and mountains, they love thrill....who'd have known? They seem so reserved and polite and unassuming.....

This weekend's weather in Zurich was once again glorious. The sun was shining on the backdrop of a storybook blue sky. The temperature was perhaps 50degrees F. The kids had playdates again all day on Saturday, and I had a friend stop by and we enjoyed some tea. It was a lovely day. With the great weather, we decided to enjoy the great outdoors, but to skip skiing on Sunday and, instead, have an adventure, sledding ("sledging" as the Europeans say) at Mount Rigi.

In late fall, J had a 10 day trip to Z, and on the weekend he & his buddy went to Rigi. Rigi is a mountain in Central Switz, and is known as the "Queen of the Mountains." The highest peak is the Rigi-Kulm at 5900 feet. It is accessible by train, and offers skiing/snowboarding, snowshoeing trails, "airboarding"(? we think it is extreme sledding, but are not sure), parasailing, and "sledging". When J went in late fall, there was no snow, so the hills were beautiful, green, and harmless. He & his buddy took the train up the mountain and hiked down, stopping at the multitude of local traditional restaurants, eating fondue, sampling the various biers like a couple of carefree college kids.

J planned out our trip to Rigi and it sounded delightful and wholesome....sledging on the Swiss Mountain. We awoke at 7:30, and started our day with a big breakfast. I cooked some eggs, and without the delightful Pillsbury dough boy's help, I baked some "quick Cinnamon rolls" (pizza dough with some cinnamon + the highly coveted imported brown sugar that I brought from the US- not sold in Switzerland).

We gathered our snow gear, and left the haus to get on the road at 8:30. We took a bus and series of trains to get to Goldau, a charming looking town at the base of Rigi. There were loads of skiiers and winter sports enthusiasts on the early trains with us....and such a diverse crowd. There were little old ladies, families with young kids, teenagers smooching, and one guy who I am certain was a pirate. He was an older, burly man, with his arms folded across his ample belly, a black 'do rag on his head, and a silver hoop earring. I couldn't see his complete body from my seat, but I am sure it was littered with tattoos, and his snowpants obscured his wooden peg leg, and behind that cocky grin surely was a gold tooth or two.  What really impressed me, besides the skiing pirate, was the VERY SENIOR citizens. Even little old ladies and men who can't walk too steadily head up to the mountains and find enjoyment... basking in the sunshine, or thru walking, snowshoeing, or skiing, or sitting at the restaurants.

At one train change, we caught a glimpse of the "restaurant car" of the train. I didn't even know that these still existed. We could see the basket of croissants in the window as a couple were eating their breakfast. It was so neat. T asked me several times when would we be able to go to a restaurant car. I replied, several times, perhaps when we go on a long train ride, overnight, we could use the restaurant car.

So, we changed at Goldau for the special train that would climb the Rigi in approx 30 minutes. There are two train lines that go up two different sides of the mountain, the blue line and the red line. We headed up the blue line,which makes a few stops along the way to various villages that offer equipment rentals, restaurants, and trails. We watched the wonderous changing view as the train chugged up the mountain. We saw the little village disappear and change to green farmland, to steep snowy forests with deep ravines. We saw a radio tower on the top of the mountain and could hardly believe we would soon stand "way up there!"  Wow ! The journey offered spectacular views. The train finally reached the summit and we disembarked. We then walked a bit to get to the actual summit, to the radio tower, and we marveled at the sight. Of course, a little camera cannot accurately capture what the eyes do. When you see it live, you can see, all at once, the panoramic never ending view of the vast mountains, the little villages below, Lake Lucerne and Lake Zug, and the farms, the hot air balloons floating in the sky, the skiiers who look like specs restaurants nestled on the mountainsides, Swiss flags blowing in the breeze, sightseers snapping pictures, ski lifts running up and down, the dizzying view down the mountain, and the seemingly tiny train climbing upward. It is amazing!

So, like good tourists, we marveled at the view, snapped some pictures, and then prepared for sledging. We ate a little snack, and added an extra layer of snowpants, gloves, hats, helmets, and we were good to go. We walked down the mountain on a trail, which offered a bit of foreshadowing for the rest of the day. The  bright sun was melting the snow on the well packed trails, but the cold air was causing it to be quite icy. Walking down the trail was tough...After a few slips and slide, most of us walked along the snowy side of the path for to be able to get a grip, but K chose to slide her way down, eating snow along the way.

We took notice of the sledges. Wooden sledges, like America used until the '70s when China convinced us everything made of cheap plastic is better, is the preferred vehicle. When I looked at them I thought that they were so quaint....that we are here at a Swiss ski mountain and they are going to give us the full quaint, charming, old fashioned experience. These are just simple wooden design, not changed for hundreds of years, except that they have a bit of padding. There's no steering, no brakes, nowhere to store your cell phone, cooler, or video camera....just an innocent, tried and true, old fashioned harmless sledge.

We stopped at the rental shop, rented three sledges and teamed up: K&me, J&T, and A by himself...poor thing. The sledging trail was 4 miles down the mountain, but  had a few stops along the way. We scooted our way to the sledging trail, and watched others slide down. There didn't seem to be any trick to it - you just lift your legs and slide.  Hmmmm....we noticed lots of people scraping their legs thru the snow as brakes. All the Swiss seemed to be laughing there heads off, and having a delightful experience.

With our arms wrapped around our partner kids' waist, we lifted our feet and slid, OH MY how we slid ! Is there a greater word than slid? "Slid" compares to our experience as "skipping stones" compares to "avalanche." I quickly discovered it was treacherous. The trail was icy at parts, so there was no where to dig my heels in to slow down, no steering, and as hard as I would try to lean to one side, it didn't seem to go in the direction I needed it to, instead, it just felt as if the sled was sliding out beneath me. The trail runs alongside the cliff and it would be very easy to just slide off. I was very conscientious of the edge and constantly trying to stay away, but we were sliding very fast, and there was no steering. How do these Swiss manage this? This is fun? This is recreation? This just seemed a bit terrifying to me.  When it was good, it was good, when it was great, it was crazy dangerous. I was very grateful for the padding of our clothes and for our helmets.

There were a few areas that were really just insanely dangerous. At one point, I could see we were heading down a sleep decline, in the shade, thus icy, and there was a sharp turn. I spotted J& T ahead of us, laying on the ground. I realized I couldnt stop, couldnt even slow down - it was so icy, I was afraid we would careen into J& T, and there was no way we could safely avoid them and make the sharp turn. Working on instinct and adrenaline, I had to make a fast decision, so with my arms around K, I held her tightly and leaned to the right and threw us off the sled. We had a hard landing, the sled continued to crash near J&T, but we were all laying there scratching our heads. Then I looked and saw A sprawled as well.  We were dumbfounded  and amused at how challenging this was. Then we looked at what was ahead...this turn lead to a similar crazy icy decline and turn, and yet another, so it was a steep decline/zig zag of pure treachery. After the second turn, K& I crashed badly, captured by A with the camera.  This time we were getting a bit used to it and were laughing about it, so glad to not be hurt. We skidded, slid, and crashed our way a bit further until the trail leveled off at the end of the sledging trail at Kloisterli.

It was time for a break. Along this path, we passed a little church where it later occurred to me that this is where the sledging survivors drop to their knees and thank God for their survival. Then we approached a  restaurant. The atmosphere was typical for these mountain restaurants - real traditional Swiss chalet style....just lovely.We left the sledges outside, and entered the restaurant. In addition to checking your ski coats, and helmets, there was shelving for your shoes. It makes perfect sense, right?  Our kids are so good about trying new foods. We all try to order something and sort of share it...or share some tastes at least. A ordered spinach ravioli, but didnt care for the brandy sauce that we had added "to the side," K had Nudeln Napoli (spaghetti), T ordered Poulet Provincial which came with soup (Cream of Broccoli eaten by K), and J&I shared rich cheese fondue. The boys gave me the fancy veggies that came with their dishes. K doesn't care for cheese, so the boys shared in our fondue. It was a lovely meal....just wonderful. If you are curious about costs, lunch for 5 cost 116swiss francs, about $116.

With our batteries recharged, we were determined to tackle the sledging run again. We survived once, and now that we are older and wiser, its got to go more smoothly. We walked to the little Kloisterli "sports train" station, and ascended the mountain again. This time K&J were teamed, as were T&me and A was flying solo again. For the most part, it was smoother, and more fun....however, when we hit the zigzag icy decent, it was more chaotic. There was a pile up of people sprawled about the trail. T& I crashed off on purpose to once again avoid the danger. K&J & A were all off their sledges as well. T&I walked down the decent....actually, I just slid on my butt, but it was still treacherous, as it was sheer ice and I could not grip anything nor control my decent. T&I walked along the trail until level ground. Then we sledged a bit, and caught up to K&J who were having a sit down watching other people crash. A crashed into a snowy area, but when he got up and set up his sledge on the track, it slid out from underneath him - he jumped up and chased it. It was hilarious, seeing him try to catch the runaway sledge. It finally crashed into a ravine with  pinetrees near a creek. Fortunately he managed to retrieve it before it fell in the creek. We all inched our way to Kloisterli, and bravely took the train back up the hill.

Third time's the charm, right? T&I decided to only run 2/3 of the trail, seeking to avoid the zigzag hell. We got off at Staffel, and sent the other 3 Swiss-daredevil-wannabes down the trail, and agreed to meet in Kloiserli at the train station. T&I took our sledge and hopped on the next train heading in the direction of Kloisterli....only it wasnt headed to Kloisterli. Remember how there was a red train and a blue train. The blue train goes down the Kloisterli route, and I erroneously placed us on the red. We went to the next stop, realized it was not Kloisterli, learned the next train back to Staffel comes in 30 minutes, so we walked back to the Staffel stop. UGH! It was 20 minutes, uphill, on the icy path, carrying the quaint wooden sledge, and poor T was whining, "I'm so tired....I need to rest." I was doing my best to encourage him...let's not prolong the misery...the sooner we get there, the sooner we can rest. It was exhausting, after an already-exhausting day. T rose to the occasion and we made it back, and eventually met up with J& the kids in Goldau for the train ride home.

The trip home was not without event, of course...J split from us to go into Zurich and meet up with a friend to pick up some Costco! items that she brought over for us. The trio and I left him in Zug and had to get on a train to Thalwil by ourselves, wearing snowpants, and boots, carrying 2 backpacks and a large Ikea bag filled with helmets and gloves. We had 3 minutes to run down the platform steps, and back up to the track for the Thalwil train. There was a big incentive to run fast, for if we missed it, the next train would arrive in one hour! We did great running up and down the steps, dodging the other snowboard carrying, sledge bearing Swiss, and maneuvered our way to the correct train. We got on with a minute to spare and walked thru the car, noticing something didn't look right. The seats were plush red, and there were lovely tables, and circular sofa seating. Ahhh....this must be the first class train, for which we do not have tickets. Eyes widened with this realization, the kids quickly followed me off and we jumped into the next car, just as the doors were closing. Whew ! As we began to look for seats, we realized that this one was also a first class car. The train was moving, and I examined the doors to lead the kids to the NEXT car...but I honestly could not figure out how to open the doors. I was afraid of doing something wrong and setting off alarms. Frankly, I was exhausted, exhausted by the day of death-defying sledging, weary of traveling, tired of being fearful of making mistakes, tired of the struggle. Screw it - "kids, let's just stay here and be extra-quiet." K was very worried and anxious about "getting caught." As I sat next to her, I held her and with the little energy I had left, explained to her that its ok to make mistakes if you accept the consequence. If and when the conductor comes around I will explain to him that I am new here (and have the paperwork to prove it), I don't speak German, I couldn't figure out how to open the doors, and if he has no mercy, then I have to pay a fine (the ususal fine is $80 x4 of us = $320) then so be it; I surrender. Fortunately, the conductor did not check tickets : )   I suspect that will be our first and last first class train car experience.

The next day, J & I both had interesting conversations with Europeans about sledging. Another parent at ZIS told me that her husband was terribly injured a month ago sledging and has only just recovered from his back injury. Also, several ZIS students had broken bones during a pile up during a school trip sledging trip last year. Yikes... Then J told a Swiss colleague about our sledging day and he told J that it is considered quite dangerous, and a couple people die each year at Rigi, generally from sledging without helmets...like J did.

In reflecting on the sledging experience, it appears that Swiss don't actually have the preoccupation with safety and liability the way America does. I think they engineer it right the first time, and then the responsibility is transfered to the user for their judgement and skill to ensure they are safe. If this had been the US, there would be a hold harmless agreement signed, zillion warnings posted, and 20 accident injury attorneys advertisments on the highway heading home. 

A few years ago, J & I took the kids to a Fall festival in IL where there was a young man offering rides on his camel for a fee. We put the kids on the big "saddle" and I noticed the "saddle" had a railing only on one side. I asked if there was a strap or rail for the other side, to ensure the kids wouldn't fall off. He cocked his head to one side and looked at me like "duh," and replied, "We're from Wisconsin, we care about fun, not safety." So, J & I have this ongoing joke/signal...when things are a bit rustic, potentially dangerous/safety questionable, we refer to it as "Wisconsin-esque."  I think we've devised a new term when things are definitely dangerous, but fun, we will refer to them as "Rigi-esque."

I am not sure when we will sledge again, but I am glad our experience ended safely. : )

Privatizing the blog

Gruitzi! In the interest of maintaining some privacy for my family, we have decided to privatize the blog. As much as I want to share my adventures with the world, I need to maintain some level of respect for my family's privacy. Privatizing the blog will allow me to approve who is a subscriber/reads our blog, ensure greater privacy for my family, and allow me to be abut freer with the info I share since, presumably, only those who know us will share in our happenings. If you haven't already done so, please subscribe to my blog or send me an email at my email address or to. Swissyouwerehere1@gmail.com
Thanks so much!

Alls Well That Ends Well.....Part 2

With our plans for ski & snowboard instruction set, we were excited to try our next ski resort, Brunni on Sunday morning. It is about a half hour from our house and substantially smaller than Flumserberg...perhaps THIS mountain is actually the Vernon Valley/Whitetail/Cascade of Zurich.  It was a lot easier than last week getting out of the house - we all knew what to wear, and where it was, and everyone was more confident and less nervous than before.

So, we get into the car, turned the key....and its DEAD. UGH! It would just be nice for something to be easy....
So, J&I scrambled for a bit, realizing everything is closed (except ski resorts!) on Sundays. Who do we call? I remember meeting a nice woman from the kids school who lives closeby and she sent me a text this week inviting me to "call her if I need anything"....anything?...as in a Jump on Sunday at 8:15am?! So, again, I entered into my discomfort zone, I called her, surely waking her (ugh!), and asked if she could offer advice. She laughed as this had just happened to her a couple weeks ago, but not on a Sunday....she could not offer to jump us as she has a very small car which would not be powerful enough to jump the RR. She suggested we call a taxi...yes, Taxi cars will Jump a battery. We heeded her advice and sure enough a taxi showed up 15 minutes later, jumped our car and we were good to go....and made it to the lessons on time!


The Brunni Resort was MUCH SMALLER than Flumserberg and was much easier to maneuver with no cable cars. We just pulled up, parked, and walked to the ski schule. K&J took a ski lesson with Riko and the boys went to a beginners snowboard group. K&J made great progress, and after an hour on level ground, they progressed to the Tbar slope. J hadnt been on skiis in 20+ yrs and said it was tough. He added  that the Bunny Hill was bigger than any mountain he had been on before and it was quite intimidating. He & K had some laughs as they fell into each other getting off the TBar. J cracked up telling me about how R taught him to ski down the hill - R was  backwards and holding J's hands.  He was very relieved when he worst fear was NOT realized - he hadnt barrelled into any groups of ski schule kids and knocked them off the mountain.  K told me later how much she loved it. She loves rollercoasters and said that going fast down the mountain felt like being on a rollercoaster. J said that she made great progress and I was so happy for her!

Since I got everyone off to their lessons, I decided to try my luck at Swiss Skiing. I was a bit nervous, I must admit, but I felt that this was my best chance to try it, alone, without having to worry about 4 other people. I am  not a great skiier, but I enjoy gliding down the mountains, slowly and carefully. I realized I was the only one without at helmet...darn...why hadnt I bought one ? I ran to the rental place which was as busy and hectic and confusing as the floor of the stock exchange, further complicated by the fact that everyone was speaking German. I muddled my way to renting a helmet....it must have been some kid racer helmet, as it had a large #28 on the front. I felt silly, and was glad I didnt know anyone. I think I looked like Speed Racer. Next, I had to figure out how to get the lift ticket. In America, you get a sticker to attach to your zipper pull. I was surprised they gave me a credit card type thing and with all writing in German, and everyone speaking German, I wasnt sure what to do with it. I jumped on the queue and started watching everyone carefully. They seemed to wave it in front of a machine - so I followed suit, got on the Tbar lift and sailed up the mountain - just to the first station. It was fun, and the scenery was beautiful. The weather was gorgeous with a clear blue sky and the bright beautiful sun shining, it was wonderful.  There were several restaurants just sitting on the mountain amidst the trails...cool! Then, I smelled something a bit pungent and familiar....and sure enough there was a farm with a bunch of cows along these trails...interesting. I had only time for 2 runs, but it was lovely, and difficulty. The slopes were very steep, hilly, and icy. I was glad to have completed them in one piece.

We gathered after lessons and put our equipment in the car, and started to choose a ski lodge/.restaurant for lunch, we put our key in the ignition and .....it was dead again. Bummer. Good thing I had anticipated this possibility and had backed in. I went to the First Aid station for help and J managed to find a good samaritan to jumpstart the car. He jumped it for us, and we drove home, and worked out a plan for Monday.

We spent most of Sunday night researching garages in the Zurich area that work on British cars. After a lot of internet searching and email sending, we stumbled upon a garage....in our neighborhood ! We called them at 7:30 am, they sent 2 apprentice mechanics to jump the car, but it would not start....completely kaput ! We left them our key....they said that they would return with a new battery and install it at our house...no tow truck needed.....wow!

Hmmmm....now we were in a pickle. How would we get the kids to school?  J took the train/bus with A to get him to school. I called a new friend....and what an angel, she was kind enough to drive us to their school. Whew ! I then took the train/bus back home. 

It was 11am I was on the bus, waiting for it to discharged/pick up passengers and we were across from the garage whose mechanics were working on my car. It occurred to me that the garage would likely be closing for their lunchtime (did I mention most businesses and schools close from 11:45- 1:15 or so each day?! seriously...). I became concerned that if they didn't already have the battery, it might not be done in time for me to use the car to get the kids at school. ugh.... So, just as I was staring at the garage, I saw the mechanic passby driving my car. I know it was my car because it is the only silver RR I've seen in town, and the hood was not fully closed as he sped by. I was SO happy !! Its running !

Sure enough, I called them when I got home. They were finishing some additional diagnostic work to ensure it was only a dead battery and not some bigger problem. It looked fine. I was free to pick up the car after 1:30, which was perfect since I had my German class at 2pm. whew!  Das ist gut !

Alls Well that Ends Well

One aspect  of this adventure is that sometimes things don't go smooth and according to plan. I think many people realize this, and fear it, and it is what keeps them operating only in their comfort zone. I strive to be organized, adventurous, independent, and optimistic. Everything has always worked out for me and that's what keeps me going when things get tough....

Yesterday was a good example of this. I had a rigorous morning planned and needed everything to go smoothly. The plan was to get the kids to their school and, get deep into Zurich, meet up with Jason for our 9:45 appointment at Immigration for our residency visas, stop at a specific bookstore for my German class textbooks, and return to Thalwil Banhof (trainstation) to get my car and attend the Parent luncheon for School by noon.  Now, you may think that the luncheon is a frivolous option, but really... the walls are starting to talk back to me....I need to meet some people and start our social life.

As usual, I added a few other critical activities. I woke at 5:40 to work out with my sole Jillian Michaels Shred DVD until 6:40, shower, blow dry, hair straightening iron, decide what to wear (not too dressy, but festive, but sensible as to walk thru Zurich a ways to the Immigration office, etc), remember my tortellini salad (the lunch was a potluck), get the kids up & fed, and kitchen tidied. We were out the door 8:10, dropped A at school, then drove 7 miles south to the younger kids' school, dropped them, jumped back on the highway headed to the Thalwil Banhof,  and all was going according to plan until the car dinged "E" as in empty. (*&($#@#$  This Range Rover is such a gas guzzler !!!

So, I had faith, made it 7-8 miles away to the station, figured I'd deal with the Empty tank when I returned, parked the car (in the US there would never be a parking place available at 8:45, but there is here in Europe as most people walk to the stations). Parked...had to figure out the parking payment machine, hoped I did it right (we'll see when I return), jumped on a train (it seemed to be heading the right way), and made it to the right station. 10 minutes to find J, and we were off, got a tram to the Immigration office and made it there just in time.

The Immigration office seemed to have 5-6 clerks waiting in their booths. Two other customers were there. J & I approached an available clerk and offered our documents. He asks " Do you have your invitation letter?" "Ummm, no, but we have an appointment." "No Letter?" "No, we have an appointment." I began to wonder whether he was going to turn us away ?!  There were 3 empty clerks....we have an appointment!  Don't tell me I'm going to have to go thru this exercise again. Then he graciously acknowledges,  "Ok"

So, we do the "biometric" visa stuff, electronic fingerprinting, photos, etc. and then we're off again, on our way. Next stop - the bookstore. We were supposed to go to Orell Fussli's German bookstore, but it was too far out of our way. So we stopped at the ONLY English bookstore in Zurich Orell Fussli's BookShop. So, we walked around till we found it. Upon entering it, I could feel my brain relax. It was wild to see everything written in English. WOW! It was such a switch and I can only describe it as relaxing. There was a table of English/American foods - from vegemite, to poptarts (a bargain at $9), chocolate chips, reese's peanut butter cups ($2.90 for a pack), Dunkin Hines cake mixes, etc.  J stopped in awe and looked thru the selection.... very surprisingly, I plowed right to the Language section, but didn't find my books and instead had the clerk order them. I could hardly take my eyes off the books; I would have loved to grab one and sit on the couch and turn off the world for awhile, but obviously, couldn't do it....life beckoned. We didn't buy any goodies either, but made a mental note for future reference.

J got me to the train back to Thalwil at 11:00, great timing. I arrived fine in Thalwil, and there was no apparent parking ticket on the car, so I must have done the parking machine alright, depite the German wording. Knowing that the next order of business was to get gas, I programmed in "Gas Station" inquiry into the GPS, and saw there was one within  half a mile. Great. I pull out of my spot, and immediately see in my rear view mirror a Polizei car right behind me. I drive up to the planned gas station and there is not a gas station there - it looks like a garage. I can not take my hands off the steering wheel as it is the law in Switz that you always have 2 hands on the wheel, therefore, I can not do another search for the next gas station. I am driving around on E with a cop behind me, not knowing where to go.  OY! I began thinking that that the Range Rover's a red flag...I'm obviously a foreigner, and he's waiting for me to make a mistake. OY OY OY! I keep thinking - do I have all my documents with me?. Do I know all the car documents? Registration? Insurance? Do I know J's work phone #?  Should I make a preemptive strike and put on my blinkers, pull over, ask for help finding a gas station? I just kept driving straight and slow, approaching a construction site that brings this " hardly 2 lane" road to "barely one." I learned how to do this last week - I stop at the sign. I let the oncoming cars pass me, and guess what - I hear a little boom and realize that one dinged my car !! I watched the cop in the rear view - no reaction. I am not about to make a fuss about anything, I'll deal with that later, and I continue driving a bit further, getting very worried now about running out of gas, and then I see another train station, pull in, the cop continues on down the road. Thank HEAVENS!

I again search the GPS for a gas station. Another one is a mile away. Can I make it? I dont think I have a choice, but to find out ....so I drive there. It is now a Honda Dealership...yes, the on a plot the size of a gas station (Honda's are fairly rare  here, as are Toyotas, I'm finding. There are way more European cars here). So, I GPS search another and make it there. Thankfully, it was in operation. Of course, I have to learn how to use the "automatik maschine" and with a little help from the mechanik I get it done.

Note: fuel is sold by the liter, approx $1.73 per liter, or roughly $6.50 per gallon, $175 to fill the tank. I'm lucky if it lasts 5-6 days : (

Ahhh....I could finally breathe. I change from my sensible shoes to my fun boots, reapply my lipstick and make it to the luncheon by noon. Since it is a European private school affair, wine is offered, and after this morning ....I couldnt resist. Everyone seems very aware of keeping it to one glass, as, apparently, that is the law for driving.

I had a great time, sitting with several British and Australian women who I met from K's class. We had an interesting chat about the horrible Australian floods, the vegemite eating challenge/fundraiser the day before that A participated in, as well as  the outrageous price of goods in Switzerland, ordering goods online, traveling, where everyone else has lived (the Aussie met her British husband in Houston, moved to Singapore, London, Paris, and Switz for several years - I'm such a slacker!), as well as the children, school ...normal things.  It was nice to have "normal," if only for an afternoon !

This day was a bit extreme...most days are not usually so hectic, but usually contain such moments of  nervewracking craziness/frustration.  I find it quite mentally exhausting to be outside of my comfort zone all the time, and constantly confronting unknowns day in and day out, without a safety net. It really takes a lot of my energy. I am exhausted at night, and so, please forgive me that I don't blog daily or call you in the evenings! As things get more familiar and easier, I am sure I will have more stamina....and ever the optimist,  I am so grateful that everything has always worked out for me, for us.

The Omnivore's Dilemma

I knew the food was going to be one of the toughest adjustments. First, I will confess...I'm a foodie. I love to eat, and cook at home most of the time - nothing fancy, but more of an emphasis on healthy hearty meals. We RARELY EVER ate fast food - seriously, once a month would be tops.... ok, ok, I exaggerate...I am sure my husband would occassionally sneak them off behind my back whenever he had a craving for a big mac or whopper, and I would take them to Subway a couple times a month, and I was a Dunkin Donuts coffee fiend and would buy the kids an occasional donut.

In general, I've been a bit particular about what my family eats. In the US, the kids were good eaters; they ate well balanced meals with plenty of vegetables, whole wheat breads and pasta, low sugar. I avoided high fructose corn syrup, and sought natural products without additives and all that gross unpronounceable stuff. I never serve processed meat/sausage or "cheese products." In the morning, I've always cooked them good breakfasts with a substantial protein source. My kids always prefered to bring lunch to school, and their US school only allowed fresh fruit and vegetables for snacks. My eldest son's 5th grade teacher used to crack up because he would eat edamame as one of his snacks. The kids often helped me cook, and we ate dinner at the table every night and largely limited desserts to weekends only. That was then.....this is now.

Adjusting to the food has been a process. The first few weeks we lived here, we ate mostly carbs. We discovered the most wonderful white breads...buttery croissants, and these amazing big soft warm pretzels, delightful rolls, donuts called 'Berliners,' and sweet breads. We've discovered other naughty delights such as nutella, Rosti, and nutty Swiss cookies. The stores have dozens of types of yogurts - and wierd combinations and flavors: caramel, apple-mango, chocolate, and unusual berries. And Muesli -sweet dried fruit with nuts, seeds, and some kind of granola type flakes. How I love muesli in my yogurt. Before I picked up the kids at school, I would often stop at the store and pick up some nice big warm pretzels for them (and me!). It was on one of these trips that I had an epiphany, and came to my senses: I read the ingredients: white flour, and butter, salt...and some other things. Butter was the second ingredient? Oh dear ! I realized that we could not continue down this road. I had to introduce meat and vegetables.



When I first arrived, and walked thru the stores, I felt sad. Between the exhorbitant prices, and the lack of variety, it seemed that all the fun had been sucked out of grocery shopping. This is the antithesis of the big fun Costco shopping experience. Really, just the bakery section is fun, interesting, and appealing. The produce department does not have the variety and I feel like we are continuously buying the same fruits and veggies every week: bananas, apples, grapes, clementines/oranges, iceberg lettuce, carrots, onions, the trio of peppers, and tomatoes. Also, the produce in the US is picture perfect - nicely packaged, shiny perfect apples, and unbruised bananas. Here, the apples are not pretty (unless you buy the $4per pound beauties), the apples are still in their boxes half the time and a bit bruised. The onions are very small. They all seem to be the runts of the litter.



There's a variety of factors contributing to why Europeans shop every day. They have very small refrigerators (although I have an enviable American Size fridge!!!!), they don't have storage space nor pantries, and the don't use preservatives so things don't "keep" very long.



I found I was shopping every day, but for other reasons. The packages are so small for my American-appetite family; we've used a jar and a half of sauce for pasta. The Applesauce jar barely has 4 servings for us - no seconds! Different stores carry different products (cottage cheese, beans, cream cheese, whole wheat bread, hummus), so there is no "one stop shopping." I would think about a product that we would like (such as cream cheese, or hummus) and I would go to a couple stores and comb the shelves seeking it.



Speaking of combing shelves....a "big" grocery shopping expedition takes about two hours for me. Since we all grew up in America, we are so familiar with the stores and products. We know the brands we like, can easily read labels, To try new products, friends share information about products they like, or we listen to the advertisements and get the scoop on something new, or we received a coupon as incentive to try something new. For me - every single item was new, and I had no coaching or incentive to differentiate one from the other. I must look like an oddball, as I stand very close to the shelves and look at each item to figure out what the item is by looking at the picture. When something looks appealing, I pick up the box and scan the ingredients. Since I only know a few words in German, I look for any familiar words, but mostly I understand the prepositions..."and' "with" It is very time consuming. I also use my common sense, if a box has 50 ingredients, it likely is highly processed and not something I prefer us to eat. I know you are probably thinking," why don't you just use your translation app or German-English dictionary." If you recall, I can not get an Iphone here yet, until my residency permit arrives (again - requires an entire separate post, but suffice it to say that it is very far out on the horizon, thanks to a change in laws), and really I can not use my dictionary to go thru all the ingredients on everything I pick up - I'd be there for 8 hours instead of 2.



Another thing that I have to consider when I am examining the boxes is the preparation process. English is not an official language in Switzerland, so none of the words on the boxes is written in English. The words are ususally written in German, and some cooking instructions are oftentimes in German, Italian, and French, but never English. Sometimes there are pictures and I find that helpful so I can see whether it is a stovetop item or an oven, or a microwave item. This was critical in our first few weeks, if you recall, as we could not use our fancy oven/convection oven and high tech combination steamer (?)/ microwave/convection oven (?) (we still don't know) because the operating manuals are all written in only German. (I know...you are thinking," why dont you just order them in English?" We have, our realtor has, and our landlord has....several times. Apparently only the Installation Manual is in English....its a German Product. We're still working on it)



Meat....I still haven't really mastered the meat and the various cuts. Here are the few things I understand about the meat. They have a picture of the animal on the package so I can readily tell if I am looking at pork, beef, poultry, or horse. They note the country of origin on the package as the Swiss greatly prefer the quality of items from their own country as opposed to the clearly labeled "imports." I still can't guage the weight very well - as its all in Kg.

I can confirm the rumor: the stores all carry an extensive aisle of chocolates, but only a handful of cereal items. Its true, every store will have -no exageration- 50-100 items of chocolate, but maybe 20 types of cereal. I have recognized some familiar cereals, Special K, Rice Krispies, and Frosted Flakes....none of which we normally ate. We were big fans of Life and Kashi, and enjoyed Kix and Cheerios, none of which I have found here. Another thing they don't sell is instant oatmeal....bummer. Good thing we stocked up before we left.

The two larger chains offer some "ethnic" items. There are some Indian foods products, Thai food products like ramen-type noodles, and Mexican items - which is basically a handful of bright yellow Old El Paso products like taco kits, refried beans, tortillas, and canned jalepenos. I miss fresh jicama, and Chicago's Fresh Salsa. I managed to find canned corn on a bottom shelf in a nondescript can. Someone gave me a tip: there is one store that carries hummus in its refrigerated Kosher section. I buzzed over and picked up 2 containers for $15 - a bargain! Despite the fact that it is just plain hummus, not the garlic variety, nor roasted red pepper, nor my favorite spicy hummus, I was so happy! An added bonus of this store's ethnic section was that I found black beans....the REAL black gold. At another store, I managed to find a british biscuit/cookie that is similar to graham crackers and white (pink and blue colors are more common here) marshmallows. Although the marshmallows are more sticky, more taffy- like, they leave a powdery white residue when melted...I know this because I have made about 8 batches of Rice Krispie type treats for the school bake sale and classrooms for Valentines Day.

Once I picked out a cartful of items, I would have to check out. In the first few weeks, I would consistently hold up the line for a good 5 minutes while I quickly tried to pack my items into my reusable grocery bags, and figure out the money. I always carried around a few hundred dollars with me every day, because I didn't have a Swiss credit card, or ATM/Debit card, so cash was the only way I could pay. The Swiss make good use of durable, heavy coins in their currency. There are coins for 1chf,(symbol for Swiss Franc $), 2chf, 5 chf, as well as the little amounts .05, .20. 50. So, when the cashier would give me change, it would be quite heavy after a few days of accumulation! Sometimes, I would be a little more savvy and count my coins before I went shopping so that I would know how much I have and could try to pay in coins to lighten my purse. This however, would really cause me to hold up the line at the cash register. Everyone was always patient, thankfully.



I have to leave quite a bit of time to work on dinner. Once I figured out how to sort of use the oven (after a great deal of trial and error as it requires 2 buttons to operate and none of them is as simple as "on, off, bake or broil"), I could convert the temperatures to celcius and attempt cook things in the oven. I was frightened to use the microwave(? - at least I think its a microwave - certainly some sort of fast cooker/popcorn maker) at first, but somehow figured it out too.



Convenience things turn out to not be so convenient. I have to boot up the computer and input the preparation instructions into the Translation site and take it from there. Its pretty tough to input unfamiliar words from a foreign language into the site - you don't know if you have a typo because all the words are strange. Also, German uses a lot of compound words, so sometimes they don't translate readily. I usually can get a good handle on the preparation, although there are always a handful of words that don't translate and I am fairly certain our foods don't always turn out as the manufacturer intended. Because these are new food items that my family has never eaten before, they have no frame of reference as to how it should be prepared, or look, or taste, so it is all heartily accepted, despite the flaws.

Suffice it to say, in the first few weeks, we supplemented the delicious bakery items with a lot of cold items... it was just easier. Dinners soon evolved to include stovetop items ( as it took me about 2 weeks to figure out the oven-type thingys.) Our first dinners generally involved a variety of pasta- ravioli, spaghetti, rotini, accompanied by meatballs from Ikea, or a variety of deli meat. I branched into Rosti, rice, sauteed shrimp (with lemon and just a bit of garlic), and pouletbrust (chicken breasts). Grilled cheese and soup is another old favorite, albeit a bit more challenging as there is not a wide variety of canned soups and No Healthy Choice All Natural varieties. I've enjoyed making my own soups in the US, but it is a bit more difficult here as they do not sell chicken broth....just high sodium bouillion cubes : ( .

One thing I miss is the variety of premixed sauces and seasonings. I managed to find Worcestershire sauce, and Barbecue sauce ($10 per bottle), sweet and sour sauce, curry sauce, taco seasoning, and salsa. I miss the Newman's and Lawry's marinades, Terriyaki sauce, Caribbean Jerk seasoning, Lemon Chicken. I miss Newman's Salad dressings...they largely sell only an Italian, a Balsammic, a white French dressing that is very watery. I did pick up some sort of Wasabi sauce/dressing, but haven't translated it yet to know exactly what it is. I miss fancy dressings like Poppy Seed, Champagne, Ranch, lite Ranch, Vidalia onion, Thousand Island....green goddess. I don't actually miss eating them ( I don't personally care for salad dressing), but I miss the possibities that they offered. I miss being able to set them out when we had a special dinner, or guests. I know I can make all these things - there are loads of recipes on the internet, but I just miss having them at my fingertips; they are fun and convenient.

There is a site that many Americans have described as a lifeline: American Food Avenue www.afoodave.ch . This is a business that imports and sells American food favorites that are not available here otherwise. They sell instant soups, instant oatmeal (10 packets for $10), some cereals, cake mixes ($5 per box), and ready made frostings (not bad at $4), brownies, bread crumbs, Kashi cereal ($10 per box), small box of poptarts ($5.50), Mac Cheese, Cheerios (2 bags for $16), Froot Loops (2 bags $21), gravy mix, stuffing, hamburger sliced pickles, mexican seasonings, Goldfish, pancake mix, decaf coffee, etc. The good news is if you spend over $175 (easy to do!), you won't get charged shipping. There are a few stores that do stock a few of these items at similar prices...or more, such as the English bookstore in Zurich. Some of the British gals shop occasionally in Germany and France (1.5hrs away) to pick up some British goods, groceries and toiletries for cheaper prices, particularly meat. I suspect I will be joining them one day, just for fun.

The Gemeindehaus

When we first came to Switzerland for our "Orientation Tour" in May, our relocation agent gently approached the topic of "The Gemeindehaus." The Gemeindehaus is the town hall in the town in which you live. These local authorities are responsible for monitoring us during our duration in Switzerland.  I was surprised that the town halls could have so much control. My relocation agent replied, "that is why Switzerland does not have the problems that America has. We know who we have living here, who vouched for them, where they work, that they pay taxes, what their story is...."

The town hall in most comparable small towns in America is the place where the mayor's desk is and where ceremonious keys to the city are bestowed upon deserving citizens. Here in Switzerland, political power is very decentralized and the Gemeindehaus is the keystone. Our residency visa application originated at the Gemeindehaus in the little village where we decided to rent a house. Once it was approved here, at the local level, it progressed to the Canton (County or State level), then onto the Federal level, and then to the US Embassy announcing its approval. In the US, all visa approval is done at the Federal level. The Swiss localize many decisions via the Gemeindehaus, effectively determining whether you can live here. Once that was approved, and we flew over, we were given a temporary one-entrance-only visa....that is, if we leave, we can not necessarily come back into the country (this knowledge came in handy when I was invited to go shopping in France last week, and realized I may not be re-admitted and may trigger an international incident!).  Also, if you move to a different village, or town, or city, you must un-register and prove your next residency....and go thru the process again at that next location. Needless to say, I am not planning to move for the next couple years.

The Gemeindehaus required we register within 2 weeks of our arrival. We registered immediately, at opening, on Monday Morning Jan 3. We showed up looking bright eyed and bushy tailed although we were really weary with jetlag. We had all of the necessary documents - passport, entrance visa, marriage license, birth certificates, work documentation. J had to meet with the Tax man to assure him we understood our tax obligations. We also had to prove we had health insurance. We also had to declare whether or not we were joining a church so that we could pay that tax fee if needed. We received the forms to fill out for our radio and tv licenses so that we could pay our fees for having these services. The children had to be present also so that they could ascertain we brought who we said we would. They made copies of all of our paperwork and it is kept on file.  All of the information we were given was in German, as that is the official language. Finally, we were granted a letter of permission to reside here temporarily....until our PERMIT is cleared.

With the Gemeindehaus lettter of permission, we could legally rent our haus, get a land-line, cable service, and buy our car...which we did approximately 2 hours later.

The PERMIT/PERMISSION is another big step. We had to provide letters validating our good character and clean criminal record from our IL police department. We have an appointment this Friday to go to the Central Police Station in Zurich for fingerprinting. They will finalize with a government background check and hopefully we will be cleared to officially reside here. Only when we receive this PERMIT/PERMISSION can we leave and return to Switzerland, and can sign cell phone contracts. I don't exactly understand why they require this for a cell phone contract .I was told by someone that perhaps it has to do with restricting terrorists from getting cell phones, and by another person that they want to be sure you can pay your bills before allowing you to have a phone. Its puzzling because they allowed me to rent a haus and get a land-line, but no iphone.  So, in the meantime, I am winging it with a cheap pre-paid phone.

So, getting our Permits is an ongoing process that will hopefully wrap up in time for us to getaway for ski week next month....or at least Spring Break Weeks in April.

I'm not an astute political scholar, but this process and the relocation agent's comment ("This is why we don't have the problems that America has") has made an impression on me. It is interesting that the US is so" free;" so free about letting people in, staying when their visas expire, not enforcing immigration laws consistenly, not knowing who resides where/when, etc. It is just a bit of a guessing game until some tragedies ensue and we are all left scratching our heads wondering "how did this happen?" (Of course 9/11, and last year's Times Square auto bomb are the first things that pop into my mind). I must say that as big a pain this process is, it actually provides more freedom in some ways- more security, and peace of mind. There is extremely low crime because the authorities know who is living where, each person is accounted for, and someone/corporation has vouched for them, the emigrating people are employed, have health coverage, their children are registered in school, etc. Another aspect of my stay here, is that all the official documents/signs, instructions, cooking instructions, menus etc are all in the official language - German. It is always OUR responsibility to get them translated. Finally, as a foreigner living here, I have to always carry my "paperwork/Permission letter" with me ....at all times. If I were to not have them, that could indicate a threat to the country and I could be subject to the law. Police can pull over any one/driver without cause, and I have to be prepared for that.  I understand ...I am a foreigner living in someone else's country, and I need to abide by their rules....those rules that are designed to benefit their citizens. I hold no grudges, and wish that our country could be so well organized, decisive, and firm as to protect its citizens.

Skiing at Flumserberg

The Swiss LOVE winter, Love their gigantic mountains, LOVE the snow and everything that comes with it. It is amazing to see people- both young and old-  hiking all winter, camping out in the snow, carrying snowboards and skiis thru the city of Zurich.  I like skiing, but am definitely more of a summer person, and more comfortable at 1,000 ft elevations, expecially when the location involves sand, and water. But....when in Rome...

We decided to embrace our new surroundings and try our luck at skiing/snowboarding on Sunday Jan 23 at a local ski resort called Flumserberg. This would be the Vernon Valley of the East Coast or the Cascade Mtn of the Midwest. It is an hour from our home. We had the option of taking the train to the mountain or driving. Since it was mostly highway (easy for me now!) we decided to drive.

I had booked an instructor for my boys who are new to snowboarding, and a group lesson for my daughter at Bobo's Kids Klub of the Sweisse Ski Schule. We awoke early in the morning to prepare for the adventure. We were all a mix of emotions - me trying to remember everything we needed to bring in terms of equipment, and warm clothes, and planning the drive, the boys were SO excited, my daughter was so scared and nervous for it was her first time on skiis. My husband was rather worried about our boys' safety as he continues to be haunted by the time our older son had broken his arm while prematurely attempting a ski jump, with only a handful of lessons under his belt. It was a glorious moment when we all worked thru our anxieties and finally got out of the haus and on the road.

It was the first time since the drive to school 2 weeks earlier that my husband was in the car with us. We had a lot of laughs telling him about our drives to school, the numerous times we have  gotten lost, our frequent screaching to a halt for pedestrians that dart into the middle of the street, and the crazy drivers. He finally got to see the routes we take and how well we are managing now.  My husband was quite impressed with my greatly improved driving skills, I must add. 

The picture above was taken as we were approaching the mountain. It was so beautiful to see the sun rising and glowing off the mountain. It was just glorious and exciting....and I tried not to get dizzy realizing we were actually going to be skiing somewhere up there....

We arrived at the mountain, and parked at the base near the train station. We saw on the website that we would have to take a Cable Car/Gondola- thing to the ski base. We had no idea how to work all this, lugging the equipment, managing the kids, the crowds, all the signs and instructions being in German, buying tickets, ascending these tall steep stairs to the Cable Car. We were so surprised by how high up this Cable Car would ascend; it was quite intimidating. These mountains are truly unlike anything I'd ever seen before... Massive is an understatement. I kept reminding myself that this is the "beginner mountain," everyone learns to ski here, so we'll manage too.

 To give you an appreciation of the elevation of the mountain, Vernon Valley's summit is 1480 ft, and Wisconsin's Cascade summit is 820 feet. The Elevation of Flumserberg is  7290 ft. and Vertical Drop. 2697 ft. It's a looonngg way down:

Here's the view from the Cable Car.There are some villages at the base of the mountain, by the lake, and somewhere down there, about the size of a dot, is our car.  These evergreen trees are massive, but appear so small from our height. The upper right shows part of Walensee (Lake). If this Cable Car ride had been a ride at Disneyworld, I am not sure I would have ridden it! We were wondering how the engineers managed to design and build this amazing, sturdy system all the way up this mountain. The ride took about 15-20 minutes. Thankfully, it all worked out smoothly and it certainly affirmed our confidence in the precise Swiss Engineering.

We met up with the ski instructors and dropped off the kids for their 2 hour lessons. The boys liked their instructor and are SO glad they took the lessons. They learned a lot, and also learned how inexperienced they are at snowboarding ! K had a tougher time. I am very glad we put her in the childrens ski school. She was clearly the oldest ....probably oldest ever in a kids klub lesson as these Swiss start their kids YOUNG.( I am  not kidding when I tell you I saw a baby skier with a pacifier in his mouth.)

I'm glad that this is how she started, because the lessons went very slowly, and just worked on the basics....walking, balancing, going down a slight decline, getting up from falling. As basic as it was, it was still very frustrating for her, realizing how difficult learning to ski can be.  Her next lessons will be individual private lessons so she can begin to ski.

The boys:

After the lessons, we sat at a nice lodge restaurant and had a nice meal. The kids ordered chicken and pommes frites (french fries), Jason had a Hawaiian Toast (ham & cheese - yummy), and I  had a cup of Hungarian Goulash (beef stew). We treated ourselves to Coke Light and Sprite ! The kids told us about their lessons - the boys dissin' each other about who was worse, and K, having recovered from the trauma/drama of her lesson, agreed to proceed with private lessons....with her dad :)

Some other sights I noted:

* Dogs - I need to write a separate blog about the dogs in Switz. People bring them everywhere. I dont think there is any place you can not bring your dog. I saw one at the ski mountain (no pic), on the public trains, in RESTAURANTS!. The dogs are so well behaved here - I recall only hearing one dog bark. Its amazing!

* Babies skiing - seriously 3 yrs old. As I said, one kid had a pacifier in his mouth.

* parent holding a baby while teaching older children to ski

Then we headed to the cable car, amazed again at the view down the mountain. We enjoyed the drive home, and are looking forward to our next ski outing.

There's a first time for everything....

hello friends, so glad to see you! I have been eager to update you on our happenings, but have been consumed with unpacking, and getting settled. In the evenings, I am so tired, that I just don't seem to have the energy to update my blog. So much has happened in the past 2 weeks or so....or does it just seem so because everything is so new?

Let me try to start chronologically....so I left off with my first driving experience. The next day, our Sea Shipment arrived, which was a joyous occasion. There was a crew of 7 movers who delivered our furniture, clothing, housewares.  The American movers we used were young guys in their 20-30s who really hustled and almost killed themselves with this backbreaking move. This crew was German and very nice, precise and efficient, middle aged, and didnt seem to break a sweat the way the Americans did. For example, it took 2 American guys to carry my big ornate cabinet, while the Germans used 4 or 5 guys to carry it....hmmmm.
They were wonderful, not in a rush, took 2 days to deliver everything, and enjoyed the benefit of our elevator. It was an exciting time - happy to see that most things arrived safely, joyous to make this haus our home, lovely to sit on our own furniture and be comfortable, and good to begin to feel settled again.

A couple things did not arrive in good shape. Primarily, our cooking utensils did not arrive at all. I am thinking that the packers overlooked it entirely. Bummer....  An umbrella stand was smashed in a zillion pieces. A glass door to an Ikea wardrobe closet I bought in the US was shattered... which leads to my next harrowing experience. The movers were going to assemble this big wardrobe closet with glass doors but with one of them broken, I had to go to IKEA Switz to pick up a replacement. I was dreading this. There are 2 Ikeas - one requires me to drive thru Zurich, and the other is 30 mins northwest, enroute to Germany. A 30 minute drive does not normally overwhelm me in the least, but really, 30 mins away in a foreign country by myself is a bit intimidating. So, I reluctantly set off with my 2 trusty aids....the GPS and my navigator 12 year old son (poor thing.) I glanced at the map on mapquest and had a general idea where we were headed. We took off on the highway, and went thru a series of tunnels. I was surprised by how long these tunnels were but what really shook me was that the GPS lost the signal....I didnt know where we were going, what exit or roads we were seeking, and wondered what this tunnel system was under - lakes? rivers? Zurich ?Germany? Also, the road markers here DO NOT use North, East, West, or South for directions....they use towns for direction. I have since learned to head south, you would head toward " Chur, " to head north, you go toward " Bern and Basel". That makes perfect sense, right?  Anyway,  I started to feel a bit panicky so I quickly ausfahrted (exited) somewhere - wound up in a small rural looking village. I was so glad to have my big boy with me, but felt sorry for him - he didnt sign up for this and need this kind of concern. I wanted to cry, but managed to keep it together since I didnt want to scare him. I didnt have a cell phone (the Swiss dont give you permission to get a phone for a while - more on that later) nor did I have anyone to call. My husband was at home with the other kids and even if I could call him - what good would it do? We dont know anyone to call, and we dont have another car. I really just wanted to quit and be back home...wherever that is. I realized I needed to figure this out by myself...and by then the GPS regained consciousness, and I wrote down the directions and we got on our way.  Upon arriving at Ikea, I treated my big boy and me to a yummy vanilla cone and looked for the replacement piece. This Ikea actually did not have the necessary piece, but the other one, on the other side of Zurich has 18 ! They offered to deliver it to me....in 3 weeks. So, all for naught....we did some more shopping, and headed home hours later.

 Next to Ikea was a Burger King. I can not even remember the last time I ate BK in the US, but after this tough experience it looked lovely to me. We ordered 5 sandwiches and 2 fries for $50. I didnt care how much it cost, or how wanton the nutritional content....I wanted to get home and have dinner served. We managed to order it thru the drivethru - causing us to hold our breath as our car is so big compared to the garages, lanes and drive thrus here. It all worked out and we were very glad to make it home uneventfully.

The next day, we had our first visitor from the US. Hubby's friend and colleague was in town and we had a nice afternoon with her. We had lunch at a little restaurant, showed her our haus, and took a walk thru the local Wildepark/Zoo. It was nice to have a familiar bit of America with us !

Monday, Jan 10, the kids started school. A few nights before, we realized that the kids were still a big jetlagged, staying up with us until 10 or 11:00. They would need to awake around 7 for school, so we dialed back their bedtime to 8/9. It was still hard for them to fall asleep at first, but they quickly adjusted.

The kids were so excited to start school. They were anxious to be around other kids and have their structure and social connections. We were equally excited and curious for them. The big morning finally arrived - we were packed and ready by 7:40 to drop the kids at 2 campusses - the Middle School 10 minutes away and then the Lower School 10/15 minutes south on the highway.Should be a piece of cake, right? Its a good thing we left plenty of time to get to school because the GPS directed us to a dead end street, then to a road that is bike path only...hmmm... This GPS gets a bit frustrating.... We finally dropped off the big boy with dad, and somehow got to the Lower School fine. The kids loved their new school right away. It was sweet to see them introducing themselves. I met their teachers and was offered a brief tour. At the end of the day, I picked them up and it was amazing. They were all so happy; each one said that they had a "great" day.  My youngest raved about his school - he thought it was so nice and was amazed at having classmates from Australia, Spain, England, Switzerland, etc.  My daughter enjoyed her teacher, and friends, and going to dance class during lunch recess. My big boy was very happy as well. He said," Mom -this is such a small school - EVERYONE knows 'the new kid'. I asked "Is that good?" He smiled and said "Yeah...sorta!" He was very impressed by the kids being allowed to listen to their IPODS in Art class, getting assigned a computer tablet (wait till he gets to the HS where they are assigned a computer 24/7 and are completely paperless), and they had recess which he LOVED (his prior Middle School did not give any recess). So far, 8 days in, they are all still very happy with school, and  making friends.

I made another trip to Ikea with an expat friend, K1  who brought along and introduced me to another American I will refer to as  K2.  I drove to Ikea since I had the biggest car and we had some large items to haul. This time, I had the benefit of their experience and support. We had a great day together, and I gained much more confidence. K2 spent the Christmas vacation in Egypt. It sounds like an amazing trip and something I would love to do. My daughter is in the same grade as K's daughter and on their own, have become friends, and have played together ! Its so nice to have such normalcy after being unsettled for so long.

 My driving has greatly improved as has my navigational understanding. I have confidently driven the 120 KM on the highway, although every once in a while I treat myself to a little break and get behind a slower moving truck going about 100 km, and stay there.

I attended a new parent orientation at the Middle School and a welcome coffee from the Lower School. It is such a lovely school and the kids are given so many amazing opportunities. The school is very understanding about the effect of moving on the kids and earnestly care about the kids' adjustment and that they feel settled and are happy. I met some other new moms from this school. It is really surprising how international things are here. One of the first things people ask are "Where are you from?" they then comment," oh, this is your FIRST international assignment?" We must appear to  be so quaint and naiive!  Many people here are truly global...that is, they have lived in other places, mainly having spent time/years in London, Dublin, Asia (Shanghai, Thailand, Hong Kong), and some Europeans from the US. There are also several Canadians, Sout Africans, Chinese, Japanese, Brazilians, Spaniards, New Zealanders, and Australians here. I also met a American woman who just moved here from Bermuda. The women all seem very nice and if I had to characterize them, first impressions, that they are so refreshingly down to earth. They seem to enjoy traveling and adventure, resourceful, and quite independent...I think I'm in good company.

I attended my first book club. Another expat had invited me into her English speaking book club. I read the book in Dec before the move and was looking forward to the discussion. It was a lovely mild night, so I walked to my little town's Bibliotek (libary) where the meeting was to be held. It was a nice group of women, perhaps 12, some native Swiss desiring to converse in English, some from the UK, one from NZ, and a couple of Americans (2 of whom are married to Swiss and here permanently).  The host brought cookies and treats and wine. It was a nice discussion of the book, Beyond Chocolate, which, so timely, discusses the Swiss Culture. The major points of discussion concerned the societal characteristics of Privacy (the Swiss only share personal info with close friends and family) whereas Americans are very open and freely discuss personal matters. The Author compares this to a Coconut (Swiss: hard public exterior, sweet personal interior), vs. Peach ( Americans: there's only a thin skin/distinction from our public and personal life).  The author describes the RULES - how the Swiss basically enact rules/laws to ensure courtesy - you must phone before visiting a Swiss, they dont readily invite people into their homes, the term "Friend" is very powerful. They actually use other more accurate terms in describing other people " colleagues" 'neighbor" "Classmate" " book club acquaintence" whereas in the US we would refer to someone as a "workfriend" " friend from college" etc. They use the term" friend " to refer to those whom they have known a very long time and whom they share confidences. It was eye-opening to read this book, and gave the indication that they Swiss are a bit standoffish, but I have actually found everyone to be quite helpful and caring...although I have been careful to not be too personal or chatty with non-English speakers.

Speaking of the small distinction of one's personal and public lives....
I may have explained that our house is very large by Swiss standards. Our entrance floor was historically occupied as a business office, and the upper floor an Apartment with a kitchen, living room, bedrooms, etc.  We are renting the whole thing as one HAUS. So, the entranceway still resembles an office, but once you enter you can see it is a home. So, one morning, I returned home from driving the kids to school and came upstairs to make a cup of tea and start my day of unpacking. I heard a ding dong and realized it must be the door.  I scurried to the entranceway only to be completely startled by a very tall  man standing inside my haus, wearing  bright yellow and black motorcycle garp including the helmet. I almost screamed but quickly realized it was a postman. He neeeded to verify my name and have me sign for a letter. In his haphazard English he conveyed that he thought that this was an office and and I believe I conveyed in my non-existent German this is now a haus only.

Another intersting facet of life here is the existence of horseback riding on public streets. I was shocked the first time I saw a person riding a horse down the street while holding a leash connected to a dog who was walking alongside. The kids and I thought it was hilarious ! I have come to see that this is a daily occurrence. Every day we see horseriders along the street, clipping/clopping along despite the traffic, speeding cars, busses, trucks... and sometimes they are riding on the sidewalks.


Afraid I must sign off....time to retrieve the kids from school. Sending you all much love & misses !

The Excursion

Today was a day I was most dreading...driving the car. When we realized it was not cost effective to bring our sedan from the US to, we decided to buy a used car in Switz. I drove a van and didnt care much for the low to the ground, squooshy sedans, and since I would be the primary driver, I decided on a small SUV. Hubby and I dreaded schlepping around to Swiss car dealers, spending the weekends looking for a car, negotiating with salespeople who largely speak German, and signing agreements in German. It made perfect sense to purchase a car from someone from our English speaking network. Low and behold we came across a family who was moving back to the US the same week we were arriving, selling their Range Rover. Although I initially had a smaller SUV in mind, this seemed like a better idea since we wanted something comfortable for our family, as well as something that could handle the ice, snow, and rough terrain, and be readily maintained.  It proved to be a wonderful opportunity for all of us...it was well cared for, in my price range, and of course the transaction was done simply with a cyber handshake (that would be via email, and the wiring of funds).We were thrilled. Well, I finally met the car yesterday and must admit, its a lot bigger than I envisioned. But, there are loads of RRs here and if other people can drive them, than so can I!
I gave it a little test drive yesterday and was terrified. The street signs are so different, and there's so much to watch out for and the car seems monstrously large on these narrow windy roads.

We were also invited to the home of one of my children's classmates for this afternoon. I was very nervous about driving on the highway. I reviewed some websites offering driving tips, and explaining the rules of the road, and traffic signs. Armed with my Swiss GPS, and my able bodied 12 year old, I thought I was ready. I explained to the kids how nervous I was and asked them to take a vow of silence for the excursion. No talking, no arguing, no touching, no music... just breathing in the car while I'm driving. They eagerly agreed as they were so excited to meet other kids and play with someone/something other than their Itouchs.

My son did a great job helping me with the GPS and telling me the various speed limits. There are only 4 speed limits in Switzerland 30km/hr for villages, 50 for Towns, 60 on major roads, and 120 for the highway. I found it difficult to distinguish a village from a town and even when the road thru a town became a major road. It was very confusing, even when the signs were posted. The streets with giant intimidating names like Schweindenstrasse, and Muhletobeistrasse....I couldn't understand what the German accented GPS voice was saying and then my trusty navigator would  try to pronounce it more phonetically and we'd be quickly approaching it just as I figured it out. Adding to the confusion is the vast amount of Roundabouts and when I'd ask my son, "ok - which way now?" and he'd answer something akin to " This way" or "That way?" what does that mean....left or right or straight?! I can't criticize him...he did an amazing job looking after me, and the speed limit signs and my speed limit ...all displayed on the GPS. After driving for 5 miles, we had to get on the highway ...which actually seemed the easiest place to drive...no pedestrians, no special signs, no bicyclists, no stop lines or signs, no cross traffic. However, I just couldnt bring myself to drive at 120 km/hr. Really...100 seemed fast enough. The kids were so amused when everyone was zooming past us. They were cracking up, just wanting to bust out laughing....and I knew what was so funny. I let them know...I just cant drive any faster. Through their tears of laughter, they were "but mommmmm"ing me, "everyone's passing us." So much for the vow of silence... "Not everyone, there's someone right behind us..." tailing very closely I might add. My elder son, who should be facing forward, helping me navigate, looked to see who could possibly be slower than his mom,"Yeah but its an old lady," who then promptly whipped around and passed me.  We were getting the hang of it, the tension eased by the Maria Andretti grandma, when we rounded a curve and caught an amazing spectacular sight: Lake Zurich with the magestic Alps towering over it. It was, as my daughter said," looked just like the pictures." I gasped... It was a dream come true sight and for a moment I reflected on how fortunate I was...The kids caught my stare... which caused them to scream "Mom - watch the road!" 

The rest is history...it all went smoothly. We arrived at the classmate's house and had a lovely visit. The kids hung out and I was fortunate to chat with the mom. She is British and has lived in Switzerland before, and China, and the US as well, so she's quite well versed in the expat life. She was so kind to share some info and offer some good tips on dining, resorts, skiing, the school, shopping.

Then, we had a largely uneventful trip back home...except for a wrong turn which lead us to take a more circuitous route home...no biggee...just an opportunity to see another part of the area....thank heavens for the GPS...I couldnt drive without it and dread driving without my trusty navigator. I told him that he'll probably be late for school every day since I will need him to navigate the route to the younger kids' school.

After we returned home, we were delighted by visitors. I am fortunate to have been in contact with one of my older son's teachers' wife who live in the same town we do. She stopped by with her son, and we were later joined by her husband ! It was so nice to meet someone who also has been so kind and helpful to us. We had a nice talk and it was great getting to know her and gaining more wisdom from her on doctors, the school, trips, the town we live, skiing, transportation, walking trails, where I should take German language lessons. She was so kind to bring us 3 cakes - one is like cake of a funnel cakes, and the other 2 are King Cakes, as tomorrow is Little Christmas celebrating the 3 kings visit to Jesus. The cakes have a little trinket baked inside and when we eat them, one slice will contain it, and that person will be king for the day. Fun!

Tonight, we called the younger kids' classes back in IL. Just hearing the class of kids yelling" hi" and "bye" in the background made me weepy. They are so sweet and it reminded me of how brave my kids are. They have never complained, nor given us any heartache about leaving their friends. I know it must be hard on them, because its hard on me. I am so excited for this adventure, have no regrets, and know it is the right path for us, but still can't help missing the people we had to leave.

So, this is the ongoing problem of jet lag:  My clock tells me its 1am, but my body is telling me that its only 6pm. I must sign off and get some sleep. This is a big day....our sea shipment arrives. Hooray !

The Ugly Americans

After the peaceful Sunday morning spent at the house, we became a bit undone by evening....

Having just a few hours sleep, and so much excitement, we were all exhausted and ravenous by afternoon. With it being a Sunday, and a holiday to boot, there was virtually nothing open except for the grocery store. We grabbed a bite to eat at the cafe, but I believe the kids were even to sleepy to eat. Despite the freezing temperatures, the kids began to melt on the seemingly long walk home....one by one, they were dragging their feet, in tears, crabby, grouchy....it was all I could do to keep it together, fighting my own exhaustion and crabbiness. When we returned to the house, we all went to our separate corners, the boys in their rooms with their legos, and the remaining 3 of us crashed and asleep on various spots on the hard wood floors. Had someone walked in, they'd have thought they stumbled upon a crime scene.

The nap took a bit of the edge off things, but we were all in a  fragile state by evening. We went by train to a Chinese Restauran where we found it very surprising to hear the asian waitress speak to us in German. Wow ! We enjoyed our food, and had some laughs. Mostly we stared at the large TV screen showing a German Handball (Rugby?) Match.  Still exhausted we returned to the hotel. I looked in the mirror - I looked like I had been run over by the train that returned us to the hotel. Everyone was in full blown crabby mode.....with a little sleep aid, we were all in bed by 9pm, asleep by 9:01,  until hubby woke us as 8am.

That's the ugly truth of night 1.....

Welcome Home !

Whew....what a whirlwind the past 2 days....no make that 2weeks....no make that 2 months....nevermind...

As you know we left IL on Dec 18, just after the kids finished school on the 17th. The weeks before had been a frenzy of sad goodbyes, farewell festivities, holiday concerts, parties, field trips....not to mention  the final throes of moving to a hotel and shipping our remaining household items overseas. It should not have been a surprise that when we awoke on the 18th, we were all still completely exhausted, and my younger son complained of a terrible sore throat. We took off anyway, excited to see our family & friends waiting for us in MD & PA, only to pull over in PA and take said child to CVS minuteclinic for the dreaded diagnosis: Strep Throat which was further confirmed by his throwing up in the store....anyway, what's another night in a hotel ? It should also be noted and not surprising that the other 2 kids contracted the illness....bummer. Hope we didnt share it with anyone else who was so kind to have us over !

So, that's how our nomadic 2 homeless weeks began..... We journeyed to Maryland where we visited old friends, and had a great time in between jaunts to the minuteclinic. I had a fantastic ladies night out with the playgroup gals whom I met when my first son was born and it is just so amazing, touching, and meaningful to me to continue to enjoy their company, and be able to laugh so hard with them after all these years! Then we visited family for a very meaningful time as well. In addition to celebrating Christmas, we were so thrilled to be together to celebrate the baptism of our godson, and share in my FILs big birthday celebration, as well. We enjoyed our time with family and were spoiled with gifts by Aunt Christmas (whose gift giving rivals Santa !)
Then we hit the road again, headed to PA for a couple days to visit with my amazing brothers and their families who braved the Northeastern Blizzard to meet up with us.  The fourteen of us had a nice time at a great place in PA that offered swimming, BINGO!, a bit of snow for outdoor play, and an amazing Carnival for the New Years Week celebration. Cousinfest proved quite fun ! Then, we returned to Maryland for one last goodbye dinner with our amazing dear friends, final round of haircuts and shopping, car care/storage, and farewell to the grandparents. Its always hard to say goodbye, but we know we will return to MD this summer.

Oh my ! While in the hotel in PA, we ran into a couple we know from Zurich - it was surreal....just such a serrendipitous occurrence. It was hilarious and still makes me smile.

The kids have been so amazing. I never imagined how excited they would be for the adventure. They could not wait to go to Switzerland and on the last day in the US they were counting the hours and minutes until we were picked up for the airport. We had a great time driving to the airport, stopping for one last Dunkin Donuts on the way, and laughing and reminiscing about our life in the US. Although I must confess, I need to avoid talking of our IL friends and our pet we had to leave behind as they both still bring me to tears.... : (
They were so cooperative and helpful in the airport, helping to juggle our 10 luggage items, yes, 10 +  4 carryons! ....alright I admit I probably overpacked, but in my defense, we had holidays, the baptism clothing, gifts, snow gear, swimwear, and I wasnt sure how fast our airshipment would arrive. Anyway, our airport maneuvering was comical. Hubby and son 1 would move 4 items of luggage to the desired spot, while the younger 2 and I stayed back with the remaining pieces, then he'd return and take another kid and 4 more pieces, etc. It was a battleworthy approach.

We all enjoyed the flight and reveled in having our own tvs and movies, and yummy food. We all wished it had actually been a longer flight! I also wish we would have slept more....we all hardly slept more than 2-3 hours. I guess we were too excited.

Once we landed, we went thru customs, and immigration without a hitch. A driver picked us up and thankfully fit all of our baggage in the car. We made a few stops, picking up our  housekeys, and a few items hubby stored at his office. The kids were so excited when we finally pulled up at our house. It was a great time - there were snow flurries drifting in the air, church bells were clanging loudly and the kids were cheering. They were overjoyed, and flew into the house and sailed thru every room, and staked their claims on the bedrooms.

We had a few surprises waiting for the kids in the new house. Hubby had managed to drop off some Lego sets, and new clothes, etc earlier in Dec. The kids were so happy....it became a normal Sunday morning : The boys were building their legos, hubby was untangling and figuring out computer wires and sorting mail. I was reading the Christmas cards and pictures that had been forwarded to us from the US - it warmed my heart for me to see them ! My daughter and I were discussing some furniture placement ideas.....just such a normal weekend morning for us.  It was so peaceful....and it felt like home : )