Camille en Suisse.

Kind of anti-climatic, huh

2009-09-12T17:45:00.002-05:00

I'm back in the USA, and I've been home for nearly two months. And it's been wonderful and boring and happy and sad and every emotion in between. And I've let this blog sit. Lots of family and friends kept asking me to finish up, but I've been putting it off. It's been difficult to put these jumbled thoughts and vague feelings into words, but I'll give it a shot.

Coming home has been one of the weirder experiences of my life. While it was amazing to see family, catch up with some friends, and spend every second possible with Dan, it still feels... off. I think a lot of it has to do with the whole "not working/contributing to society in some way" thing. I keep thinking, "I'm sure everything will fall into place once I get a job", but a little voice keeps telling me that's only part of it.

When I arrived in Switzerland, I feel like I fit in so very well. There seemed to be a little Cam-shaped puzzle piece available in the picture of Swiss life, and I just slipped right in and started living. Coming home, it seems I've... outgrown, for lack of a better term, the little Cam-shaped space I left. I've changed, some edges have softened, and some have sharpened, and now I'm struggling trying to get the new Cam to fit in the old Cam space. The thing is, I don't want to compromise either. I don't want to forget who I was, before my life was changed by the intoxicating beauty of Switzerland, and I don't want to compromise what I've become. I suppose (that is to say, I know) this is just another part of life, learning to how to deal when you grow and change, something I'm constantly reminded will never stop happening. I suppose that might be one of the most important things I can learn.

I remember the end of the movie, The Return of the King, part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Frodo has returned to Bag End, everything should be right and well, but he feels unsettled. He writes in his book, "How do you pick up the pieces of an old life?" Frodo, that question has been plaguing me since I saw the Chicago skyline from my window seat right before the airplane landed.

I don't know. But I'm giving it a shot.

Again, I'll use someone else's idea and paraphrase from the poet Rilke; I will try to live into the answer. I guess all I can do is live the question, and I will someday live into the answer.

changes

2009-07-05T03:41:00.002-05:00

It's been really frustrating keeping in touch with the American world since my laptop was stolen. The family has been so generous in lending me a computer, but it is old, and Skype doesn't really work, and it has problems staying connected to the internet. Sigh. I've been able to talk to my dad once since May, and haven't even been able to talk to my mom, so I'm kind of ready to be done with wonky internet and just go home.

I constantly remind myself that things will be different when I go home. It almost feels like I just hit a pause button; like time in the US hasn't moved, and it's all relative to time here. However, I know that's not true, and life has been speeding along like usual. A lot has happened in the States since I've been gone. Obama was elected President, the economy crashed and burned, my dad is looking for work, my brother became a Rev. (!), a friend was diagnosed with leukemia, treated, and now healthy, Dan's father had a second brain surgery, countless friends have been engaged, married (or both in a few short months), and many friends are expecting children, or have had children. Some of my friends have announced pregnancy, carried the baby, and had the baby since I've been here. Things are static nowhere. So much as changed, and I am so excited to go home and see it all for myself.

On the other hand, I have changed incredibly. From little, silly habitual changes, to deep, personal changes in my heart. For example, I am a total wine-drinker now, and every social function I attend (especially ones with my church friends!), I bring a bottle of wine. I have made my bed everyday but one since I've been here (somewhere in the Chicago suburbs my mom is having a heart attack). I also have learned to listen to myself better, and I know very well when I need quiet time and when I need social time. I have learned to accept parts of my personality that I always tried to disown. I have spent time with God, and fallen more deeply in love with Him than I ever have before. I also am pretty conversationally fluent in French, enough where I'm reading Harry Potter in French, and I've turned the English subtitles off my favorite French movies. I think that's pretty good for one year of study.

So, when a changing home and a changing Cam collide, what will happen? I have no idea. I know somedays it will be tough, and I'll be wistful for my view of Mount Blanc, Gruyére cheese, and chocolate. We'll deal with that when I get there. Right now, however, I'm longing for my parents, the little country road of Illinois 127, the beautiful skyline of Minneapolis, and a 32 oz. Coke from Portillo's.

Paris

2009-06-25T03:43:00.002-05:00

I spent the last weekend in Paris, and it was wonderful.

I love this short from Paris, Je T'aime, and I have to share it with everyone.

Thanks a lot, France

2009-06-13T09:55:00.002-05:00

One month left.

Then I'm back in America, happily surrounded by friends and family, and yummy Chicago food. I'm really trying to enjoy my last moments here, like seeing Mount Blanc from my backyard, driving through vineyards, and enjoying the company of my amazing friends.

Dan and Laura were here, and it was wonderful to have them. The day after they left, my friend Ashley stopped in for a week. While I'm so thankful they visited (I feel so loved!), I think I'm still getting over my exhaustion. Hosting is exhausting, especially when you play translator.

Anyway, Ashley and I decided to take a road trip to the south of France. The family recently bought me a car (I know, I am so spoiled) so we were enjoying the freedom of a spontaneous trip. It was Pentacost weekend, so I had three days and was excited to spend them on the Mediterranean.

Well, we decided to stay in Marseille, and that was our first mistake. We had pulled into the city, thought "hmm, looks like we arrived in the not-so-nice area of town", but quickly forgot when we realized how beautifully warm it was outside. We unrolled the front windows and sat in traffic.

Now, I can't say that what happened next is the worst thing that ever happened to me, but I'm pretty sure it's up there on my list.

Some skinny kid jumped off the back of his friends scooter, and his friend waited two cars ahead of us. He snuck up behind my car, reached in through my open window, and unlocked the back door. He opened the back door, I heard, looked back, Ashley said, "hey!" and reached back, and he was gone, running and jumping on the back of the scooter, clutching MY Mozart bag. The Mozart bag I bought at Mozart's house in Vienna, Austria. The Mozart bag that contained my Macbook, and my camera. The bag that contained my life, and approximately $2000 worth of stuff.

All of this happened in about 20 seconds.

I screamed louder than I previously thought possible, something not printable, and could not get my stupid seat belt off for the life of me. Ashley was trying to put her shoes back on and get out to chase the guys. We're still stuck in traffic, and I watch, helpless as they turn down a little alley. When I finally got my seatbelt off I had to get out to shut my car door, and as soon as traffic moved I shot down that alley searching for them, muttering things like, "I wish I had a gun. I'd shoot him." and other pleasantries such as "I'm going to find him and peel his skin off while he's still alive. Then we'll see if he wants my laptop." Then it all hit me and I broke down in tears.

Ashley was an angel through all of this. She let me decide the rest of our weekend and patiently listened to my complaints. After I calmed down we found our hotel, they took great care of us, and the next morning we went to the police. I'm very proud of myself, because I was able to file a whole police report in French and only needed a little help! We had met three girls at the hostel, and one spoke French, so she was a doll and came with me to the station to help me translate. The rest of Sunday we spent in Cassis, which is far lovlier than Marseille, and got to sit at the sea for a while. Then we headed home, not entirely defeated but with lower spirits than when we started.

I still cringe when I think of everything I lost. I used my laptop like a notebook and journal and took it everywhere. I lost about 1200 photos that weren't stored anywhere else. All my photos from Ireland, England, Czech Republic, and Austria are gone. The book I was writing is gone. Well, most of it. Luckily, I have spent a lot of time handwriting this year, so I still have notes and decent parts of the story.

My host family has been so generous, and I'm currently using their old laptop. Skype doesn't really work, but at least I have emails! It's a French keyboard so typing is a little tricky cause some letters and switched, and most punctuation marks are in different spots.

I'll try to keep posting before I go - so much is happening! I'm probably going to Paris next weekend (finally!), and then soon the new au pair comes and then I'm gone! I can't believe it.

Until next time!

P.S. If you happen to be in the black market in Marseille and see a beat-up Macbook, steal it back for me, ok? And a black and silver Canon Digital Rebel Xt. Ok, that's all.

woot

2009-05-21T05:29:00.002-05:00

Dan and Laura are here! Dan arrived Tuesday, and Laura arrived Wednesday, all safe and sound. We are going to Bern in a few minutes, and then tomorrow... who knows. :) Saturday we might go to France, Sunday, Dan's playing guitar and I'm singing at my church. They leave next Wednesday, and while I already don't want them to leave, I can't be too sad, because my time is flying by, and sooner than later I'll be back in the good ole U S of A.

Dan is being really mean to me right now, I'm going to go and teach him a lesson. Like spit in his tea or something. That will teach him, right?

Ok maybe not, but maybe I'll leave him in Bern and make him find his own way home.

pensées

2009-05-03T14:41:00.003-05:00

My flight has been booked, I will be home July 14, just in time for my Momma's birthday. I'm very excited, but a little sad. I obviously want to be by my family and friends again, but I can't help but feel I'm leaving a piece of my heart here, somewhere in between the Alps, Lake Geneva, and the Jura mountains.

I've made a few new friends; some girls who have just arrived to Switzerland, full of excitement and wonder. Spending some time with them and all their newness has made me a little bit thoughtful and reflective on my time here. I have been blessed beyond comprehension in my relationships. I have so many friends that I love dearly and trust fully. The beauty of Switzerland is only intensified with every new landscape I see. Right now, the fields are carpeted with yellow flowers, the trees are full of leaves, and cows are grazing in the valleys - I still love hearing the sound of cowbells in the distance. I love driving home at twilight, and seeing the sky tinged pink above the mountains, listening to the mix cds Dan has sent me, with the windows down, breathing in the fresh, clean Swiss air. I will miss the beauty of this place, and the remarkable people I have encountered.

But I'm slowly and surely getting ready for the next stage of my adventure. What it is exactly, I can't plainly say, but I'm sure it will be just as remarkable as this stage of my life, but probably with less dramatic scenery.

Settle down, everyone.

2009-04-25T08:30:00.003-05:00

Dear Family, friends, and other random people,

I've been a little busy. I'm sorry I've neglected my blog, but I'm in Switzerland, and (most of) you are not, so what are you going to do about it? I'm teaching you a lesson in patience.

Cam

Anyway, I'm in Anzére right now, and I'm so happy. This is my third time at Chalet Wildhorn, and it just feels like a home away from home in Switzerland. Super chill, super relaxed. The weather is a bit cool, but absolutely beautiful. I never get sick of staring at the mountains. It's gonna be a rough move (scenery-wise) back to the Midwest.

Stay tuned, I'm going to be posting about my trips to Munich, Prague, Vienna, and Salzburg.
Soon.

Ahhhhhh!

2009-04-05T16:20:00.003-05:00

I'm feeling a little stressed right now because I just found out I'm going to Prague tomorrow! And Vienna Thursday! And Salzburg Saturday!

So I'm packing like a crazy woman, cursing myself for deciding to wait on laundry, and searching for money I might have hidden around my room (yes, I'm a money packrat). If anyone has any money they would like to donate, send it my way. Kthnx.

I know, I know, internet, I still have to tell you about my trip to Munich, and the random trip to Zurich (sorry blogger friends in Zurich, it was a crazy whirlwind of a trip), and how beautiful Switzerland is in the springtime.

I am currently writing a list of stuff to pack and trying to book hostels and train tickets and the like. I don't think a lot of sleep is going to be on my agenda tonight......

I suck at blogging.

2009-03-17T15:07:00.002-05:00

Seriously, I do. I'm really sorry I don't update that often. There are some blogs I check every day, and I get a little miffed when they skip a day or two… And then sometimes I go TWO WEEKS in between posts.

I had all these grand ideas for my blog, but I've just never really gotten around to doing them. It's just the story of my life.

Maybe the next time there is crappy weather I'll do some renovating… lately it's been sunny and around 60º F. Don't exactly want to be inside. Malko and I have had a blast in the afternoons, riding scooters and looking at flowers. There is a swing in the tree next to the house, and I've introduced Malko to the delight that is the underdog. But, being the sneaky teacher I am, I make him choose a number, and then I make him count the pushes I give before the big push. Sometimes I even make him count in English. I know, I'm so tough.

Speaking of Malko, I should have a blog just entitled "Conversations with Malko" because this kid cracks me up. This is what happened last night: Malko goes running into the kitchen with an urgent question for Ivana. "Mama! If someone is on vacation, do they come back?" Ivana, thinking maybe one of his friends from school is on vacation, says "Yes, they do." Malko, horrified, screams, "NOOOOOO!" Ivana, confused, says, "What's wrong?" Malko replies, completely distressed, "Papa said the spider in the bathroom was on vacation!" He then broke down in tears, completely inconsolable, and Ivana was laughing too hard to empathize with him. Oh man. I know most kids are hilarious, but name another four-year-old who's current favorite song is the Queen of the Night aria from Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute (totally not my influence, I swear).

Anyway, this weekend I'm going to Munich, Zurich next weekend, and maybe Paris the weekend after that… and then hopefully Sweden in May. We'll see how it all pans out.

Well, Happy St. Patrick's everyone! I very much wish I was in Ireland with the lads right now, but I'm in the Alps. I think I'll celebrate with a bit of Bailey's.

Conversations with Malko

2009-03-05T02:23:00.002-06:00

Malko: Cami, is Bagherra a girl cat or boy cat?
Me: Bagherra is a girl cat.
Malko: And Chanel?
Me: Chanel is a girl cat too.
Malko: And Ronie?
Me: Ronie is a girl cat too, and guess what? Kendi is a girl dog! All of our animals are girl animals.
Malko: Well that's good, because otherwise they'd fall in love, and we'd have to have a wedding, and they would dance paw to paw, and sing 'meow'! Can you imagine? It would be so silly!

Milan

2009-02-26T06:34:00.003-06:00

I was in Milan last week, and I had a pretty ok time. My mom isn't happy with me because I went by myself, but I neglected to tell her I went by myself until I got back. And yes, I did that on purpose.

Anyway, I stayed in a nice little hotel, and got some writing done (non-blog related, obviously, I don't post that often), and saw some sights, and went shopping. It was fun, but a little lonely. The days are getting longer here, so I would stay about til it got dark, and then head back to my little room to do some writing. I took the train both ways, and it's about as long a journey as driving from my parent's house to my grandparents house - 4 1/2 hours. I realized it on the way home, and I was a little sad that I was on my way home from a solo adventure, and not on my way home from a family gathering in Carlyle. Don't get me wrong, I love adventures and living here, and I'm glad I made it to Milan, but I miss my family quite a bit. Can you blame me? It's been over six months since I've seen them all.

Here are some pictures - I didn't really take too many, because Milan is really pretty industrial, and after a while most quaint European streets start blending together. Beautiful, but you think, "haven't I seen this somewhere before? Oh yeah, every city I've visited thus far." But, I was impressed with the sheer size of the Duomo in Milan. I've seen St. Mark's in Venice, the Duomo in Florence, and the Vatican in Rome, but for some reason this massive church just blew me away. I think it's because it's free-standing and you can walk all the way around it... I'm not too sure. But it's beautiful and huge. On the other hand, I was sorely disappointed in La Scala. I've studied music all my life, and for a while was thinking about pursuing a career in art music or opera, so seeing La Scala was a huge deal. It's a pretty building, but really nothing special. I would have liked to see an opera (Wagner's Tristan & Isolde, love it), but it was something like 250 Euros - not on an au pair's salary! I actually didn't even get to see inside, because everytime I went by, the museum (including a tour of the theater) was closed.

Anyway, I enjoyed my time, and I would like to go back, but I think if I head back to Italy, I'll make my way back to Rome.

The Duomo. I tried to include a ton of tourists so there is a reference point for how big it really is.

The side of the Duomo

A statue in front of the Duomo; I love lions!

A lot more bike commuters than in Switzerland.
And everyone rides bikes like this.

La Scala.

I was trying to explain to Dan how much "messier" Italy is than Switzerland. I think that's the best word I can use - messy. People are louder, more expressive, wear more colorful clothes, the streets are dirtier, public transportation isn't quite as efficient, people drive like maniacs, etc. In Switzerland, everything is just so, and I am getting quite used to that. I forgot to write down directions to my hotel, so when I arrived at the station, I went looking for the tourist information. In Switzerland, there usually in tourist info in/around train stations in every city. I was also counting on exchanging my money at the train station. Well, someone forgot not everything was Swiss in its execution. I ended up taking a taxi to my hotel. I also paid an arm and a leg to exchange my money. Just part of the experience, right?

Hopefully, my next excursion will be to Paris, and it won't be alone. Happy Thursday everyone!

probably shouldn't drink wine while blogging

2009-02-15T16:59:00.002-06:00

but oh well.

Anyway, a glass of red wine is good for your heart, right? I thought so. Don't ask me why I'm wearing my winter hat. I just didn't take it off when I got home from church.

There are a few things I've noticed about Switzerland that I am going to share with you all right now.

1. I think it's impossible to live in Switzerland and not become a wine-o. Seriously. I was talking to one of my Swiss friends, and she said at Swiss dinner parties, you should count a bottle of wine per person. Whenever there is a party or get together, you bring a bottle of wine. I'm not sure if it's just the French region, but seriously, there is a lot of wine happening here.

2. Everyone has pencil cases. It's something I noticed a long time ago. I am the only American in my French class, and I am the only one who just tosses a pen and pencil into my bag in the mornings. It's not just a Swiss thing, it's a European/world-wide thing. There are girls in my class from all over the world, and EVERYONE has a little pencil bag. I see it at my church too, with the non-Americans. Hey, it makes sense, you have all your writing utensils in one place, organized in a cute little sack. I might have to jump on board with this pencil case thing. But knowing me, I'd lose it. And then I'd be out all my pens and pencils.

3. Flower Fridays. That's what I've started to call Fridays, at least. Usually every Friday, Ivana brings home a fresh bouquet of flowers. And it's not just our family. Whenever I go somewhere on a Friday evening, I see people commuting home from work with big bouquets of flowers. It's very nice and I love having fresh cut flowers every week - again, something I just might adopt.

That's all I've got for now. I am going to Milan tomorrow, so I will be sure to take loads of pictures and hopefully they won't get lost...

Ciao!

just about the halfway point

2009-02-05T06:24:00.003-06:00

and I can't believe it.

Half of me feels like I landed yesterday and I'm still finding my feet, while the other half of me feels like I've been here my whole life.

It feels appropriate to look back over the past 6 months or so and reflect a little. I looked at the goals I documented here in August and I'm reporting back on my progress.

1. Be somewhat fluent in French.
Hmm... I'm getting there. I really am. I learn a little every day. I get a little better everyday. Mathilde is great because she helps me when I can't figure out how to exactly say something. She supplements my vocabulary and helps me with grammar... which I take with a grain of salt, because she's 6. I try and speak as much French as I can in a day - whenever I go to a store or interact with people, I only speak French. Sometimes I have a hard time with sentence structure and syntax - my French class is slow going, and very conversational, so we don't always cover structure, just phrases - what you'd say to a friend. I wish I could study more, but I'm pretty happy with my process so far.

2. Run a marathon
Not happening. Sorry to disappoint everyone. I need a trainer, more accountability, etc. Cam ≠ discipline.

3. Travel
So far I have been all over Switzerland, which is great. I've also been to France, Dublin, Ireland, and Manchester, UK. I have a week off coming up soon, and I might go to Milan for a few days, but nothing is decided... I want to travel by train, so I'm thinking maybe Austria, or Munich... I'm not too sure. I'm glad I'm so close to everything, and I can do most things in a weekend. I think I might go to Austria.... cause it's the farthest, and I can afford to spend some time traveling. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open!

4. Piano
I'm getting better... I'm playing almost every day, but I just honestly don't think piano is my thing. I would like to pick the flute up again, but I didn't bring it with me to Switzerland. Maybe I'll get Dan to teach me cello sometime. After he teaches me Latin, of course.

I really believed I've learned quite a bit about myself since I've come here. A lot of it I don't feel like I need to share with the world, but I'm really happy I'm here. I've met some amazing people from all over the world, and I feel like I fit well in Switzerland. I'm at that point right now, though, where I am just so ready for my "life to start". Not that I'm not living now, but as I was telling Dan last night, I'm really ready to make my own decisions again. It's weird when your decisions form around someone else's life. I have to find out what weekends I'm babysitting, sometimes I can't have the car and the little red train to my town stops running at 11pm - I have to plan accordingly, if I don't eat dinner with the family I let them know in advance so they don't make too much food... I'm really pretty ready to have my own place, decorated with my own stuff, and eat what I want, when I want, and live near Dan again. I knew at some point, I would feel this way, so I was kind of prepared... the good news is I don't hate Switzerland. I still love it here. I still really like the family. I'm just ready to be an adult again, living in my own home with my own rules. I think most people can understand that. I'm just out of the honeymoon period, and into the "low" period. Hey, if this is as low as it gets, it's not that bad.

Well, everyone book tickets to come see me, cause I'm only going to be here for a few more months. Ivana asked me recently when I'd like to go home, and I think I'm looking at July sometime... not in time for the 4th, sadly, but sometime in July.

Happy Thursday, world. I'll fill you all in with my travel plans as soon as they're figured out.

Skiing.

2009-01-31T06:19:00.003-06:00

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.

2009-01-27T13:43:00.004-06:00

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.

2009-01-17T05:39:00.002-06:00

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.

2009-01-15T14:40:00.001-06:00

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

2009-01-07T14:03:00.002-06:00

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!

My favorite chocolate place

2008-12-13T16:16:00.003-06:00

I highly recommend the the chocolate shop Chocolathé if you are in Nyon. It's a little tiny shop in La Combe, the shopping center in Nyon, and it's a little expensive, but completely worth it, because the people that work there are incredible. Ivana and I went there Thursday; she buys a lot of tea there. I decided to go back there today because of how generous and sweet the man (the owner? not sure) is who works there. When Ivana and I were there, she commented on a certain chocolate, because it's now being made in dark chocolate, not just milk. She asked if it was any good, and he said, "yes! you must taste it!" So, he pulls a bar down from the shelf, opens it right on the counter, grabs a knife, and cuts off two huge slabs for me and Ivana to taste. And yes, it was delicious. The thing that struck me was how kind and generous that was - this bar of chocolate was on sale for about 4 CHF - not that cheap. But he didn't care. He was so excited for us to try it. It was the nicest customer service I have ever received in Europe. Today I went there because I was buying some Christmas gifts (I'm not saying for who, because I'm not sure who's reading this), and again, he was so kind, to me and the other five people in front of me. He asked if he could wrap up the gifts for me, and then gave me a little piece of chocolate. Maybe because I spent 50CHF, but still, he's definitely earned me as a customer. I also found some chocolate there I haven't found anywhere else. It's a great little store. My spoils. I found a Christmas chocolate, from Lindt, with cinnamon and coriander mousse, and a Camille (hey! that's my name!) Bloch caramel mousse bar... I'll let you know if they're any good. Oh, and the little red bar is one he tossed in my bag with my receipt. Nice, huh?

brief update

2008-12-13T15:04:00.003-06:00

I am enjoying a really nice, quiet evening right now. This week has been a little strange, schedules have been a little different, and I've been a little cranky. Something I learned about myself while in university is if I don't get enough alone time, I get cranky and not fun to be around. So I've learned to cherish my alone moments, and really take advantage of my alone time - that's when my batteries are recharged.

This week I haven't had much alone time, and it really took its toll. Tonight, I'm babysitting, and I am very thankful that I am. At first, I was crabby about babysitting, because two of my friends are having a joint birthday party tonight, and the au pairs I hang out with Monday nights are having a special get together tonight. But I'm thankful I'm alone, enjoying some stillness and quiet. I'm drinking a nice glass of red wine (the family had a big Christmas party for their neighbors today, so there is a lot of wine and food about the house right now), and munching on some chocolate.

Today I went to Geneva with some of the au pair girls and celebrated L'Escalade, which is a holiday unique to Geneva. I won't go into too much detail, because I feel a little lazy and don't want to type everything out, but the link above is to the Wikipedia page. It's a neat if you like history, and it was fun to learn a bit more about Old Town in Geneva. The big parade is tomorrow, but the secret passage was open today, and we all got to go through it. I love learning and seeing history first-hand.

Anyway, here are a bunch of pictures I haven't shared with you yet. From Thanksgiving to today.

The Thanksgiving table (lots of wine, cause we're in Swissland)Friends at Thanksgiving
It snowed! Yea!
Gun demonstration today during Escalade - really LOUDMilena and Heather traversing through the secret passageOur cats have gotten really fat.

Well, that's all for now. I'll try and post again before I head off to England and Ireland! Bon week-end!

Christmas!

2008-12-07T03:20:00.003-06:00

I can't believe Christmas is so close! The decorations are up, cookie parties and caroling are in full swing... but it just doesn't feel quite like Christmas. I think some snow would help. We're just a little too close to the lake. There is snow a little further up the mountains, but I want it here. I was talking to a friend last night who spent a lot of his childhood in Wisconsin, and we talked about how we missed waking up to a blanket of fresh snow.

My Swiss family did a lovely job of decorating the house for Christmas, there are twinkle lights and little Santas everywhere. The tree is up, fully trimmed, but it's a "theme tree". Ugh. My mother will be laughing and saying "ha ha" like Nelson from The Simpsons as she reads this. I really, really don't like theme trees. And while I know a lot of people love having all the same colors, all matching ornaments - a general theme, if you will - I just don't like it. I love Christmas trees that are full of crazy ornaments that have been passed down through generations, ornaments made by children with popsicle sticks and copious amounts of glue, and not perfect and matchy-matchy, but rather reflective of the family's personality. My mom is probably laughing, because one year she put up a theme tree, and it was very, very pretty, but when I walked through the door after coming home from university, I threw a fit, and pouted about it like the mature adult that I am. I guess I deserve a theme tree. Sorry Mom.

Is it silly to say I miss my Christmas stuff? Last year, I worked at a Christmas store, and amassed huge amounts of Old World Christmas ornaments, Clothtique Santas, and even a Jim Shore Santa. Actually, go check out my former employer's webpage, and buy something from them, because it's a family business, run by three amazing, incredible sisters. Go here to check it out. Anyway, I miss my Christmas stuff, as silly as it sounds.

Do I need to mention I will miss my family? Can't that go without saying? This will be my first Christmas spent away from my parents in my entire 26 years of life. I will be with family, so it will be wonderful, but I'm still a little sad that I will be away from my parents, my brother and sis-in-law, and especially my cousin Sarah, because she's my best friend/sister/heart and I love her.

It's a year of changes, I guess. But change is healthy, and while not always welcome, it's important.

2008-11-30T14:36:00.003-06:00

Sometimes I stop, and think,

I live in Switzerland.

And I am so thankful for all the opportunities in my life, for the beautiful and amazing friends I've made so far, and for the epic, inspiring beauty of this part of the world.

Yesterday I watched Lord of the Rings with my friends, and I am always so inspired, and so envious, of the adventures of others - but today, when I was driving to church, there was a beautiful, clear view of the French Alps, and it took my breath away all over again, and I remembered I am on an epic adventure of my very own, and my life is full of beauty and love, and incredible people, and I was so content, and excited.

While I am anxious to see what my life will look like come August, when I leave, right now I am so exhilarated for the possibilities and opportunities that are before me.

Luzern

2008-11-26T02:33:00.002-06:00

I had a great time in Luzern (Lucerne) this past weekend. It was a really spur of the moment trip, but those are the best kind, aren't they?

This past Friday night we caught a train at 6:45 from Lausanne to Luzern. Jenna had booked us a room at the Hotel Traveller (or something like that), and we went straight there from the station. It wasn't exactly at 5 star hotel, but it was clean, with really, really comfy beds. The best part was our view: we had a little balcony looking out over the river. We got to our room, unpacked, and then decided to go out for a drink. We went to an English pub, and I had a pint of Strongbow (yea!), and we soon decided to call it a night.

Saturday, we woke up to snow. It was so beautiful. Big, beautiful flakes were falling, and it looked like Christmas. We got all packed up, checked out of the hotel, and made our way to the train station to store our baggage in a locker. On our way to the train station, we stopped by a Catholic church to look inside. It was really beautiful, but Brad whispered something to me that was soooo true: "It's beautiful, and in the Italian style, but it's still so Swiss austere, isn't it?" I didn't get any pictures to prove his point, because there were a lot of older people inside praying. I would have liked to go in and pray, but right when I was about to leave my bag with Jenna, Brad asked if we should get going. Oh well.

We then crossed the Chapel Bridge. I really didn't get any pictures of it, and honestly, I didn't care too much after Bertrand told me it burned in '93, and they rebuilt it and repainted it - nothing is original. It's still lovely, don't get me wrong... We then stored our baggage for the day in a locker, and headed to Starbucks to warm up and get some caffeine in our systems. We hung out there for a while, and it just felt so very Christmasy, with the red cups, Christmas music, and snow falling furiously outside. It reminded me a little bit of Minnesota, sitting at the Starbucks in Roseville (before the bridge collapse), and it made me happy. The only difference was the melange of languages around us, and seeing gorgeous old buildings and the Chapel Bridge out of the window.

We really just wandered around the whole day. It was really nice, and really cold. I found out my boots didn't do much in terms of protecting my feet from mushy snow, and my feet were soaked. So I had cold, wet feet until we could get our stuff from our locker and I could change my shoes (aka 7 hours later). I was sad and a little uncomfortable, but I tried my hardest not to complain too much, because no one likes a complainer.

We went and saw the lion carved into the rock, and it was so beautiful - I think it was my favorite part of Luzern. I love love love lions, and I think (ok I know) that's mostly due to the Chronicles of Narnia... I'm such a freak, I know. Anyway, Brad was telling us all about it, something to do with Swiss mercenaries being betrayed, so it was a memorial... I didn't really pay attention to him. Sorry Brad. My feet were too cold and wet.

We decided to have some fondue, and we found a place that looked amazing - like a beer hall. Dark wood paneling, wood beams in the ceiling, coat of arms everywhere.... but the music. Oh God, the music was awful. I honestly don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't CHER. Or cheesy piano renditions of The Beatles. But seriously, there was a lot of Cher happening in that restaurant, and it wasn't good. The fondue was good. Not the best I've had (my favorite is Bertrand's, honestly, not sucking up to my employers or anything), but still yummy and satisfying after a cold, wet day. The wine we had warmed us up, as well.

At 7 we headed back to Lausanne, and I was able to change into warm, cozy, dry socks & boots on the train (thanks Dan for sending me an awesome pair of socks!). We decided to not call it a night, and went to Brad's apartment with a few more friends joining us, and watched Iron Man, which is really a good movie. After the movie, it was very, very late, and I headed home with Jenna to spend the night at her place.

I LOVE Jenna's house. It needs some work, yes, but it's sooooo cool. It's a converted barn, and it's all wood and stone and low ceilings and vaulted ceilings and nooks and crannies. Outside it's all stone and covered in ivy, and there are roses and rosemary growing in the garden. I love it. Dad, you would love it. Anyway, we stayed up late chatting, and then slept in nice and late Sunday, and made scrambled eggs and bagels. And then we watched Cars. Which, really, is an adorable movie, and I love it. And Jenna had never seen it all the way through, so we watched it together. She liked it too. After, we took a walk around her village, which I think is quite lovely, and then we made Coconut Mud Bars, which were divine. We then had to head out to church, and thus ended a really nice weekend.

Pretty town

It was so pretty at night, so I used a block of concrete as my tripodMy traveling buddies, Brad, Paul, and JennaJenna and I in front of the lionThe lion! Dan gave me the Latin translations, but I forgot already.

All in all, it was a great weekend, and I have such a ball with my friends. I am having so much fun exploring Switzerland, and I am soooo excited for the holidays, because I'll get to travel with my favorite person in the whole world - Dan! Yea!

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow, fellow Americans! I am going to a great big Thanksgiving with TNT (aka church small group), so it will have a bit of an international flair to it as well. It should be a blast.
À bientôt!

fun!

2008-11-21T09:32:00.001-06:00

I'm unexpectedly heading off to Lucerne this weekend.
I have fun friends.
Au revoir!

The Dollar.

2008-11-19T02:18:00.002-06:00

The dollar is slowly and steadily rising against the Swiss Franc. While this is great for my family & friends who will come visit, I'm slowly getting paid less... When I first came, my salary was about equal in CHF & USD. Now, it's approximately $150 less... Insert sad face here. It's great, the dollar has been weak for a long time, but I'm just thinking about me here....

Looks like I'm just going to have to save more money before I return back to the States. C'est la vie.

a good weekend.

2008-11-16T06:23:00.003-06:00

I really don't have anything in particular to blog about, so I thought I would just update everyone on my weekend.

Right now it's about 1:30, and soon I need to head to church for practice. I've been getting involved in music, and it's been a lot of fun. Ivana is leaving today for England, so things are in a bit of an uproar around the house. Ronie the cat is sleeping on my bed, and I think she's super lazy, because she slept on my bed from about 7:30 last night to 7:30 this morning, and she came back in around 12:30 to take another nap. The only other animal that sleeps that much is Millie.

Friday was nice, I met up with some friends in Lausanne and we had Starbucks (the Christmas stuff is out here - it's so nice that it's just like home), and then we caught the new Bond movie. I love Bond, I really do. The only thing I really wanted in this movie was a good car chase (the last Bond movie had just a tease of a car chase), and it was delivered. So I was happy.

While we were waiting for our respective trains, Brad, Paul, & I decided to get together Saturday with some other friends at Brad's apartment (AMAZING apartment), and being the nerds we are, we decided to sing through Les Miserables. So, yesterday afternoon, we gathered around Brad's piano, and actually sang the entire score of Les Miz. And it was awesome. Well, we didn't sing through the entire thing, we cut some of the sung dialogue and a few of the difficult pieces (Brad was pretty much sight-reading the piano score), but it was so much fun. We did take a break right after we moved to the second act, and took a walk around Morges, which is a really lovely town. I had to leave the festivities early, because I babysat the children last night, but I had a lovely time with my friends.

I really believe I work with the most amazing children. Last night, after they were in their pjs, and all freshly scrubbed for bed, I led them into their room, only to discover Mathilde's dou-dou was missing. A dou-dou, for those of you who are wondering, is a French name for a child's special stuffed animal. And every child here has one. There are even television shows about little ones and their dou-dous, kind of like Calvin & Hobbes but less awesome. So, I made my way downstairs to find it (it was under the dining room table, God only knows why), and when I got back upstairs, the children were already in their beds, with their nightlight on, waiting for me to tuck them in. I can't believe how well-behaved they are. Seriously. I sang them the special lullaby I sing to them every time I put them to sleep, told them I loved them and turned out the light. As I was walking down to my room, I heard them whisper their goodnights & I love yous to each other. Then they fell immediately asleep. And I'm not making this up. These children are amazing. I love them.

I need to eat a little something before church, and get all packed up and ready, so talk to you later!

when I miss my family...

2008-11-14T06:51:00.002-06:00

I look at this picture.

My cool cuz Frank took this at a little family (& friends) gathering in September. Don't I have a great family? I don't know why I didn't share it earlier.

I miss you all, too.

(and a special "I miss you" to Grandpa & Grandma F. I love you both very much! I can't wait to go golfing with you again!)

Happy Friday!

yea!

2008-11-13T07:35:00.002-06:00

It's official!

I'm going to England for Christmas, and Ireland for New Year's.

Yesterday I booked my flight to Manchester, and I just booked my flight to Dublin, from Manchester. I'm so excited. At this point, I don't exactly know how/when I'll be getting back to Switzerland... but it'll all come together. I'm pretty sure Dan will be able to join me for New Year's and then a week or so in Switzerland, but we're still trying to hammer out the details. It's hard to plan across an ocean.

Christmas I'll be spending with my aunt, uncle, & cousins, and I'm ashamed to say I haven't been to visit them yet. They moved to the UK in '94 (I think...). Needless to say, it's about time I see where they live. I'll be there for a week, and I then I head to Ireland to (hopefully) meet up with my favorite guy, and hang out with my favorite Irish lads. It's neat because I'll be visiting the place where my brother worked and lived for a year, and I'll get to meet his friends that didn't attend his wedding.

Dan and I might head up to Belfast, or fly to Edinburgh, or just travel around the countryside. I don't know. I do know that I am so excited!

I've been here for 3 months now (give or take a few days), and I've traveled a bit around Switzerland, and I've been over the border to France a few times, but I'm really excited to travel a bit more extensively, and especially around some English-speaking countries. I get frustrated that I can't even ask in Swiss-German, "do you speak English?" I feel arrogant sometimes, just assuming people speak English. Oh well. That's the traveling life, I suppose.

I need to get back to work. Mathilde's train will arrive in a half-hour, I need to be there to meet her!

Interlaken & Grindelwald

2008-11-11T10:06:00.005-06:00

This post is going to be a lot of pictures because:
1. Everyone likes pictures
2. I feel a little lazy

I had a wonderful weekend with my friends. Interlaken & Grindelwald were beautiful. I also have made some really wonderful friends here, and it was so fun to spend a little time with them.

A short recap... we arrived Friday night, to the hostel, and just had fun playing card games, and the train game, which is hard to describe but really, really fun (like Settler's of Cattan, if you're familiar... if not, I have no reference for you). Saturday we took the train to Grindelwald to do some hiking. Unfortunately, being the off-month of November, all the telecabines were closed. We had to change our plans and just did a short hike around Grindelwald. It was still really lovely.

Saturday night we went out for dinner, and celebrated with Bethany, one of my friends here who just recently received her HR degree. Yea for Bethany! My friend Jenna and I split a pot of fondue and a little bottle of white wine - very, very Swiss, and very, very yummy. After dinner we headed back to the hostel, and popped some bubbly to celebrate with Bethany, and then headed to bed. Sunday, Bethany and I walked around Interlaken, while the other 5 rented bikes and cycled around town. We then had to leave, but left happy.

On to the pictures!

the train game!

walking to the train station before the hike

Grindelwald

our lunch spot

it's me!

this country is so beautifulcongratulations Bethany!

the cyclists
(L-R Nicole, Kiri, Brad, Paul, Jenna)

As you can see, I had a lot of fun, and I have great friends. It was such a nice trip, and so nice to get away for a bit. As an au pair, it can get a little tricky, because you live with your bosses. Even if you have an excellent relationship with them (like me), it's still nice to get away, even if it is only a mini-vacation. I know that is well-understood. I can't wait til our next excursion!

I hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Goodbye!

2008-11-07T10:07:00.001-06:00

I'm off to Interlaken & Grindelwald for the weekend!

I'll be sure to post a lot of pictures upon my return.

My fellow Americans

2008-11-05T03:54:00.002-06:00

It has been extremely interesting to watch the election, and all events preceding it, from the outside.

There is A LOT I want to say, but I'm going to refrain from writing it (mostly). As a Libertarian, a small government advocate, and Bob Barr supporter, I will leave you with these thoughts.

While I'm proud that America has elected its first African-American president, I was not an Obama supporter. Well, I support him now, because he's the president-elect, and I won't contribute to dividing the country. A lot of people assume (especially Europeans) that since I'm young, liberal in my Christianity, and fervently seek help for the poor, I must also support Obama. Sorry, I support Bob Barr.

Alexander Tytler was a 17th Century historian. He studied the rise and fall of nations and taught what is now known as Tytler's Cycle. According to Tytler, all nations go from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to freedom, from freedom to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, and from dependence back to bondage.

Interesting. Ben Franklin really understood this concept, and he said, "when people find out they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."

President-elect Obama, please tread carefully. The nation - the world - is watching you with bated breath, and have placed a great deal of hope in you.

2008-11-01T09:15:00.002-05:00

Today I was supposed to meet some girls in Geneva to do some shopping. MAC's holiday collection is being released today in Switzerland! We all have to take different trains/buses to get there, we were going to text/call each other and meet up. Except, someone is a moron and forgot her cell phone in her bedroom, and didn't discover that fact until she was standing alone in the train station in Geneva.

That moron was me.

I had no idea what bus/tram whatever Taryn was taking, and I had a vague idea what train Lindsay was taking, but we managed to not meet up. I waited around for a while, they waited, we were literally SO CLOSE, but after an hour (they already left after a while, thinking I was kidnapped or something), I decided to give up. Defeated, I went to Starbucks, and treated myself to a 7.60 CHF on a grande caramel macchiato, and honestly, it was worth every centime. I'm glad there isn't a Starbucks in Nyon, otherwise I would blow all my money on lattes, just to get a taste of home. I took the train back to Nyon, and bought some things I needed... and some things I didn't.

Starbucks reminded me of some things I miss from home. While at home, I rarely drank Starbucks (well, I did in Chicago, but Minneapolis has 1001 amazing coffee shops), but when I drank a Starbucks latte, it made me so happy, simply because it was familiar.

I miss:
my family
friends
Target
dollar theaters

and that's really about it (do I need to mention Dan? I mean, that just goes without saying.). I'm kind of surprised - I thought I would miss more American things by now. Not that I WANT to miss more, I'm glad I'm content here, it's just funny when I sit down and think about it, I don't miss too much. But, I'm sure things will change, and soon I'll be missing something silly like the way American ambulances sound as opposed to Swiss ones. I'll keep you posted.

NERD ALERT

2008-10-28T13:15:00.003-05:00

Things have finally settled back into a routine in this Swiss household. The last two weeks were school holidays, and the kids were off for two weeks - not just off of school, but all other extra-curricular activities. While the kids were with their grandparents two days out of each week, it's really exhausting to have two small children for 10-11 hours a day, especially when you can't communicate well. Last week I went out almost every night to get away. This week I'm staying in - for two reasons. One, I'm exhausted. Two my friend Heather just lent me a big, fat book and I'm devouring it.

Tonight is a perfect book-reading night - it's cold, rainy, and there is a beautiful fire roaring in the fireplace. I'm so excited to curl up with my book, and go to sleep early. Tomorrow I have the afternoon off, and needless to say, I am so excited to have hours to sit and read. I might even build a fire if it's cold and rainy.

Some of you might be wondering what book I'm reading... ok fine. I didn't want to tell you because it's so nerdy. I'm reading Brisingr by Christopher Paolini, the third book in the Eragon series. Lame, nerdy, I know, but I've invested in the first two books, I have to read this one. And I just found out he's working on a fourth book, so it's no longer a trilogy, it's a cycle. Great. I'm going to be bound to nerdy dragon books for a while.

I mean, there's a dragon on the cover. How nerdy is that? I took this with my macbook, which is a mirror image camera - that's why the text is backward. And nerd glasses to go with the nerd book.

Speaking of nerds and dragons, my brother and I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire together a few years ago. Lawrence and I read nearly all of the books together, with the main exception being the 7th book, as he was in Ireland and I was in the States when it printed. Anyway, Lawrence and I share a special Harry Potter bond, and while were in the the theater, making fun of all the nerds dressed up like Harry, we noticed the guy in front of us was drawing a dragon. Not just a little dragon on a scrap of paper, a big dragon on a huge sketch pad. And it really was a very good sketch. Lawrence points it out, we quietly laugh at what a nerd that guy was, and then Lawrence says (loudly), "What a nerd! Who let him out of the nerdery? And that dragon sucks. I could draw a dragon that could puke on that dragon." And I was SO embarrassed, but I was laughing so hard, because for some reason I think my brother is hilarious, and I think I cried because I was laughing so hard. And then I reminded him that we, too, were (are) nerds, and even though we thought we were cool, we were still at the midnight showing of a Harry Potter movie. And after the movie, in true nerd form, we talked about how wrong it was from the book, and how the book was better, and got angry at how they changed it, and then we probably went to Krispy Kreme and tried to eat whole donuts in one bite, but it gets a little fuzzy at this point.

Well, that's it for now. I'll let you know if the book is any good.

best discovery ever

2008-10-26T15:58:00.002-05:00

Who has happy, cozy feet?

Cam does!
My bathroom floor is heated. :)

funny kids

2008-10-23T16:46:00.003-05:00

I think I work with some of the cutest, funniest kids.
Here are some funny things I have heard.
(translated from French for your ease)

scene 1
In the car, on the way to Mathilde's piano lesson
Mathilde: Mama, today I tried dates at school. I loved them!
Ivana: Wow, dates? You really liked them? Well, next time I go to the store, why don't you come with me and we can buy some.
Mathilde: Why do I need to go with you?
Ivana: So I don't forget!
Mathilde: You take a pen, you take a piece of paper, you write it down, bring it with you. It's not hard.

scene 2
dinner table
Bertrand: Malko, what do you want for your birthday?
Malko: Um, I want a telescope, so we can all look at the stars and planets.
Bertrand: What else?
Malko: I want a picture of you and Mama on your wedding day!

scene 3
Malko talking to everyone at dinner
Malko: Oh, the skies and flowers are so beautiful! The mountains! Oh! And Mama and Papa are very in love, and now Cami is here, and all three of you are all in love! Yay!

I love these kids, and I love my job.

it was a beautiful fall day

2008-10-17T12:00:00.002-05:00

It really has been the nicest fall day. I had the day off, but instead of sleeping in, I diligently went to my French lesson in Nyon. I'm very glad I'm taking a French course, but nothing compares to being absolutely immersed in French. I'm kind of catching a bug for learning languages... Dan wants me to learn Latin, which would be good, but one of my friends here speaks Finnish, and I think I'd really like to learn a little. But I have heard it is extremely difficult to learn, so only if I'm up for a challenge. Which I am. So I'll let you know if I learn anything at all.

After my French class, my friend Kornelia and I went to Migros to do some shopping, and then went to McDonald's for lunch (I know, I know, all the places to eat here, but we ate it at the castle, so does that count for classy points? And when you want a big mac, you want a big mac).

Shopping at Migros leads me to my next point: I have given up my make-up snobbery. Officially over. Ok, not really, but as far as mascara goes, it's certainly over. For years I've been using MAC mascara. Fibre Riche initially stole my heart, and then I had a brief fling with Mascara X. Plush Lash came and took the prize for a long time. Then, I abruptly switched to Chanel Inimitable, which is the BEST mascara I have ever tried. Unfortunately, it is 39,90 CHF. That's roughly $39. !!!!! I just couldn't justify buying it (the Chanel mascara I really want to try is 47 CHF!). In the States, it's about $27... which is still ridiculous. So today, I bought drug-store mascara. I told Kornelia it was a big deal, but I think only the people who know me well will comprehend what a major day this is for Cam. I bought Cover-Girl Lash Blast. I like more than I thought I would. It's not as nice as the Chanel stuff, but it does the job. Don't worry, I haven't changed completely, it's still MAC, Nars, and Clinique for everything else.

Anyway, I had a great time with Kornelia, she's awesome and perfectly bilingual in Swedish and English, and doing very well at French, so she constantly inspires me to work hard. We also bought some food for the outreach in Geneva I mentioned a few posts ago. Tonight I'm going into the red light district with some friends, and we are going to pass out sandwiches and just try to make friends with people. We are going to find out what people might need - groceries, sleeping bags, warm clothes, etc., and then we are going to return with those items. While Switzerland is a rich country, there certainly are a lot of people who need help, so we are going to do something about it. Or, at least try. We're also looking up organizations we can partner with and further extend a helping hand. If you're the praying kind, we welcome your prayers! A lot of my friends here are "transitioning" in Switzerland, aka not living here permanently, so we want to make a positive impact on this country during our respective stays.

I really need to go catch my train, so I will post more later!

Au revoir!

2008-10-15T10:57:00.003-05:00

I've been really neglecting my blog lately. I'm so sorry. I really have been busy!

Last weekend, I went to Anzère with a group of people (twenties 'n' thirties, aka TNT) from my church, and I had a wonderful weekend. We rented a chalet, hiked, built fires, ate fondue, drank wine, had a few devotional times together... so refreshing. I really feel like I'm making a home here. I know that someday soon, I will be so homesick for the States (already homesick for Chipotle and Target), but I have met amazing people, and I feel like I have transitioned pretty well. I think living with a Swiss family, and approaching this year with an open mind has really helped. I came knowing Switzerland would be different from the States, in ways I would expect, and completely not expect, and I think that mindset helped me settle in quite well. I know the honeymoon will end, but right now I'm just enjoying it.

Yesterday, I had the day off, and today I had an unexpected day off, so I've been just relaxing and catching up on the sleep I lost in Zermatt and Anzère. I know I'm growing up because I can't really sleep past 8am anymore. I just get up, no matter what time I went to bed the night before. For those of you who don't know me too well, this is a big deal. I need a lot of sleep to function, and I am definitely crabby in the mornings. No so much any more, though...

My French is really progressing. Yesterday, my friend Jenna and I found an adorable little crêperie in Nyon, and I spoke French with the server. When he found out I was an American, he was impressed that I even tried to speak French with him, and complimented me on my accent. We had a nice conversation in "franglais". I consider myself so lucky to be around French all day - my children don't speak any English, most of the dinner conversation is in French, we watch French movies, listen to French music, radio etc. I am so immersed in it, it's hard not to learn. I also try to speak a lot. At first I was very shy about it, but I've recently just gotten over it. Can't get better unless I try.

And just to reiterate, I am so so so thankful for my friends here. I remember crying to Dan via Skype, and saying, "I just need one friend, that's all I need." Well, now I have many, many friends that I love dearly. I am so happy and content in my relationships. It's wonderful. I will leave you all with a photo (that I stole from Ben. Thanks Ben.). Outside of our chalet, ready to go, everyone happy after a great time.

Great group of people, huh? I think so. I will definitely try to post a little more regularly! The kids are on holiday this week and the next, so my days are up in the air. But this Saturday I'm having an international thanksgiving with some friends, so I'll try to take loads of pictures.

Zermatt

2008-10-07T14:14:00.006-05:00

Saturday the 4th, I woke up at 5:30, caught a train at 6:30, to board a bus at 7:15 in Nyon. Me and 60 other au pairs.

It was great fun. While I absolutely hate waking up and getting out of bed, I do love being up in the mornings. I think that stems from my years of working in a coffee shop. There is something special about walking through a city at sunrise, witnessing something gorgeous that happens every day without fail, but generally goes unnoticed.

I arrived in Nyon at 6:41, and I had a lot of time. So, I wandered to an open bakery, and got a pain au chocolat and some fizzy water. The woman who was working didn't just grab one from the display, she got on straight from the oven. My plan was to walk to the castle and eat in the courtyard, overlooking the lake (the side door is always open), but my croissant was so warm, and the chocolate so gooey... I couldn't help myself and DEVOURED it on my way to the castle. It was one of the best things I have ever eaten. It probably wasn't the best pain au chocolat in the whole world, but it certainly hit the spot. Here's the view from the castle courtyard (well, when there is daylight):
Can you see why I like to go there and think? It's lovely. Anyway, it was drizzling a bit, and the lights from France were glittering across the water, and I just sat and thought. I like to just sit and think these days. When it was closer to 7:15, I headed back to the train station to meet up with the other au pairs and to claim a seat on the coach bus.

The whole trip was organized by a really great couple, Paul & Becky. They organize and run an au pair club, centered in Nyon, for people in the Geneva/Lausanne region. It's a great resource for au pairs, and Paul & Becky are some of the nicest people you will meet. They've lived in Switzerland for 22 years, so they know the ins and outs. Check out the website for information.

Anyway, somehow all the au pairs made it, and we left for Zermatt. I couldn't sleep at all. I stupidly left my iPod at home, and my book was under the bus with my luggage, so I just stared out the window at the gray weather, and prayed that it would clear up so we would have a nice hike.

After about 3 hours, give or take, we arrived in Täsch, and had to take a train into Zermatt, because no cars (or huge coach buses) are allowed in the town. When we arrived, it was like a postcard. Imagine what you think a Swiss village should look like, complete with flowers, gingerbread woodwork, and beautiful Europeans in designer ski-wear, and there you have it. To top it off, it was snowing. It felt like Christmas. We trekked to the hostel, got settled in our rooms, and then departed for a short (6 km) hike to Z'Mutt and back. The sun came out before our hike, and it turned into a beautiful day. At Z'Mutt we stopped at a little place for apple strudel with vanilla sauce. ZOMG it was so good. I had a hot chocolate, a great view of the Matterhorn, and good conversation. So nice.

our view of Z'Mutt while hiking back to Zermatt

After we got back, I ran to the grocery store with some of my roommates and got lunch and dinner for Sunday. It's hard to buy groceries when you know you don't have refrigeration or access to an oven/microwave. We realized we would be able to put some things on the windowsill overnight, because it would certainly be cold enough. I got 2 baguettes, a little jar of nutella, baby bell cheeses, and some dried meat. Perfect. We made it back to the hostel in time for dinner (which was actually really good), and then we (my roommates and I) decided to stay in for the night. Turns out we were the only girls who decided to stay in... But it was so worth it. We talked a ton about au pairing, and family differences, and the lights were out before 10pm. I slept like a rock, thanks to the fresh mountain air, good stretch of the legs, and amazing down comforter. I woke up before 7, and was able to capture a few pictures of the Matterhorn at sunrise - I took this from the window in the hostel.

Matterhorn... it's nice to wake up to this

Sunday was our big hike. We met at 9, and took the train up to Gornegratt. The view was absolutely breath-taking. I didn't take too many photos because I just knew I couldn't capture it. The first one is me on the "observation deck" (for lack of a better term), and the second is actually just a picture I took of the glaciers while eating lunch, but that's what you could see from the top. Incredible.

it's me!It was so beautiful, it was ridiculous

We started our 3.5 hour hike down, and it was awesome. After a short time we decided to stop and eat our lunch. Here are my roommates/new traveling buddies/partners in crime:

I had such a great time with those girls. The hike was tough, because it was downhill the whole way (about 14 km). When you think downhill, you think, "oh, that's way easier", but really, it's just as hard. My feet were hurting because I was trying to grip the ground, and I was curling them up in my shoes. By the end, my knees were so sore from the repeated impact. But what made it even tougher was the snow... It had snowed about 10 cm, and with all the hikers and the sun, the snow got pretty packed, and it was dangerous. It was great packing snow, would have made for an awesome snowball fight, but dangerous for hiking. Sadly, right when we arrived, a lady fell, bloodied her nose, and broke a tooth. This wasn't on the hiking path, either - it was in front of the mall by the observation area. We all realized we needed to be very careful. Nevertheless, I still fell about 27236 times. One time my feet just slipped out from under me, but there was no snow or ice to blame - just dry meadow grass. Taryn took a picture of me just sitting there and laughing - before I realized I fell on thorns...

But really, the hike was beautiful. This is a picture from the worst spot of the whole hike. The only way I can think to describe it is like that famous road in San Francisco - down a steep hill with lots of little hairpin turns. Now, when I started this hike, I knew I was pretty high up there (over 3000 km), but the trail was flanked by level ground. I knew at some points it would be steeper on the edges, but I didn't think it would be so steep that my palms would sweat and my tummy would drop and my knees would get weak and I would feel like ants were crawling up my back because there was a sheer drop and the trail was packed with ice and snow and if I lost my footing I WOULD DIE.

Ok, I'm being a little dramatic, but it really was intense. We took it very slow, and Jenna and Mavis alternated holding my hand, and Taryn bravely led the way. The other girls from our little group were faster, and waited for us at the bottom, which was sweet. When we got down, I looked back to take a picture, but it was hard to pick out the trail, because it just looked like a snowy cliff.

can you see the grass in the very bottom of the picture? yeah, that's a cliff.

Anyway, we reached Zermatt without further incident (it's that town on the floor of the valley in the last picture). We changed clothes, packed up, and met up with everyone else from our massive group at the train station. It was definitely worth every penny. I highly recommend Zermatt if you want to hike, ski, or snowboard, but it is very very expensive. I made some great friends, planned a trip to somewhere warm (or as Jenna calls it, our sunny vacay), and just had a ball. This weekend I'm going to Anzère, so I will have more stories to tell.

I really want to write more but my brain just shut down. And I realized I've been writing/formatting this post for about 2 hours now (I get easily distracted). Time to finish a novel, and go to bed - tomorrow I only work until 11am, yea! Happy Tuesday, tout le monde!

catch up

2008-10-03T09:16:00.005-05:00

It's been a week since I last posted! Sorry. It's been crazy busy! This is going to be long.

Let's see:

Saturday was two major events: Desalpes, and the kids' huge joint birthday party. It was a blast. I got up early and headed into St. Cergue with Bertrand and the kids (Ivana went to set up the party) and it was a blast. We saw hundreds of cows passing, flowers on their heads and massive bells around their necks, heard a "choir" of alphorns (I had no idea they sounded so beautiful), and some yodelers, ate raclette and drank white wine (even though it was only 10 am), and I bought a bell for Dan's grandparents' bell collection. I met up with a friend after Bertrand and the kids went to swimming lessons. It was great fun.
After that, I took the train home and Bertrand picked me up at the station for the kids big birthday bash. The family rented a little log cabin in the woods, and we built a big fire, and the kids (and ridiculous gifts) came pouring in. The adults had a great spread of cheese, grapes, figs, beer, wine, and champagne. The kids had enough candy for a week-long sugar high. There were two "clowns" who kinda ran the whole thing, and they face-painted, led the kids in a dance time, cut & served the cake, and even held the pinata while the kids swung wildly. It was fun, and very very exhausting.
Sunday I played guitar at church and had to learn a bunch of new songs. My friend Brad lent me his guitar for a few days (so nice - the kids loved it too; we had sing-a-longs). Also, Ivana left for San Diego Sunday, leaving me & Bertrand to manage the kids. While Bertrand is an awesome dad, he doesn't really "get" taking care of kids full-time like the mom (or nanny), which is a pretty internationally-accepted stereotype of fathers. Before she left, Ivana asked if I'd help out a tiny bit more than I normally do when she's gone, because "Bertrand is a man, and he does not know" (her words, not mine).

Monday and Tuesday were low-key, but Wednesday was my birthday! That's right, I'm 26. And guess what. It was the first time in my whole life that I didn't care that it was my birthday. Didn't care one iota. But I really had a nice day. I had to work all day; Malko in the morning (he spent the afternoon with his grandparents) and Mathilde and her friend Kiara in the afternoon. But it was a breeze, because the kids are so great. It was especially nice to have Kiara around, because she is fluent in English - her mom is from New York! She translated between Mathilde and me, which is a luxury we don't normally get. I'm usually running to the French/English dictionary with a confused look on my face. Ivana called in the morning from San Diego and said the sweetest things to me - she wished all my dreams to come true, wished me every happiness, and just wished me a great day. I got a little choked up - I work with the best family. I went out to dinner with a few of my girlfriends, and it was good fun, although our server was very crabby. Though I took pictures of the beautiful wrapping jobs the girls did, I didn't get any pictures with the girls... so I stole this one from Laura. Is it just me or do I look a little like Gramma P in this picture? I love my au pair friends - they are all so great. They got me a Swiss army knife, Cheetos, Reeses' Pieces, and some L'Occitane lavendar hand lotion. Then I got a nice voicemail from my parents and I got to video chat with Dan for a while, which made it perfect. It would have been the best day if he could have been here, but that's ok. I'll see him soon, I'm sure. Right, Dan?

Thursday was great - I sent the kids off to school, ran into Nyon and did some quick shopping, met up with Becky and she helped me get my demi-tariff (150 CHF for a card that gives you half off on all public transportation in CH, valid for a year which = awesome), came back home, collected the children from school, and came home just as their grandparents came to get them. I then had the whole afternoon free, which I spent practicing piano and voice, and making peanut butter bars for my small group. I think the best part was during small group - during prayer requests one of the guys mentioned he'd been reading a book on homelessness, and we all got enthusiastic about helping out the less fortunate in our area. While Switzerland is usually considered a country of "negative poverty", there are homeless, refugees, and a lot of prostitution and sex trafficking. We decided we are going to do something about it. Not sure what, but the weekend of October 17-19 we are going to the streets of Geneva to pass out food, clothes, whatever we can. Just talk to people and show them love, and relationship. That's what Jesus did, right? Hung out with the least of men? So we are going to do it too.

Tomorrow I leave for Zermatt. I have not started packing at all, and I need to catch the 6:30am train. Ugh. Cross your fingers for clear skies and no rain/snow! I will be sure to post loads of pictures up on my return.

à bientôt!

An Open Letter to Switzerland

2008-09-26T12:24:00.003-05:00

Dear Switzerland,
While you have already stolen my heart in the past month and a half, with your green hills, breath-taking Alps, sparkling lakes, and timely, clean public transportation, I have a few suggestions/complaints. Perhaps I should note I don't care if these don't benefit a single other person in this fine country.

What's with all the ham? There are a lot of cows around. In fact, tomorrow is Desalpes, and we're going to be celebrating the cows returning from the heights of the Jura mountains so they can winter in the valley. They are going to be decked out with bells and flowers, and paraded around. I think it's great, and I'm really excited to see it. However, last time I checked, this isn't India, and cows aren't sacred. So let's butcher a few and eat some steak, instead of eating poor little bunnies, innocent lambs, and majestic horses (seriously, horse?). And really, isn't anyone here Kosher? Let's eat some steak. You have enough cows.

And lay off the mayonnaise, please. I happen to think it's the grossest concoction in the world, and yet it's at every meal, on everything, and I gag a little each time I have to put it on the kids' plates. (Remember, this is all about me.)

And this is the land of cheese. Am I right or am I right? I love all the cheese I've tried. Especially that creamy one with lots of garlic that's rolled up like sushi. Bring on the fondue. I think raclette is my new favorite. But where's the cheddar? Come on, you know a little sharp cheddar would go perfectly with your crusty loaves of fresh bread. It's great with potatoes! And you love potatoes, Switzerland. Don't deny it.

What about tacos? Or burritos? Why don't you let Chipotle come over and open a store? You love McDonald's, and Chipotle is owned by McDonald's, so you will love it too.

One last thing. I love your chocolate. I've got no complaints there. Just a suggestion. Chocolate and caramel are a GREAT combination, and I really think you should try it out. And caramel and butterscotch are two WAY different things, so don't put butterscotch in your chocolate and tell me it's caramel. Don't get me wrong, I do like butterscotch quite a bit, but not when I expect caramel.

That's all for now Switzerland, but I'm sure I will write you later with more suggestions (like open a cello position in the Geneva Orchestra for Dan, so he can come here too).

Fondly,
Cam

Le Jeûne Fédéral

2008-09-23T13:42:00.005-05:00

Throughout my day, I write little stories in my head, but when it comes to putting my thoughts down on paper (or computer), suddenly everything else becomes so much more appealing. Maybe I should get one of those handheld tape recorders, so when it does come time to putting it down, all I have to do is transcribe, instead of recreate. Hmmm...

Anyway, it's autumn. Officially, by the calendar, but you can feel it, and you can smell it, too. The air is crisper, and trees are starting to turn. It's lovely. The mountains behind our house are the Jura Mountains, and they are completely wooded, a little evergreen, a little deciduous. I cannot wait to see what it looks like in fall. I definitely will have my camera at the ready.

Yesterday was Le Jeûne Fédéral. It's a national holiday in Switzerland (well, the canton of Geneva celebrates it earlier than the rest of the country), so I had the day off! We talked a little bit about the holiday in church on Sunday, and basically this is what I gathered: Years and years ago, there was a huge famine. Sparta was able to donate enough flour for a whole people group to eat. When asked how they could spare so much food, the Spartans responded they had fasted for a day, and then were able to provide. Therefore, it is a national day of fasting. I definitely did not fast... mostly thanks to Becky's good cooking and amazing peach cobbler. I did spend the day with a few other au pairs, and Becky & Paul, who attend Westlake Church and also run LiNK, an au pair connection group. Paul took some of us sailing on Lac Léman (Lake Geneva), and it was great... though the wind picked up at the end, and we really got going (it was a little scary).

Some pictures!our captain, Paul

Kornelia steering us towards France
the boat
I stole this picture from Kornelia:
Johann, me, & Jenna right about when it got crazy

All in all, it was a really nice day. I'm looking forward to October, because I am going to Zermatt with the au pair club, Anzère with my small group, and then who knows where else.

Sidenote: I've turned into Snow White or something since I moved here. Right now there are two cats and a dog sleeping in my room. The other day one of the cats followed me to the train and almost got on with me - I had to nudge her away with my foot at the last second. When the doors started to close the cat got scared and finally ran home. I shared a few laughs with the elderly couple that got on the train with me, though, and spoke a little French with them. So the cat brought us together.

My bed is calling my name. And this time Bagherra chose the edge, so I don't have to bother Her Royal Highness. Goodnight world!

Why?

2008-09-19T14:26:00.004-05:00

I realized a few weeks ago upon my first meeting with Catherine that I haven't been forthright with my reasons for moving to Switzerland. I've written a lot of posts detailing my excitement, and countdowns, but never why I was moving 4,500 miles away from my home. What a major oversight. And even though it was nearly 3 weeks ago when Catherine asked the simple question "Why?", I haven't intentionally written anything. I wanted to be good and ready, with a nice cup of tea, and peace and quiet (which doesn't happen here, two musical children, one dog, and three cats that hate each other isn't conducive to a peaceful environment).

But tonight, I am babysitting, the children are asleep, and I have a perfect cup of Earl Grey with milk and sugar. So here we go.

I came to Switzerland because, simply enough, I wanted to come. All my life, I've dreamed of living abroad. I've dreamed of becoming fluent in French. When I heard my friend Seanna was going to be an au pair in Sweden, it didn't really register that that was an option for me - I had this great boyfriend, I was planning on grad school, etc. It wasn't until she was abroad and I read her blog (an american girl in stockholm) and I realized what a great opportunity it really was. So, I emailed her, joined an au pair website, and was called crazy by many, many people. I found this family, they liked me because I'm musical, and I felt a lot of peace about the whole situation. Other families, even if they offered better pay and more time off, they all just felt... wrong. And really, I am so happy with my Swiss family. They obviously aren't perfect, but they have made me feel so welcome, comfortable, and the children are amazing. I count my blessings every day to work with such a great family. But I digress.

So why Switzerland? Well, mostly, I liked the family. But I don't think I would have considered coming here if they weren't natural French-speakers - if I was going to study a language, why not learn the one I really wanted to learn, from native French-speakers? It is Ivana & Bertrand's first language, and the children's only language; I have learned so much already by immersion. Also, Switzerland always seemed like such a fairy-tale kind of place - chocolate, cheese, mountains, lakes, neutrality... etc. Gramma Pridmore & Aunt Libby always talked about the beauty of the land, like it was otherwordly, and magical. And really, to an American girl from the midwest, it is magical. To walk down to Malko's school, and see the Alps behind the perfect little Swiss church; to sit at the castle in Nyon, and look out at the lake, and the Alps, reflecting the sun, it is magic. I told Dan I think Tolkien and Lewis must have spent a holiday here before writing LotR & The Chronicles. The beauty is epic and inspiring.

So why would I want to leave the best boyfriend in the world? Well, I really didn't want to leave him. I thought about forgetting everything while we were saying goodbye, and I was weeping in front of TSA officers in O'Hare. Quite often I wish he was here, next to me, saying the things that only Dan says, and doing Dan things. That would be nice. But you know what? We're not married, we're not engaged. Sure, we've been dating for two years, and friends for quite some time before that (I just realized this will be my first birthday in 5 years that he won't celebrate with me). But I'm still Cam, still only me. We are still two separate people, we haven't decided to become one. I need to take care of myself, and this is something I have been burning to do. You might think I'm selfish, but oh well. It's my relationship, not yours. I figured I should do it now, as time slips ever quickly through my fingers. I figured I should get it out of my system, before I settle down. After being here for several months I will let you know if I get the "abroad bug" out of my system...

Here we are at Danny & Bri's wedding a week before I left.

One last reason - I have a dream of becoming a "world citizen". Yeah, laugh it up [fuzzball], but really, it's something I think is extremely important. While I am wildly proud of being an American, I think it is so important to understand, and experience (if possible) our world. It's easy to get wrapped up in America, being the massive country that it is. Switzerland, however, is less than a third of the size of Illinois, my home state. The U.N. is only a few miles away. It's difficult to ignore other countries when they are so close in proximity. I think it's alarming how few Americans have passports. Call me an existentialist, but I really believe we are all interconnected, and we depend on each other. To quote Mathilde's favorite movie, High School Musical, "We're all in this together."

I can't believe I'm posting this on my blog. Thanks to Bashley for showing it me. I think if you asked the average American high school student to draw a map of the world, it would look a little like this (but hopefully not labeled as such):

Well, my brain stopped working. It's nearly midnight here and I need to be up early (well, not that early) because I've joined a writer's group in Geneva! Thanks to Catherine, of course. I'm really looking forward to it. We're also going to the circus tomorrow! Yea! Hopefully soon (Sunday?) I'll post some blogs of what I've actually been doing. A bientôt!

I'm a bookworm

2008-09-17T11:30:00.005-05:00

and this will provide some evidence. I found this one someone's blog. I don't remember what blog... One of those blogs you stumble upon, and never find it again. I like these things because it enables all of you to learn something about me, with minimal effort on my part. In other words, I'm lazy. I just want to post frequently, so it becomes a habit.

bold the ones you’ve read
[bracket] the ones you love
italicize the ones you intend to read.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 [The Lord of the Rings] - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 [Harry Potter series] - JK Rowling
5 [To Kill a Mockingbird] - Harper Lee
6 [The Bible]
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 [Little Women] - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 [The Hobbit] - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 [The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy] - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 [Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland] - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 [Chronicles of Narnia] - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 [The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe] - CS Lewis (that's redundant.)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie-the-Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 [Lord of the Flies] - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 [The Poisonwood Bible] - Barbara Kingsolver
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby-Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - A. S. Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 [Charlotte’s Web] - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (I hate this book so much)
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (I intend to read it in French, soon)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare (I already told you, yes!)
99 [Charlie and the Chocolate Factory] - Roald Dahl
100 [Les Miserables] - Victor Hugo

I don't consider myself well-read, but I think that's a pretty good start for only being 25.

I recently just read The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America by Bill Bryson (thanks to my friend and blog role model, Catherine). And I loved it. He returns home to Iowa, after living in Britain for years, and travels across the continental U.S., visiting 38 states by car. I am happy to report, he had nothing negative to say about Central Illinois and Highway 127 - my grandparents happen to live right off of 127 in Central Illinois, and it is home to many of my happiest memories.

I just dug into the other two books that Catherine lent me, and I know I will be finished soon, so, any good suggestions of books to read next? Besides the ones I italicized? Let me know!

I should go to bed...

2008-09-15T16:31:00.004-05:00

... But Bagherra the cat has taken it over. Which I like. Bagherra is the sweetest cat in the world. She's named after the panther in Jungle Book, and she really looks like a mini-panther. Here she is. Normally she picks a side of my bed, like in the photo, but today she is smack-dab in the middle, and I can't bear to wake her up yet to move her.

It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black.

Anyway, I just had a piece of ridiculously amazing cake. It's Bertrand's birthday today, so Ivana made a chocolate hazelnut cake. And whoa, is it good. It's a two layer, flourless chocolate cake, frosted (chocolate frosting, of course), and crowned with hazelnuts that are pan-toasted and glazed. Pretty amazing. Don't worry, I'm getting the recipe.

I just got back from an au pair meeting/bible study, and it was great. I can tell I'm going to make some pretty good friends out of the group, especially with Paul & Becky, the couple that heads LiNK (au pair group). Paul & Becky go to Westlake, the church I've been very happily attending, and they are just great people. They are from the Chicagoland area, too. We had a nice moment reminiscing about Italian Beef. Paul is really into cycling, and this summer he cycled across America! We've talked a lot about cycling and tonight we talked about cycling sometime around Lake Geneva (about 115-120 miles, a bike marathon). I just need to find a bike...

Right now my weeks are pretty packed, and that makes me happy, because time has been flying by. Let's see:
Monday - au pair bible study
Tuesday - kids have dance/singing class, I get off early
Wednesday - only work a half day, choir in the evening
Thursday - barely work a half day, au pair club/ TNT (church small group)
Friday - regular day of work, night is free
Saturday - free
Sunday - church in the evening

So nice. I feel very blessed in my schedule and with my family. My Swiss family is by no means perfect, but they sure are great.

It's time to move the cat to one side of the bed, so I can have the other. Goodnight!

A slight change of plans...

2008-09-15T07:22:00.002-05:00

I'm thinking of running the Edinburgh Marathon instead of the Paris Marathon. For a few reasons. First, I really want to see Edinburgh. I don't know if I'd make it there otherwise, while Paris is only 3 hours away by train. Second, it's cheaper. Not by too much, but it is cheaper. Third, it's a lot easier to register for it. It's a smaller race (11,500 compared to 37,000), but registration is open longer, the website is easier to navigate, and I don't have to send in a medical certificate, which you need for the Paris Marathon. Second, it's not until May 31, so I'd have a little longer to train (which makes a huge difference because I am not good at running). Any thoughts?

Today is a beautiful fall day. After we took Mathilde to her afternoon train to school, Malko and I took a walk, and he picked some wildflowers and gave them to me. He's so sweet. I feel a little bad for him though; he is so social, but his sister and friends all have school in the afternoon, so he is alone. He likes me, actually, he loves me, he tells me all the time, but I'm not as much fun as another 4-year-old. I seriously think it would be good for him to be at school all day, just because he loves school, and he loves being around his friends. Ah, well. C'est la vie.

rainy day

2008-09-13T07:18:00.003-05:00

Today is a rainy day, and I decided to stay in and just take it easy. Bertrand is in Austria with the orchestra he is in, and Ivana and the kids went to her parents house. I am watching The Sound of Music, drinking tea, and eating hazelnuts. It's nice to just hang out, and have a little quiet time.

I was invited out to a birthday party tonight in Geneva, but it's at a club, and no one is meeting up until 11:30, and the last train to Genolier leaves at midnight. So unless I want to stay out all night... Not really. Clubbing is not exactly my scene. After meeting loads of au pair girls at the au pair club on Thursday, I realized a few things. I'm older than most au pairs (most of them are 19-20, I'm nearly 26), which I expected before coming... but sometimes (I stress sometimes) the maturity difference is quite obvious. After talking to a few the other day, I realized they still weren't out of that "get-drunk-as-possible-every-chance". Which I seemed to just pass by in my life - I've never really been into drinking or partying. I would much rather spend my time reading, singing/making music, conversing, cycling, exploring, looking at/creating art, and going to bed early than getting drunk and dancing in a club. Ah well, to each his own, right? I'm very thankful for the friends I've made that share similar interests as me.

It's been raining all day, so I think today will be a movie, music, and reading day. I think today, in Chicago, my family is all getting together because my brother & my sis-in-law are in town. I'm kinda sad that I don't get to see them, but I know they are going to visit me soon.

Happy Saturday!

I'm a bloody mess. Literally.

2008-09-10T16:07:00.002-05:00

I have become completely accident prone in the last two days, and my right hand has born the brunt of the injuries. I burned my right pinky finger smack dab on the knuckle while cooking lunch for the kids, and I hit my right hand on the metal bannister, resulting in a bruised vein (ouch). Today, I stepped on a teeny tiny shard of glass, and had to pull it out of my heel with tweezers. If you're squeamish, you probably want to stop reading, cause I'm just getting to the worst part right now.

I was flipping through Ivana's cookbook this morning, looking for her crêpes recipe. All of her recipes are loaded into a big binder, and the rings don't stay shut very well, so pages slip out. Well, a whole mess of pages slipped out, so I was putting them back in. When I tried to snap the rings back together, one overlapped and scraped me across the knukle (right hand, of course, index finger). It hurt, but not that bad. I felt something weird in between my middle finger and my ring finger, so I looked closer at my hand.

It was a weird curly-cue.... and then I almost fainted, because I realized it was a curly-cue of MY SKIN.

I look at my index finger, and there was a huge gash, and as soon as I notice it, it starts gushing blood, and hurting like crazy. I grabbed a paper towel to stop the bleeding and went through about three band-aids (it's actually bleeding right now; I don't think my finger likes blogging very much right now). Anyway, after my finger stopped throbbing, I came up to my room, and that's when I stepped on the miniscule shard of glass. After I got myself all patched up (thank God I brought Neosporin), I laid across my bed on my tummy with my feet in the air, and my right hand on my head, because both my foot and my finger thought it would be fun to randomly squirt blood. It's hard to elevate your foot and your hand above your heart at the same time.

My finger has been bleeding on and off all day, luckily, my heel is fine. Hopefully I won't bleed all over the comforter tonight.

so happy

2008-09-10T11:06:00.004-05:00

I am so happy here. The more au pairs I meet, the more I realized I completely hit the jackpot with my family. Some au pairs only get one night off a week (!), some don't have fixed schedules, some have to spend every dinner with their families and ask to be excused (just like the kids), and some have to ask permission before going out. I definitely feel like I should be doing more work... but I'm not complaining. :) I actually might offer to do the children's laundry, because this is my schedule:
Monday: Mathilde - school am & pm, home for lunch, Malko - school am only
Tuesday: same as Mon., but they have a music class at 4:30, and Ivana takes them - I don't have to go.
Wednesday: Mathilde - school am, Malko - no school; grandparents take them in pm (I don't even have to make lunch)
Thursday: Mathilde & Malko - school am only, other grandparents take them pm (no lunch again)
Friday: same as Monday and Tuesday.
So easy. I'm done at about 6 every evening. And they are such agreeable children. I'm allowed to do whatever I want in the evenings, and the weekends. If I have to babysit, they let me know way in advance. I'm lucky because Ivana & Bertrand are both incredibly family-oriented; they love spending time at home and with their children. They also care very deeply about my comfort and happiness. What more could an au pair want?

Another reason I am so happy is all the incredible people I've had the pleasure of meeting. Sunday at church, I met two more au pairs; Nicole from Rhode Island, & Priscilla from Minnesota (and spent a year at Bethel, small world). I also met a bunch of other people roughly my age, and after church we grabbed some pizzas and ate at the castle (yes, a castle!), and enjoyed the absolutely perfect view of the lake, and the French Alps reflecting the pink sunset. It was just so nice. I don't think I have ever been to a church more welcoming than Westlake.

Today, having the afternoon off, I met up with Priscilla in Nyon, and we just walked around and talked about adjusting to life in Switzerland and the world of au pairs. Being an au pair here is like belonging to a special club, only everyone knows about it. All you have to say is "Je suis une fille au pair" (I am an au pair girl), and everyone says, "Ooh", nodding with understanding. It's interesting. Anyway, Priscilla indulged me in a little shopping, and I think I found the shoes I have been looking for, but I didn't buy them. They weren't expensive, I'm just going to sleep on it. I can go back Saturday. I did buy a Logitech iPod dock, so I could simultaneously charge and listen to my iPod, and the sound is actually pretty good. We also indulged in a little ice cream (coffee) and a little chocolate. It was a nice day.

Tonight I had choir, which is fun, but no one speaks English, so during our twenty minute break I sit there and smile at everyone. My comprehension of French is getting way up there, but speaking it is still coming very slowly. I feel like such a little kid sometimes, but I guess you can say I'm learning French like I learned English - complete immersion. The choir isn't the greatest choir in the world, and I am the only one there who doesn't belong to the Swiss version of the AARP, but it's nice to sing some simple music.

I am exhausted and it is definitely time for bed.

sorry

2008-09-06T10:55:00.003-05:00

Sorry it's been a few days since I last posted. I'm tired and ready for a nap, so I am just going to post a bunch of pictures I have been meaning to post but I haven't. Everyone likes pictures.Yvoire, France

Yvoire

the house

my balcony

the kids

Well, that's it for now. It's getting close to supper time, so I'm going to head downstairs. Happy Saturday everyone!

so completely thankful.

2008-09-01T13:11:00.002-05:00

Really, right now I am so thankful and grateful for all the wonderful people around me. I really feel at peace with where I am.

First of all, my awesome Swiss family. I could not ask for a better family to spend all of my time with while I'm here. Ivana & Bertrand and incredibly accommodating, and are always checking to make sure I have what I need, the info I need, and offering to buy things for me. They make sure to invite me to every event, every family outing, but never are offended if I am tired, need some Dan time, or just need to be alone for a bit. They even check before making dinner to see if I like what's on the menu. The children are so sweet, and pretty obedient (for children...).

Second, the people in the neighborhood. The neighbors are always offering help with translating, checking in to make sure things are ok, and taking care of the kids if things get busy. I actually think I will be using a neighbor's car for the year... Which is incredibly kind and generous! (Things haven't been fully decided, it could change.)

And third and final, but not least, all the wonderful people I met yesterday. I have to send many, many thanks to Catherine, my new friend, because yesterday she took me under her wing and made me feel so welcome and comfortable. She is one of the kindest women I have ever met, and I immediately felt at ease with her. She introduced me to loads of people at a local production of Guys and Dolls (produced and acted entirely by teenagers! I only saw the first act but it was wonderful). There is such a huge English-speaking community here - I think I will have to practice my French very intentionally! Anyway, I was completely blown away by Catherine's kindness yesterday, and I don't think I can adequately express how truly grateful I was. I mean, she brought me some English books and magazines, because she saw that I nearly exhausted my supply. How sweet is that? Many, many thanks to all of you who welcomed me into your community without reservation. I look forward to many more meetings in the future!

And in the same category, Westlake Church. What a blessing (how Christian and cliché, but very, very true)! I arrived just in time from Guys & Dolls, and I immediately felt at home. I sat next to a lovely man named Lee, and he was so friendly and immediately informed me of the au pair club, and introduced me to two au pairs. I was especially excited when I found out Cornelia (from Sweden) and I are going to be in the same French class! Julie (from Germany) already speaks French. I also am really motivated to practice my French, because these two girls speak perfect English on top of their native languages, and are on to mastering a third language (also, Bertrand speaks to me in French frequently. He really encourages me to learn.). They both have been here for about 2 months, so they have become friends, but were so happy to include me, which was so sweet. There is also another girl from Rhode Island, but she wasn't able to be there. So I made two friends close to my age (I feel old - they are 20 & 19).

All in all, things are starting to come together, and I am so thankful for all the people in my life; past, present, and future.

alone, and content.

2008-08-30T15:00:00.005-05:00

Today was a nice day. I slept in a little (until 8...) and then read for a while. I have done so much reading since I've been here. I brought 3 books with me, thinking "I love these books so much, I can read them over and over and never get tired of them." Well, I've been here for two weeks now, and I'm almost finished with 2 of them. I brought Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, Neuromancer by William Gibson, and my bible. Lord of the Rings, Neuromancer, and The Picture of Dorian Gray are my top 3 books. A close contender is C.S. Lewis' Til We Have Faces, but my brother took it and hasn't returned it (Lawrence, if you're reading this, send it to me! Please.). I brought LotR & Neuromancer because I can flip to any spot, and start reading. Anyway, since I've been here, I've read about 700 pages in LotR, and 100 in Neuromancer. I'm going to need to buy some English books soon. I'm sure there is a charity, or library where I can donate books when I finish. Or maybe I will just ship them to Dan.

Today I explored Geneva a little, while the family went to a birthday party. They dropped me off on the lake, and I was on my own for 4 hours, just wandering the streets. It was so lovely. I didn't bring my camera, because it gets a little heavy. And despite the strong sun, it was a bit hazy near the edges of the horizon, so you couldn't really see the mountains. Not the best day for pictures (in my opinion; I don't like stark sunlight). I really need to buy a camera bag for it... I've been housing it in my purse. I do have a camera bag, but it houses my 35mm SLR. Which I left at home, because when I went to Italy last year, film was crazy expensive. Anyway, I bought a lavender plant for my room! Here's a picture.
Isn't it nice? My room smells lovely already. Lavender is my favorite smell in the whole world. Someday, when I'm a grown-up, I will have a garden, filled with lavender, Johann Strauss roses, and a peach tree.

Tomorrow I am going to church, and I am so excited. I'm also hoping to catch the first part of "Guys and Dolls" (in English!) and meet up with Catherine, who is a great writer and has offered me much advice (check out her two blogs in my blogroll to the right - The Perpetual Expatriate, and Living in Nyon). After that I am going to head over to church.

While I am very excited to get to know some people here, I am also really starting to appreciate my solitude. While I have always enjoyed my alone time, there was a period in the middle of this week where I felt desperately lonely. I emailed Dan, asking him to pray that God would send me one good friend this year. I know I've been here only two weeks, but I was so ready to make friends, and just go out for an espresso with someone. So far during my free time, all I've done is read books and blogs, watch movies with French subtitles (Ivana's suggestion, it really helps), and practice French (still not good). But today I am really thriving off my solitude. It is nice to not talk, to just sit in a cafe and listen. It is nice to sit in the park with a coke and read. It is nice to change in my pajamas early, and curl up on my bed with a movie. Granted, I don't want to be alone everyday, but I am appreciating it now more than ever. I can honestly say I am very content. I do need to be a bit more patient, however.

Hopefully tomorrow I will meet some people, and quell some loneliness that might creep in during the night. I have nearly a whole year ahead of me, which is quite a bit of time to make friends. Right now I am going to climb into bed, and listen to Dave Pedde's album Windows, and spend a little time with God. But I will leave you with a picture I took last night from my balcony, of a sunset over France. My whole room was filled with a rosy glow. It was so lovely.

May you all have a peaceful night.

just an update

2008-08-28T14:32:00.005-05:00

I am tired, and really ready for bed, but I am trying to be consistent in my posts. No one likes a neglected blog.

Everything is going ok... Although I'm ready for Malko to start school. Kudos to stay-at-home-moms. Seriously. I am exhausted by the time dinner starts.

This week has been interesting. Mathilde started school, but Malko doesn't start until Monday. Malko still hasn't exactly warmed up to me yet. Which I understand completely. He's had one nanny his whole life, and then his mother was home for the past three months (she just beat breast cancer - she's an amazing woman). So now there is a complete stranger is waking him up, making his breakfast, and speaking a strange language to him... I understand his wary attitude. But today we really played together, and it was great. He is sweet, and will talk to you for hours about nothing at all if you let him.

I think on Saturday I am going to drive into Nyon with Ivana... and I'm nervous. It's not the whole stick-shift thing - I know and love manual transmissions; my beloved Neon (RIP) was a manual. It's the whole ridiculously-narrow-roads thing. Everything is laid out very similarly to the States, but people drive faster here, and the roads are tiny. We'll see how I do.

Oh, and I'm going to join a choir! Tonight Ivana was going through some papers, and called up the stairs to me, "Do you want to sing?" I leaned over the banister. "Um, right now?" She laughed. "No, there is a choir in Nyon, and my friend is directing! I forgot. It's starting on Wednesday night. I will call my friend and take you this Wednesday." YEA! I am so excited. I don't care if everyone is tone-deaf and they only sing cheesy gospel music, I am going to sing. I will keep you all posted.

I am very excited tomorrow is Friday. I am tired and I am looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday (aka about 9am).

Anyway. I'm trying to decide if I will read a little, or turn on a movie. Either way, I'm going to be asleep soon. Goodnight!

who knew there were so many spiders?

2008-08-26T13:55:00.002-05:00

Seriously, there are so many spiders in Switzerland. So far, the count in my room is up to 9. NINE. That's a lot of spiders. Seriously. And 7 of them were on my first day. Right now there are two in the corner, mocking me. Tomorrow morning, when Malko wakes up, I'm getting the vacuum (I love Swiss vacuum cleaners, by the way), and sending those monsters to their death. They are just too big to squish. Today, the kids and I bonded over the biggest spider I have EVER seen, at least, outside of a cage. Seriously, this mofo was the size of a quarter, and bigger when it stretched its legs out. Its web was massive, and stretched across the gate in the sideyard. The kids were throwing grass at it, and giggling and screaming when it moved. I joined in on the excitement, saying (in French!), "oh, it is very big!" and "ewwwww" which I have found to be universal. Mathilde went and grabbed a huge leaf, and tried to find the courage to poke it. Nope. She dropped the leaf and giggled. Malko picked up the leaf and completely owned the web (aka destroyed it). The spider fell into the grass, and we all sighed in relief... until Mathilde said, "where's the spider?" And as if it were on cue, we all ran back into the house, the kids screaming bloody murder. It was great.

The spider is still at large. I've shut my balcony door, in case it decides it wants revenge, and the kids' room on the third floor is too high.

In other news, I have been thinking about what I want to accomplish this year. I'm not necessarily a goal-orientated person, but working for something is always helpful. I set goals in college, because the time frames were always so easily realized, and I was usually working with a team, and everyone was great at holding each other accountable (I had the best experience in leadership during college). Dan is a little too good at holding me accountable; actually, he's a straight task-master. Ok, not really, but I have to be careful about what I'm swearing off, or what I'm promising to do everyday, because he is disciplined (MUCH more than I am), and will hold me to my words. I tend to exaggerate (oh my gosh, it was the BEST THING EVER), and be flippant with my words (I love Coca-cola more than anything in the world), and Dan chooses his words carefully (which is really awesome and I respect him so much for it). All that said, here are some goals:

1. Be pretty decently fluent in French.
Now, this can mean a lot of things. But by the time I move home, I would like to be able to hold a decent conversation in French, not just simple words and phrases like now. I've always wanted to learn French, and I've learned so much already from immersion. So it's easy to practice, since my two little ones don't speak a lick of English.

2. Run a marathon!
Ever since my awesome. brother ran the Twin Cities Marathon in 2005, I've wanted to do one too. Now, I do not like running. Cycling, sure, I'll bike from Minneapolis to New Orleans, 1500 miles, for Katrina Victims! Sign me up! But running? No way. During my trip to New Orleans, the last week we pretty much did a bike marathon every day (about 116 miles). Day after I come home, best shape of my life, decide to jog a mile with my roommate Mel, and can't do it. Seriously. Lame. So this is a big deal. The Paris Marathon is April 5, so that gives me quite some time to get ready. And I want to do it so bad. And I CAN do it. So hold me accountable, blog world!

3. Travel
I have family in England, friends (more like brothers) in Dublin, a college friend in Stockholm, missionary friends in Italy, a high school friend in Tokyo, and a college friend in Hong Kong. Plus, numerous contacts/awesome people I have met through blogging. AND my old choir is touring Spain in May. I want to go everywhere. I especially want to see all of Switzerland (it's really not that big). As of right now, I have no idea what kind of time I have off... but most of everything is a quick train ride or plane trip away. So it's all possible.

4. Piano
There is a great piano in the basement, and I have lots of time to practice. Dan, I'm learning a special song just for you. But I'm not telling you what it is. Heehee.

That's really it.... I'm sure I'll think of something else. My blogs are long. Sorry. I'll try to post more pictures.

Anyway, I miss you all at home, very much, and thank you all for staying in touch! I love hearing from you!!!!!!

good morning!

2008-08-25T04:27:00.002-05:00

Bonjour! I thought I would post since I have a little time, and not much to do - Mathilde is at school, and Malko is playing with the neighbor. It is such a great neighborhood here; there are so many children and not much traffic. Everyone is friendly, and so helpful. Anyway, I think I'll talk about the children a little bit.

Mathilde is wonderful. She is like a little mother to Malko, and is constantly taking care of him, helping him, and babying him. She loves him so much and loves to include him. She loves me a lot, too, and is sure to tell me everyday. It's so hard because I desperately want to communicate with her, but I am slowly but surely progressing with my French, so hopefully someday soon... She is full of personality, a little bit of a spit-fire (but very obedient), and is quite a talented musician. She has amazing tonal memory - anything she hears, she repeats, right on pitch. She and Malko are taking a music class this year with a popular local children's musician, Sonia Grimm. But while being a musician, she is also terrified of failure. But she's recently overcome a lot in her young life, and she is gaining quite a bit of confidence. At dinner last night, Ivana told me quite a bit about her, and she had a lot of infections and medical problems when she was younger. But now she is healthy and strong.

Malko is funny. The best word I can use to describe him is "ham". Seriously, what a little performer. He is so funny. He loves to talk, sing, capture everyone's attention, and speaks to strangers like it's nothing. He loves to play alone, and with Mathilde. He still is quite reserved around me, but it's slowly wearing off. Especially since yesterday, he was pretending his stuffed bunny was going down a ski slope, so I made some crashing noises when he hit the bottom. He loved it. He thought it was the funniest thing. He definitely warmed up to me a little after that. He's an odd little boy, and I don't know how to play with him, because he loves barbies, and purses, and pink, and yesterday he asked Ivana if he could wear make-up like her. Not trying to judge or anything, but I'm not used to little boys like this... Cole, the 4th grade boy I worked with last year, was obsessed with being "a man", and having a mustache and a gun, and being a pirate, and punching bad guys. Not really Malko's style. Eh. If he wasn't scared of the dark I'd make him watch Lord of the Rings and tell him to go kill Orcs. I think it might be a little scary for an almost 4 year old who spends his time with Barbie and Ratatouille.

I was going to post on Yvoire, France, but maybe later today... Mathilde only has a half-day of school today, being the first day and all, and I need to go pick her up soon, and make lunch. Malko starts school next week, and when I get settled into the real routine, I think I will feel finally settled.

Au revoir!

exploring Nyon

2008-08-22T07:52:00.005-05:00

Yesterday (Thursday), and today (Friday), the children have gone to their grandparents, so I can get settled and explore. I feel settled in, I suppose, but exploring is not too fun on your own, when you have NO idea about anything at all.

So yesterday, Ivana purchased me a train ticket, and I headed into Nyon. It was a beautiful day. As soon as I arrived, I just set off walking, and walked around the perimeter of the main part of the town. It was just so beautiful. Lots of boats were out on the lake, people were outside eating and enjoying the weather, I was just just walking, taking it all in. To an American from the Midwest, everything looks like a postcard. I was not too hungry, even though it was lunchtime, and I was not too keen about eating at a random restaurant all alone. I have before, but usually with a book, and usually in America.

I found a small drugstore, and bought some necessary things. I only brought travel-sized shampoo, toothpaste, etc to save space. Remember that 3-1 stuff we bought, Sarah? Yeah, did not bring it because I thought my suitcase was over the weight limit. Turns out I had 6 more lbs. to play with than I thought I did. Boo.

I bought shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, q-tips, nail polish remover... nearly everything on my shopping list. I almost splurged on some L'Occitane lotion, but decided to wait.

I found the shopping mall, and found the American Market (yea! expensive but great. I bought a jar of peanut butter.), and I found H&M. I bought a nice dress I can wear for fall/winter. I finally was hungry, and finally screwed up my courage to eat alone, so I headed over to a restaurant recommended in the Living in Nyon blog (link in my blog list to the right, it is a great site!), but they had finished lunch, and dinner was not being served yet. Oh well. I was tired anyway, and I decided to head home.

When I got home, I rested & read for a bit, and then I decided to take a walk around Genolier. I walked pretty far, not realizing I had been traipsing downhill (or down-mountain), so when I turned to come home, it was quite a hike back. I think I walked about a total of 8 miles yesterday, between Nyon & Genolier. I later went with Ivana to the grocery store (all the groceries I have seen so far have been inside malls - it is a little strange). Ivana is great, and I am glad I will be able to get to know her better.

Today, I elected to stay home, instead of taking the train to Geneva, or even back to Nyon. It has been rainy today, so I am glad I stayed in. When Ivana returns from work, we are going shopping in Geneva for a French-English dictionary, and a mobile phone. I will hopefully make it to Geneva soon; Ivana would love to show me around. Ivana & Bertrand lived there before the kids, and they love it. Bertrand's band plays there often, apparently.

I will not be attending church on Sunday; we are going to France! Yea! We are going to take a ferry across the lake and spend the day there.

Here is a picture of my favorite spot in Nyon.

Well, I am off to let the dog out, and wash my dishes from lunch. Au revoir!

2008-08-19T14:15:00.005-05:00

I vowed before my arrival that my first blog from Switzerland would not be a little blurb, but I would actually flesh out a lot of details, pictures, etc. Oops...
Seriously, I was so tired upon arrival. I got here at about 8am Swiss time, which meant it was 1am back home. Friday night, before leaving, we had a little goodbye party, and Dan and I stayed up pretty late, drinking champagne with lots of candles under the twinkle lights on my back deck. It was nice - my four favorite things in one spot (Dan, champagne, twinkle lights, candles). The only way it could have been better would be if I found out I was also a Jedi Knight (yep, huge nerd).

We stayed up quite late so I would be tired and able to sleep on the plane. I was exhausted when I got on. But could I sleep a wink?
NO.
I tried all my falling-asleep tricks... but nothing worked. I just gave up after a while and watched a movie. So needless to say, by the time I got my suitcase and met Bertrand & Mathilde, I was dead on my feet.

Driving from the airport was so beautiful. Lots of trees, and mountains on the left, the lake on the right, and the Alps right across the lake.
The house is lovely; it is part of townhome (cannot think of another way to describe it), and it is 3 stories, plus a finished basement. I would have taken pictures of the whole house, but Ivana has apologized profusely because it is a little messy (they just returned from a 2 week holiday on Friday) and I do not want to offend her in anyway. It is cozy, full of art, music, and knick-knacks. I have my own room, bathroom, and a balcony. Here are some pictures!
Sorry, I had to use the crappy flash that is built into my camera. Look how organized I am! It is easy when you have so few clothes (I know, I know. So much black.).

It has been frustrating trying to communicate with the children, but they are fast learners. I think if I had studied more, it still would not have prepared me. But they are so sweet. They love to cuddle, they kiss me and say goodnight before bed, Mathilde has already drawn me two pictures, one of a sheep, and one of a horse, and they take good care of each other. Ivana & Bertrand are wonderful. As soon as I arrived, they showed me my room, let me shower, and take a nap before lunch. Later this week, Ivana's parents are going to take the children for a day so I can explore the city. They have really been sweet trying to make me feel at home, and encouraging me to get into everything. I really could not have asked for a better situation.

This weekend, I am going shopping and walking in the forest with Ivana, and hopefully purchasing some of the many, many things I did not bring (flat iron, nail polish remover, slippers, etc).

I love it here! But, I do miss Dan (and my family, of course). I mean, just look at this picture of Dan.
He is so handsome, and a class-act all the way. And the sweetest, most considerate man in the whole world.

Anyway, I am so tired, and I am ready for bed. Goodnight everyone. I will try to post regularly!

(Family, if you are reading this, please send Cheetos stat!)

Switzerland!

2008-08-18T15:38:00.002-05:00

I am here, and it is wonderful. My laptop battery is low, and I am exhausted, but everything here is wonderful. From family to my room to the view, everything is better than I hoped.

I will post more when my computer is charged and so am I.

Au revoir!

I got new glasses

2008-08-15T09:58:00.006-05:00

I leave tomorrow.
AHHHH!

Right now, Dan and I are sitting on my couch, with our respective macbooks, and the dog is sleeping under a blanket in between us. Normal, everyday stuff with Dan is so nice. Last night, before we went to see the midnight showing of Star Wars: Clone Wars (nerd alert), we were both sitting, with our laptops, drinking coffee, and playing video games we hacked off the internet. Perfect Dan & Cam time. There are so many moments I just want to freeze and tuck away, so I could pull them out on a sad day and be happy I have such a normal, sweet but as manly as Clint Eastwood, perfect boyfriend.

Want to hear a crazy story?
Yesterday, Dan and I swung by LensCrafters so I could get a new pair of glasses before I left. They had a deal in which you received free lenses with a purchase of frames. So this sweet girl is helping, and I'm being totally honest with her; all I can afford is the free lenses. Only the cheapest lenses were free with a frames purchase, everything else was just on sale. Fine with me. Give me the basics, I do not have too much money to throw around. So she gets this guy to come and help, and he looks at my prescription, and says, "You can't get these basic lenses, your prescription is so bad you need these lenses." Oh, that's right, I remember I am totally blind, and if I do not get the ultra-thin lenses, I will essentially have about an inch of plastic in front of my eyes. I glance at the price of "these lenses", and the lenses alone are $280 (on sale - normally $470!). My frames are $189. I cannot afford that. I do not have vision insurance. I start talking really fast, and Dan's boyfriend radar is going off, and he can tell I am close to tears. The two helping me go to the back to speak with the tech, and I burst into tears. In the middle of LensCrafters.
Yes, I am a crier, but this was a little out of control. Dan is trying to calm me down, all I can eek out is something to the effect of, "I'm so stressed... moving out of the country... can't afford this... come back later"
The two employees come back, and the guy sits down, and says hesitantly, "Is everything ok?" I apologize, trying to mope up rogue streams of mascara, and inform them I am moving to Switzerland on Saturday, and I am stressed, and I cannot afford it, and I need to think about it and I will come back.
They immediately feel bad for me. The guy says, "That's so cool! Oh, you should be happy. Let's see what we can do. What's your price range?"
I just mumble that I will come back after talking to my ever-wise father.
The guy pauses. "You know what? Don't worry about it. We'll just give you the nice lenses for free."
What?
FREE???
ZOMG THANK YOU!
He shrugs. "Don't worry. You should be happy! You two are moving to Switzerland!"
Dan and I look at each other. "Actually, she's leaving me behind." Dan says.
The guy feels even more sorrow for me (If that is possible at this point. Seriously, I was pathetic, and a little embarrassed to return to pick up my glasses). They take my eye measurements and I pay - after the discount, $162.75... Wait, were the frames not $189... whatever. No complaints here! Here is a picture of me in my new glasses (I just woke up).
I love them! It took Dan a little bit to get used to them, and my mom, but my last pair were thick black frames, with rhinestones, so whatever. Can you see the coke-bottle thickness?

Time to finish packing, translate the French on my e-ticket so I can have a clue of what to do tomorrow, and get ready for the party tonight. My next post will be from Switzerland!

so productive

2008-08-04T23:01:00.003-05:00

Instead of actually packing, I have found some great packing lists, and I am compiling one of my own - stuff to buy here, what books to bring, what to purchase upon arrival, etc.

Here are two good websites:

http://upl.codeq.info/
This one you plug in the length of your trip, if you are preparing all your food, if you are backpacking or using a suitcase, etc.

http://www.travellerspoint.com/packing-list.cfm
This one had some suggestions that had not crossed my mind.

Of course, both are geared towards shorter term travel, but they are still helpful - I tend to overpack in some areas, and underpack in others... I need all the organizational help I can get.

T-12 days!

home (for now)

2008-07-30T19:40:00.006-05:00

I cannot wait til I can post from Switzerland.
I just spent the last week and a half in Minneapolis, spending time with my wonderful boyfriend. It was the nicest trip. I was only supposed to stay for a week, but Dan convinced me to stay a few extra days...and it was worth it. We traveled to Wittenberg, WI to visit his grandparents, and his sister came back to Minneapolis with us. Dan's grandparents live on almost 200 acres (I think), and have gardens, and a Christmas tree farm, and make maple syrup. I ate some amazing food, like homegrown corn & potatoes, steak on the grill, homemade apple sauce from their own apple tree... And I got a pint of maple syrup from the last batch - no sugaring next year. Upon returning to the cities, we showed Laura our Minneapolis; why we love it so much. All we did in the extra time I spent there was move Dan from his campus apartment to a house in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood. It was such a nice "vacation" and the more time I spend with Dan, the more I like him. I think that is a good sign.
Anyway.
Only 17 days before I leave... unbelievable. I almost do not believe I am leaving, but I think I am preparing for it (mentally... do not ask to see my bedroom).
Here are some pictures from Minneapolis & Wittenberg.

cider at Brit's

Dan

the river behind Dan's grandparents house

Dan and Laura

by the sugaring sheds

It really was such a nice time. But I feel a little suspended... I am halfway ready to go. It will come soon enough. This weekend: saying goodbye to the grandparents. Next weekend: wedding, saying goodbye to Minneapolis friends. Following weekend: Switzerland!

it really is the little things

2008-07-11T22:13:00.002-05:00

I was at the movies tonight, and there was a firefly in the theater.

It was so lovely.

America, America.

2008-07-08T18:45:00.003-05:00

39 days left.

Cannot believe it. When I started my little countdown widget in my dashboard, it was over a hundred days away. Eeeep!

My last day of work is on Friday. After that, a month of packing, squeezing time in with friends, a little house-sitting, and enjoying America and all its America-ness.

I have a tendency to forget about the present, because I get so excited about what is going to come. Something I constantly recognize, rarely correct. I suppose it is true of a lot of people. So right now, I am trying to soak up every day, and I have a lot I want to do before I go - baseball game and eat a hot dog and cotton candy (go Cubs!), go to the Warren Dunes (next Tuesday - yippee!), visit my grandparents one last time, and spend every second possible with Dan.

Oh! I got a camera! It is a Canon Rebel XT, and I like it a lot. I wish the LCD screen was a little bigger... but whatever, I got an awesome deal on it. Here are some pictures I have taken so far.

I love my grandparents, and the 4th of July. Well, that is it for now.... I will try to post lots on my mini-adventures before my departure. Oh! And one more thing - I will be running the Paris Marathon, April 5, 2009. I am excited, and nervous. Ok, that really is all for now.

4th of July

2008-06-24T17:45:00.007-05:00

I am just trying to write more. Until I get there, I really have nothing else to say but "I'm so excited" or "I'm so nervous" or "I'm going to miss Dan a lot".

SO

I am going to write about other stuff.

Let me tell you about the 4th of July. It really is one of my favorite holidays, and simply because of memories/and what I've missed by spending summers in Minneapolis.

We go to Carlyle, IL, a little town about an hour east of St. Louis, where my grandparents live (and great aunts/uncles/2nd cousins etc). It's an adorable little town. It's right on Carlyle Lake, the biggest man-made lake in the state (fact). When we (my cousins and I) were little, we loved going down there, because Grandpa and Grandma had a pontoon boat, cousin Mark had a speed boat, and Grandpa taught us how to canoe, fish, play golf, washers, horseshoes, and just let us be kids. We did occasionally think it was boring, because there were no video stores, or McDonald's, just a Wal-Mart (all of the above is there now! yea!)

Fast-forward a few years. Grandparents no longer have pontoon, but we do lots of golfing. But it is still the best. Uncle Dave makes awesome margaritas (he is from TX), we eat fried chicken, cousin Lisa's pretzel dip, and sit out on the patio til all hours of the night, with sparklers and lots of laughter.

It is so Americana; it is what you would expect 4th of July to be in small town. Everyone wears red, white, and blue, and decorates with bunting. I love it. I am so excited this year, because my brother's wife will be with us, and Dan will be there too! Not all my cousins can come, which is sad, but it will still be wonderful.

Here are some photos, courtesy of my cuz, Frank.

I love my family.

ALSO
I found something amazing. Space Travel Bags, courtesy of The Container Store. Awesome. Compact everything so much. Yea packing solutions!

Home Alone.

2008-06-13T20:04:00.005-05:00

I am alone for the weekend, and I am so happy. I actually really like living with my parents, but it is so nice to be alone.

They left me a little money for food, so I wandered over the the grocery store tonight. I was not in the mood for anything particular, so I grabbed a basket and started to mosey around. While I was wandering the massive, carpeted aisles, it hit me - 2 months from now, I will not have this luxury. From my research and time in Europe, grocery stores are small. And they are not open 24 hours a day. I remember ice cream runs in my college days at 3 in morning, procrastinating in the middle of massive projects and papers. Probably not going to happen next year. Which really, is good. I do need to be better at planning, and remembering the world doesn't revolve around my schedule. Maybe the Swiss groceries will help.

Right now I'm waiting for my lasagna to finish baking (very practical, about 4 meals out of one pan) and munching on my most favorite food in the whole world, sugar snap pea pods.

I have not even thought about packing or buying my camera or anything. I really need to get on the ball. Please, if you see me, or talk to me, please remind me to continue paring down my belongings. Thanks.

Minneapolis, how I love thee

2008-05-27T21:19:00.003-05:00

I just had the nicest Memorial weekend in my favorite city (in America), Minneapolis. I love Minneapolis (and its twin, Saint Paul) very very much. Something about it just gets in your blood...

Anyway, Sunday was a perfect Minneapolis day. I spent the night at my friend Ashley's apartment, and we slept in. She made pannekoeken for breakfast, and then I headed over to Dan's. After lazing around for a while, we headed to the Birchwood Cafe and I had a perfect lunch of a smoked turkey salad sandwich with watercress, roasted corn, red peppers, black beans, and microgreens in a lime cilantro dressing, and Dan had a black bean burger (I did not pay any attention to his burger, I was enraptured with my sandwich). I think it is my favorite place to eat in the cities. Everything is so fresh, local, organic, and just plain yummy. Last time I was there, they had a turkey burger with strawberries, red onion, honey aioli, bibb lettuce, and a big hunk of melty brie. mmmmmm.

I digress. After that we went to Sebastian Joe's in Linden Hills for ice cream. We walked near Lake Harriet and wandered into a little garden shop, where I made good friends with a little old lady, and watched the sky get very very dark in the Northeast, shortly before the tornadoes came.

The only way it could have been better would have been a trip to Kopplin's Coffee and a movie at the Riverview Theater but tornadoes were touching down and we decided to go back to Dan's nice sturdy apartment building. While we stood outside (Dan lives across the street from The Band Box) watching the storms come in, I ran into my good friend Rachel. She is one of my favorite people. We ended a night with a trip to Uptown and yelled at a taxi driver for being stupid. It was a great, Minneapolis day.

Minneapolis, I will think of you often while I am in Switzerland, and I cannot wait to be a resident of you again, someday.

en fin

adventure

2008-05-20T19:22:00.003-05:00

Less then three months until I leave! It is starting to feel real... every now and then I get little glimmers of absolute excitement. I was trying to describe it to Dan; feeling like I did the first time I explored Old Town in Stockholm, or saw the Colosseum, or explored the rainforest. Pure, untainted excitement. When I am abroad, I am fearless. Nothing (other than lack of funds) can hinder my adventure. I love it.

Basically, I am excited. And I am blogging because I am sick of cleaning my room and trying to pare down my belongings.

Anyway, I think I am going to make a Target run, because I love Target, and I want to continue to procrastinate.

en fin

prediction

2008-05-12T18:03:00.003-05:00

I already know there are some American things I am really going to miss.
So here is the list, in random order:
1. Dan
2. The Simpsons
3. peanut butter
4. America's Next Top Model (seriously)
5. my down comforter
6. green money
7. easily conversing in English
8. Portillo's
9. REAL Coca-cola (european coke is weird. at least I know in advance)
10. TARGET
11. being only a few hours from Dan
12. family get-togethers
13. Minneapolis, in general
14. Dan
15. reading street signs
16. of course, lots of great people
17. Fahrenheit, miles per hour, inches and feet, cups and tablespoons, etc.
18. Dan
19. easily finding books in English
20. American sports
21. sales (Switzerland only has sales 2x a year. :( Seriously. )
22. sitting wherever I want at the movies (yes, there is assigned seating in Switzerland)
23. the election - I have voted every chance I have gotten, I will vote absentee, but you know
24. Dan
25. Dan

en fin

101 days!

2008-05-07T18:52:00.002-05:00

Yep, I am leaving in 101 days. Right now it seems so surreal. Some days I cannot fall asleep because my mind is going a mile a minute, trying to decide what to pack, if I should come home for Christmas, how much I am going to miss Dan, etc. For example, what shoes should I bring? This is a very important decision. Do I really need my 4 inch black velvet cut-out wedges? Will I not want them so I can look fabulous while visiting Paris, Milan, etc? What about my 3 inch gold wedges? And do I need two pairs of black knee high boots (completely different, I swear)? You know, important stuff.

I feel a little detached from the whole situation, and I think I can pinpoint it. I really have not been in contact with the family this past week, I think that missing connection has impacted my mood a little... it is difficult to put into words.

Lately I guess I have felt like I have been out of touch with the whole world. Restless. When I talked to Dan about it, he gently said "Cam, you know you feel like that about every 3 months, right?" Yeah, it is true. I just get a little restless. And I want big adventures. But this time... I am actually kind of glad I am feeling like this right now. I am trying to enjoy my small world before my big adventure, and I am so very very aware of my small world right now. I am restless but content, eager to move on, but increasingly nostalgic. Paradigm. Whatever.

Pretty much I feel a lot of things that I cannot fully grasp.

If anyone has packing advice, please send it my way. I am going to ship some things, but I am only allowed one suitcase, at about 48 lbs. Eek.

Dan

2008-04-27T19:54:00.003-05:00

The only hesitation I have about leaving the country is this one boyfriend of mine, Dan. He's pretty alright.

I have NEVER felt so at peace about a decision, but I know I'm going to miss him like crazy. I wish he could come with me, or at least visit me once a month. That would be pretty nice. Here are my two favorite pictures of us. We don't take a lot of pictures.

en fin

Je suis l'apprentissage du français.

2008-04-24T18:38:00.002-05:00

I have subscribed to two French podcasts and I am trying to soak it all in. The children really don't speak any English at all, so I am desperately trying to remember things from my last French class, almost 10 years ago (!).

Right now, one of the podcasts I'm listening to is playing an extremely cheesy French song, probably from the mid 80's, complete with synthesizers and horns. Ooo, the warm pad just came in. This is going to be good.

So, the other day, I was chiding myself because I feel like I'm over-preparing for this trip a little early. Then I realized it's the end of April, and my flight leaves August 16th. This time is going to fly by! If anyone has absolutely any advice, I am all ears. Seriously.

I'm so distracted. I'm just going to stop writing now.

Thank you.

2008-04-21T17:26:00.003-05:00

I just want to thank my friends for being so supportive. You all are so wonderful. Please come visit me.

Also, I will try to spend as much time in Dublin as possible. How could I not? You boys are like brothers to me and I am excited we will be on the same continent. And of course, Ramsbottom, where some of my family lives. I'm excited that I already have a mini-network already!

I'm going to try to get my visa on Friday, so please pray for me.

Happy Monday!

Here I go.

2008-04-20T18:45:00.003-05:00

August 17, I will be moving to Genolier, Switzerland. It is in the canton of Vaud, outside of Nyon, and very close to Geneva. I am beyond excited. I feel like I am on the brink of a great adventure. For a year I will live with a wonderful family, helping out around the house and taking care of 2 little ones, Mathilde and Malko. I will learn French, and I will begin my journey of becoming a "world citizen" (I know, I know, it sounds cheesy, but I aspire to it).

Right now, I am equally terrified and enticed by the unknown of a different culture. I had a video conference with the family, and it was so nice and reassuring to speak to them face to face. I didn't get to say hello to Malko, he was in the bath, but I did get to meet Mathilde, and she is adorable. She said (Ivana translating), I wish you could come today! Well, my heart melted on the spot. Ivana said she is eager to learn English, and she tries very hard to speak it, but it is just mostly made-up words. Ivana later emailed me, stating Mathilde spent their entire dinner asking questions about me (when was I coming, why couldn't I come earlier, how long will I stay, what are my hobbies, etc). I already feel so much love for this family and I just hope that I can fill these little ones' lives with as much love as they can handle.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the children. I think you can see why I am so enamored with them.
I will try my hardest to keep this updated with all my adventures (and mundane things too).