Skiing.

I know that I live in Switzerland, I know I can see the Alps from my house, I know that 15 minutes up the mountain is a perfectly good slope, but I don't care.

I don't want to learn how to ski.

At first I thought, well, I'll be living here, I should learn, it would be cool to say, "I learned how to ski in the Alps" but I totally don't care anymore.

I don't want to.

Why? I don't know. I enjoy the winter. It's not like I'm scared of the snow or the cold - I grew up in Chicago, and lived in Minneapolis for nearly 6 years - but skiing (or snowboarding) just doesn't appeal to me.

It's such a shame because I have some friends who would KILL to be in my position. Oh well.

Here are some reasons why I don't want to learn:
1. It's expensive! I know cycling is an expensive sport to start, too, but at least you don't have to pay for lift tickets each time you cycle.
2. It's dangerous! I am a firm believer in Murphy's Law - I would probably break a bone if I went skiing. Or hit a tree and die. Or ski off a cliff. And it's not like I get sick days in this job.
3. It honestly does not interest me.

I'm getting a little annoyed with everyone who tells me I have to learn (especially the people who ARGUE with me, and say, "yes, you do!"). Actually, I don't. I really don't have to learn. And if I really, really wanted to learn, I would have made it happen by now. Trust me.

That's my little rant. I've got no problems with skiers, or the idea of skiing, I just don't really want to do it myself. If I end up living in Switzerland, I will be happy to give it a try. But since I'm returning to the States in about 5 months, to flat lands, I'm not going to waste my time on it now - I'd rather go to an art museum or the symphony. Or Paris or Vienna or somewhere.

And I promise, if I change my mind, I will give it a try. But don't try and make me.

Nothing, really.

Things have been pretty quiet around here. Nothing too exciting is happening, life is continuing as normal. Which is really nice; I was expecting time to drag after Dan left, to feel really sad and mopey. Luckily, not the case. There is still a lot to do: kids that demand a lot of attention, French to study, friends to see, etc. I think it was a little easier to say goodbye to Dan this time because I know I work for a great family, I have made great friends, and I'm actually learning French. Saying goodbye at O'Hare was awful - I was walking into a huge unknown. Exciting, but scary. Would I like my family - my employers and landlords? Would they like me? Would I make friends? Would I be able to communicate with the children? This time around, I know all those answers, so saying goodbye was just plain sad, not scary.

Anyway, here's a funny story. The other day I was trying to explain to Malko that in Switzerland people speak 4 languages: French, Swiss German, Italian, and Romansch. Malko totally didn't get it. He kept saying, "no, is Switzerland we speak French!" After a few times around he really stopped to think about it. Then he said, "In my country we speak 10 languages!" And I said, "Oh really? What's your country's name?" And he said, "Maranakanoir, but in English it's called Spootz." Then he starting listing off languages, "French, English, and Serbian..." and then he stopped. I said, "Malko, that's only 3 languages! What are the other 7?" He said, "It's only 3? Well, we only speak 3 languages then."

These are my two favorite pictures of Malko.
Isn't he darling?

Well, I'm off to read. I'm in the middle of reading 4 different books in English, and one in French. Two of the English books are theology, two are fiction. The French book is a children's novel (about 80 pages with a few illustrations) about a cat that doesn't want to eat animals, but just can't help himself (um, I think - I don't always pull out my dictionary cause it's huge). It's called Journal d'un chat assassin. And it's really funny (from what I gather).

That's all for now. Happy Tuesday and I'll do something exciting so I can blog about it.

Whew.

I'm back!

Right now I'm at Chalet Wildhorn, in Anzère. Same place I came with my friends this past October. And it is so beautiful right now. There is a thick blanket of snow covering everything, and it is sunny and pretty warm. I'm out on my balcony, enjoying the sunshine, and a little peace and quiet. There are 24 of us here this time, and 11 are skiing, 11 are sledding, and me and one other girl are chilling at the chalet. Why am I not participating in a snow activity in this snowy paradise? Well, I don't want to. Honestly, I'm worn out. The last month has been absolutely wonderful, but I am in need of a little alone time and zero physical activity.

And I still haven't recovered any photos. I'm so heartbroken. Pictures of Manchester, Dublin, and Bern. There might be some hope, but I'm not crossing my fingers. Oh well. Just photos, right? At least I didn't lose my passport. On to my adventures.

I had an absolute blast in the UK with my family. Aunt Peggy and Uncle John absolutely spoiled me rotten. Seriously. I barely did anything... just slept and relaxed. I did get a haircut, just a trim, which Aunt Peggy took care of, as a Christmas gift. It was soooo nice being with my family, and seeing old photos, and eating old family recipes (like Nana's butter balls and nutbread angel food cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting). I also had Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese, Parmesan Goldfish crackers, root beer, Doritos, Lucky Charms, Oreo's, and other American junk food. It was wonderful. Super wonderful. It was just so nice to spend Christmas with family, and be in a house that was immediately comfortable and recognizable. The UK is such a smash-up of America and Europe, I decided. And I liked it.

I had the BEST time in Ireland. Yes, seeing Dan was the best part of the whole vacation, but it was so so so fun to be with Dave, Jason, and Rabin, and to meet all of Lawrence's friends from when he lived there. I got to see his office, the kitchen he built, and the building where he lived. I also just loved Dublin. We saw soooo much - the Guinness factory (awesome! another life goal accomplished), Newgrange (a tomb 1000 years older than the pyramids, take that, Egypt!), Powerscourt, Glendalough, Trim Castle, etc. It was so beautiful. I can't wait to go back. It's definitely a place where I could see myself living. The New Year's party we went to was great too - we missed midnight, because everyone was too busy making drinks and talking and laughing. I popped the champagne at about 11:50, and after a glass or two (or three) I asked the hostess, "what time is it?" She quick looked at her watch, blanched, and starting counting down... "10, 9, 8, 7..." It was 12:02. So very Irish. Loved it.

Dan and I made a quick stopover in Manchester for a night, and then headed back to Switzerland, where we spent nearly two wonderful weeks together. I was working most of the time, but it was nice just to do normal, everyday things with him. The kids absolutely loved him, despite the language barrier, and had a blast playing with him and making music. Dan and I also got to do quite a bit, despite my working a lot. We visited the Château de Chillon, which was incredible, and spent a weekend in Bern, which was gorgeous, but very, very cold, and took a day trip to Gruyères, and visited the Château there. Gruyères is incredibly beautiful and looks like a postcard. I would post pictures but... you know. So do a google image search and we'll call it a day.

Anyway, Dan left Thursday, and it pretty much broke my heart. Luckily, I was working, so I didn't have to worry about moping alone, cause as soon as I got back into the house, the kids were all over me, demanding things and asking questions. And since it was a beautiful day, I opened the back door to the deck, and let the dog out for a few minutes.

And then the stupid dog escaped.

Which, really, was a good thing, cause it got my mind off of Dan's departure, and got me outside with a pocket full of treats, searching for a pure white dog in a field of snow. The dog came back, thankfully, but I'm never letting her outside again without her electronic collar (which I didn't put on cause I couldn't find).

Anyway, I'm kinda tired, and I think I'm going to cook a little something, in the great big kitchen in our chalet. I'm probably going to make some more frosting for the cake I made yesterday. Mmmm.....

Schedule for today and tomorrow - relaxation! Yea! Not that I don't miss Dan (a whole bunch), but I definitely need some alone time/recharge my batteries time.

à plus tard!

heartbroken.

I just lost about 400 photos of Ireland.

I'm really hoping I can restore them, but things are looking pretty bleak right about now.

I'm not dead yet

but you might have thought so because I haven't posted in ages.

I spent a wonderful week in the UK with my family for Christmas, and then a wonderful week with the lads in Ireland and my favorite person in the world (Dan).

Now I'm back in Switzerland, and Dan is here with me, and I probably won't post again til he leaves. Sorry Internet, I'd rather give him my undivided attention.

A bientot!