Not Quite Three Weeks

I haven't reached my three week mark yet (it is officially tomorrow night).  However, I feel like I have been here for forever. I don't know if I emphasized how much I was thrown into the deep end with the family.  I was here without them, to fend for myself in a new country.  The family came back, I had the kids for 12 hour days. Back to school was a whole new experience and then last week I had an overnight with the kids. I have been doing a good job (gotten several compliments about how well I am doing, especially considering everything). Host-papa told me it seemed like I have been here for a long time! Eeeek...

Days like today. I remember the previous aupair for the family said she has days when she thinks "why do they need me."  I am having that feeling today.  I came home from Zurich to be here for the kids when they got back from the bus. I just finished giving them their snack and now I am off for the afternoon? Their Mom is here to do homework, crafts, etc with them.  I now have the next 8 hours to kill before it is bedtime. Hmm.. what to do?

I know my previous post may have seemed a little soon to complain about anything. Ultimately, this is a great opportunity. The family is pretty great and I shouldn't be complaining. I live in Switzerland.  My life is nothing to complain about.

And it is true. I have been enjoying it. I do enjoy the kids.  I have met a few new people. One of the reasons I liked this family more than others, was because of the previous aupair. She was honest about the job and she was already introducing me to her friends! It seemed like the transition would be smooth and it has been.  I am slowly meeting more people, and trying to not "bother" people or cling on too tightly.

I am realizing how much free time I have. Something I haven't had a lot of since around January when I started working two jobs and trying to have some semblance of a social life. Now, I have days when I will work for a couple of hours (today I made breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen, did some ironing all before 11:30am..).  I went to the city for coffee with a friend. I am looking to classes (art, working out, cooking) to take (all of which will be in Swiss German) and will soon start learning French.

I am trying to figure out what else to do! I will be reading a lot. I can tell you that now, so if you have any good book suggestions let me know. I found the European version of Ebay and a used book store with an English section.

I have found that I missed out on many classics over the years. While I don't like Pride and Prejudice or written about a similar time period (I think it is the feminist inside of me..maybe?).

I will hopefully be doing some reading about the economy/micro-financing etc. in my attempt to learn as much as I can about what I want to dedicate my life to. I will also be watching a lot of Ted Talks (ted.com I really recommend it for those random 15 min you have nothing to do during).  Lisitening to NPR and of course watching John Steward (who is going on vacation for the next two weeks =(.

I sat down over the weekend and looked up places I wanted to go. I read about things to do in Zurich and where to go around the city.  I am pricing out trips and signing up for every travel newsletter I can possibly find!

Three weeks and I think I am doing pretty well! A couple of friends, I can get around, and I have two trips planned! Now I just have to fill the gaps!

Opps

So I love Google. More and more everyday google gives me something I want. Today, I  was looking at Picasa as a way to upload photos because it takes so long to put the in blogs or on Facebook. I LOVE it! It is so easy. It works on your computer and you press one button and they are uploading to your webpage which you can share with other people.

Google is amazing. Unfortunately, my computer skills are not always as amazing. I deleted a bunch of pictures from one album on my online photos and even though Google warned me I clicked yes and then immediately realized what I did! It deleted most of the pictures from my blog. So I am slowly putting them back up but it takes some time!

Just thought I would explain why the blog is a little bit of a mess at the moment! In the long run you will see more pictures of my trips and life here! (A real weekend update tomorrow!)

Living where you work

I was an RA for 3 years. I lived on campus; worked on campus; all of my friends were on campus. I ate on campus. My room was the "office" where I was always available to residents or to a 3am page because people were being to loud or were too drunk to get to their rooms. I thought this experience would help me in taking on my new job. I mean I had in fact lived where I worked.  There were weeks when I didn't leave campus at all. It was my life and I loved it!

It is not the same working as an aupair. Your friends aren't your co-workers.  My employer owns the house I live in. They buy the food for me and cook some of the meals.  I am asked regularly if I will be having dinner with the family or not. It is a tricky balance to find too.  It is nice to have dinner with them when I am not working but I also feel like I am invading family time.

It is Saturday. Gabrielle came into my room. She was looking at my pictures and asking me about my family.  I was fine with it.  The host Dad came down and said "Gabrielle, you know your not supposed to bother Michelle on the weekends."  It is moments like that when I realize that I am the help.  I think it is awkward and difficult for Gabrielle to understand that I do get paid to hang out with her, but it doesn't mean I don't like doing it.  I do appreciate that when I am in my room, it is my time. When you live where you work the line must be drawn.  But how can I really ever be off? I wasn't "off the job" as an RA unless I was off campus.

I think I have found the solution to the problem. I am going to start going on day trips as much as possible.  I can get to Germany, France, Italy, and Austria within a couple of hours by train and I can get all around Switzerland as well. So it is a great excuse to get out of the house.

It is difficult to go from having my own everything to living under someone else's roof and essentially living their life.  I also know that I will learn how to find the balance of it all but for now it is just a tad awkward to live where you work.

Volcanoes and Dance Parties

I figure after several posts about Switzerland, I should give a little update about the kids! This week is their first full week of school.  This means starting to get the routine down.  I get up around 7. Brush my teeth, make their snacks for school and lunches on Wednesdays.  Paul and Gabrielle get woken up around 7:30am and the bus arrives at 8:19am. Breakfast, teeth, hair, beds made, and thus far we have had time to read almost every morning! I am that good =)

I am learning this schedule only to have it change once the new baby (it's a girl!) is born. Tuesday I got to spend the afternoon with Gabrielle.  We listened to some High School Musical and Miley Cyrus. Then held a mini dance party! Gabrielle's rendition of "Smack That" might have been the cutest thing I have ever seen. Close your eyes for a second. Think of a tiny, blonde hair, blue-eyed, 6-year-old, dancing to "Smack That" featuring Eminem. Hilarious! (I have posted a link to the song below so that you can listen to how wildly inappropriate the words are. It was on their iPod so we danced to it!)

Then we went to the park where Gabrielle made me do obstacle courses. This involved running and jumping and doing things that Gabrielle can do without thinking but for it is was just hilarious to watch as I tried to contort my body into small spaces!

We made dinner and had a great time all and all!

Wednesday, Gabrielle had a play-date, so Paul and I got to spend the afternoon with each other. He is definitely a little more difficult to entertain. As he ate his snack, I listed about 20 things we could and he just stared blankly at me.  It was sooo nice outside so I kept saying we should go outside. He wanted to go on the computer, watch TV, or play Wii (what the family has dubbed as "squarebox time").  These are things he is not allowed to do during the week.  I suggested baking something because he loves his sweets so while we wouldn't be running around in the sun, just maybe we could have a delicious prize as a result of our afternoon!

Eventually he decided we were going to make a volcano. We got a bottle and made the first one in the backyard. Then we went to the near by park and build a volcano with sand and made another one! It was fun.  He enjoyed it and then we were at the park! So we did a few obstacle courses. He asked me if I had ever been to Disneyland, Sea World, LegoLand, and a few other places. I was able to answer yes to all of them, which he thought was awesome. We talked about those places for awhile while on the swings. We did a few more competitions and came back to the house.

Finally, we had bonded, or so I thought. The second we got to the house it was all about wanting "squarebox time."  So the period of time he liked me soon passed by.  Eventually, we played a few more games inside until it was time for bathes and dinner.

It was really nice to get some alone time with each of them. Although, I am glad they have each other since they play really well together most of the time.  I am enjoying things so far, but we are going to have our first go at homework tonight which will be quite the battle I am told. So wish me good luck!

Smack that - Akon. ft. Eminem - For your listening pleasure!

Lakes are not Oceans

The trams in Zurich. 

I moved to a landlocked country, something I never thought I would do! Luckily for me, I live about a mile away from a gorgeous lake! I find a great peace in being by large bodies of water, as corny/cheesy/silly as that sounds! I have grown up loving the beach and being a few miles aways from it. When I moved to DC, I knew that the ocean was far away, but I did have a river.  Now I have a lake and a couple of rivers, which is definitely an upgrade! I spent the last few days enjoying the lake. 
I had the afternoon off on Friday (my life is really hard!). I went into Zurich to wander around by myself for the first time. I, of course, ended up at the lake side of Zurich. I found myself a lovely place on the grass right next to the lake and sat and read. It was the first really nice day since I have arrived so it was great to be outside, in a dress! 

This is what the average drinking
fountain looks like. 

I, of course, ended up at the lake side of Zurich. I found myself a lovely place on the grass right next to the lake and sat and read. It was the first really nice day since I have arrived so it was great to be outside, in a dress! 

Zurich is a clean city, just as I have been told. The city is not very large and it seems very quaint. There is a lot going on but it really does seem like people are just enjoying life! I found that after long periods of bad weather a city livens up and everyone just seems happier when the sun comes out. So I think that was probably the case on Friday!

The sunset in Zurich

I people watched, listened to the street performers, and read my book. I unfortunately couldn't do much eavesdropping, as my German is not very good! It was a lovely afternoon into the evening. I watched the sun start to set.  I then strolled down to grab some food and sat by the river that flows out of the lake. 

These guys were pretty good!
(Janille- they sang Wonderwall) 

Saturday I found myself at a part of the lake near the house. I walked down and found an area with grass and people! It was quite beautiful! I read some more and went swimming.  I have swam in lakes before, but after looking at all the fish that could be found in this one it made me unnecessarily nervous so I got in the water anyway.  I do love being in water so it was great to lie on my back and float for while, read some more, and then go back the water. 

My mini-(lake) beach!

I like the ocean because it seems endless.  It also has waves and less rocks than the lake. Moss also creeps me out a little. More than seaweed does.  While I may be an ocean girl, this lake is extremely beautiful and, well, its all I've got! So I enjoyed another day by the lake today. Swimming and reading in the sun is one of the best things ever!

The happiest puppy in the world!!!

I hope to continue my days at the lake until they are days at the lake with a jacket, hat, mittens, and a cup of some hot! 

Continuing to Adapt and Discover

Today was a great day! It was the beginning of a real schedule and we had a family dinner to celebrate my host-father's birthday. I got my chores done, attempted to go for a run (which included me tripping and falling, my ipod dying, and me recognizing that a month without running makes you incredibly out of shape!).  The positive: I found my favorite spot to read in my neighborhood. I was walking up the hill after tripping and reached a peak that looked over the lake, houses, and mountains.

In my area and around Zurich there are signs for trails called Wanderweg. I followed these trails on my "run."  I continued and got home. I am starting to recognize many of the street names to get back to my house! So I made it back. Did some ironing and whatnot.  The sun was coming out, which it hasn't done very much in the last week so I walked back with my camera and a book back to my spot. It has benches and grass! It is absolutely breathtaking (which I don't think my pictures get across!).

I had a good afternoon with the children and both parents were home today. We surprised the father with a birthday dinner which had some difficulties along the way but it turned out nice. I wasn't sure if I was going to join them but I decided that it would be better.  I have been struggling with living with my "employers."  They have been so welcoming but I am so nervous about not doing something right or the kids missing the bus or something ridiculous! They don't eat all together very often during the week so it was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of. It was great to sit down and get used to being around as just a member of the household.

My life is so surreal right now! I just can't believe I am actually in Switzerland and will be here for a year! Below are pictures of my new favorite spot to walk to and read! I really couldn't stop taking pictures so I will spare you from most of them but here are a few.

If those clouds cleared completely
you would see the snow-capped Alps!

Adapting to Life as an Aupair

The last few days were very busy. Filled with games, cooking, and a whole slew of rules and procedures.  Yesterday we went to a park for a couple of hours.  It was not like the parks I went to as a child. Similar things to do, but we were in the rolling hills of Switzerland. I was struck by the beauty that was these kids everyday life. I am guessing that people may think that about parts of San Diego and the beach.  There were cows and horses during the 10 minute walk to the park! Plus, there each of the toys was shaped like animal (a cat, spider, and HIPPO!)! How cool is that?

Here are a couple pictures of the kids playing! It really was a fun afternoon! I was just ready for bed by the end of the day!

It was a bit overwhelming last night but I know that it is completely doable. I got up this morning and sent the children off to school for their first day. It went surprisingly smoothly, which is not how it will be every morning, but it was nice to start off the year on the right foot.  As many of you know, I am very set to timetables and HATE to be late for things, so that will hopefully help me with making sure that we get to practices and school on time!

Today I went to an aupair meeting. It is every Wednesday and it is a great way to meet people. It is how the previous aupair for my family met her friends.  There were just 3 of us there today. One who was very good friends with the aupair I replaces and another girl from Denmark. Both of them will be here for awhile longer so that is nice. (The last two girls I met are leaving in the next month or so).

I am slowly getting more comfortable in the house and the neighborhood. The language barrier is definitely intimidating.  I don't know when people are talking to me or what they are saying when they are. I am trying to learn some basic phrases but Swiss German is not the easiest language to remember.  I am getting more comfortable with that and trying to ask if someone speaks English. My family doesn't speak the language very much either, which is comforting, knowing that I will be able to get by.  I will be looking into starting French lessons soon as well.

First Day with the Kids!!

Translation: Dear Michelle,
Welcome to my country and
my house.
Gabrielle

I met Paul and Gabrielle this morning! It was very exciting and about 12 hours later also exhausting.  They are extremely sweet kids. They adapted so quickly to me. They are very loving and constantly hugging or jumping on top of me or each other. We played a few card games and a board game, restaurant, and cut up and colored snowflakes.  I think that the weather outside (about 50 degrees and raining confused us on what season it is!).  I LOVE that my job includes coloring! It was a fun day and I am excited for tomorrow! 

There are a lot of things to learn about the routine and habits within the household so there is constantly new information being thrown out there but I am hoping I will get it down quickly. I will be learning the rules of the roads in Switzerland this weekend and shown where the kids go to swimming and other activities. 

The mother speaks French to the children so I am hoping that will help me pick up the language as the year continues. 

Love and miss you!! 

My First Weekend

My host-father left for the weekend to meet up with the rest of the family so I have been left on my own for the weekend.  One of the previous aupair's friend's took me around Zurich on Friday . We ate kabobs by the river.  She showed me where the aupairs meet on Wednesdays so I will go to that next week and hopefully meet some people.  There are lots of little streets and cobblestone walkways with shops (pictures to come next time I go into the city).

Saturday was Zurich's Street Parade. It is one of the largest Street Parades in the world. Even though the forecast was rain they estimated about 600,000 people would be on the streets from 1pm-midnight. I met up with the girl from Friday and a few of her friends. It was pretty epic! There were thousands of people and "Love Mobiles" with different music and themes. In addition, there were a bunch of stationary stages throughout with other DJs.  People were dressed up in all sorts of costumes.  The group of people I went with did an 80s work out theme.

There are a couple of pictures below but they aren't very good but you can see a couple of the Love Mobiles and then the immense amount of people.

The family's road trip back from France started late so it looks like I will be meeting them in the morning!

Best described as the jungle gym 15 years later. 

My First Exploration!

I wandered around Thalwil for a few hours today. It is

gorgeous and very hilly! Below are some pictures. I walked down to the lake which is very large! I will be going into Zurich (about 15 min away or so) tomorrow with one of the previous aupair's friend's to get a little bit of a tour!

This was about a block from my house!

A clock tower by the lake!

 I made it to the lake!!! It was about a 20-30 minute walk down hill from my house! The walk back was a great work out! Looking forward to more of those to come!

Rumor has it that Tina Turner lives on that side of the lake!

My travel book talked about cow festivals and things related to cows. From what I could tell, this was just the front of someone's home! Awesome is really all I can say!

Pictures of the House!

I have been in Thalwil, Switzerland for 2 days now. I had a very ambitious plan for my first full day yesterday.  I was going to explore the area and unpack. Instead, I woke up at 3:30am and was exhausted for the remainder of the day. I did, however, get unpacked and put up pictures around my room. The rest of my day included Skyping and napping.  When my host father got home from work, we got my public transportation cards and did some grocery shopping. He made us dinner and we had some lovely conversation.

This morning I did take some pictures of the house and will take more of area later this afternoon.  I just took pictures of the kitchen, living room, backyard and my bedroom.  I am hoping to make it to the store to pick up a few things and then wander a little. Unfortunately, it is raining out.  I still have my Southern California mentality that you don't need to do anything when it is raining.  Unfortunately this is not the case since rain is extremely common in most other places around the world.

Anyway, enjoy the pictures! Love and miss you =)

Thalwil

I am sitting in my new bedroom in the canton of Thalwil, which is just a few kilometers outside of Zurich.  I got a driving tour of both areas last night when Bruce (my house dad) picked me up from the airport. The city looks small but very clean as everyone said. Zurich has a big lake that extends out into the villages nearby. There are also 2 rivers that flow out of the lake through the city.

Thalwil is very quaint. There is a big park within walking distance. I hope to explore it later today. There are some cute shops and a Starbucks which I am told is where expats hang out often. I am looking forward to exploring everything in the next couple of days.

The previous aupair left me a few numbers to call so I will call them later today and hopefully meet up with them this week as well. There is a huge street fair on Saturday which I am told I have to go to! The whole family will be out of town this weekend so I have a lot of time to myself, which should be interesting.  I will meet them on Sunday night and then we have Monday and Tuesday to play and get to know each other and they start school on Wednesday!

I will take and post some pictures later today but now I am going to try to go back to sleep!

The Trip to Zurich

Hello Everyone!!!

I have not quite made it to Zurich yet, but I am sitting in Dusseldorf, Germany with a free internet connection so I thought I would give a little update! I am super excited to finally be starting this year. I have been talking about it for months and it is just about time to start!  I think I am still a little overwhelmed and unaware of the fact that I just moved to Switzerland for the year.

I was able to spend a month in California with family and friends which was great! Leaving home is never easy, no matter how many times I do it. I miss everyone already but am so grateful for the opportunity to do something like this.

Bruce, my host-dad, will be picking me up from the airport tonight. The kids are in France with their Mom visiting their grandfather.  I will have a few days to get settled in my room and adjust to the time difference before I meet the kids and start my job!

That is all for now!!!