Sam's new school

waiting for the tram to go to school

Last night I received an email from my sister-in-law. Apparently I forgot to tell Sam's previous school that he would not be attending this year, and as a result, he was placed in the same class as his cousin Peter. It was a sad moment for us to think about how much fun those two would have had together.

But, since we are not in Maryland, Sam is currently on day three at his new school- The International School Basel. The student body is comprised of 60 different nationalities and Sam has kids in his class with names like Teun, Fletcher, Metehan and Mahmoud. This really isn't too different from Sam's previous school, but I still think it's pretty cool. The staff seems wonderful and all knew Sam's name the moment he walked through the door (I guess that's what the application picture was for). The kids are also required to take German classes, which should be very helpful in our transition here.

So far there have only been two negative aspect-

1. I failed to notice the school material list when we were in the states, and it is obnoxiously lengthy. (What??? I need to buy gym sneakers and indoor shoes to keep at school???) Needless to say, it has cost me a small fortune to buy here.
2. Our temporary housing is ridiculously far from the school. It involves switching trams and takes a total of 45 minutes. ONE WAY. I think that Andrew will most likely drop Sam off on his way to work, but it will be nice when we move closer to his school.
   

One huge plus for me is that the parents are all extremely friendly and really go out of their way to make you feel at home. They organize trips, playgroups and even assign a "host family" to help with any questions. There is definitely a sense of comradeship which we gladly welcome.

Going off to class without even a backwards glance- break my heart Sam!

modeling his new gym outfit

Augusta Raurica

Last Saturday we took our first family excursion outside of the city to visit some ancient Roman ruins. Andrew had a general idea of where this place was, so we hopped on a tram and then took a bus...which took us to the middle of nowhere. We assumed that we were lost, but after walking around a bit we found a sign which directed us to the ruins. The walk there (about 1 mile) was in the countryside, and absolutely beautiful. There were a ton of sheep, cows, and pigs which the kids went nuts over. At one point we crossed a bridge and saw a bunch of little children playing in the river below. On our way home we stopped by this river and let our kids play in it too.

The ruins themselves are the remains of a Roman colony (August Raurica), which was founded in 44 BC. Today you can see whats left of an amphitheater, theater, temple, sanctuary and some other buildings. Pretty cool stuff- especially for history geeks like Andrew.

That's a stick tucked in the back of Luke's pants. He keeps it there for easy access- just one of the many reasons I love him.

playing in the river with some local kids (and dad's too)

Our Arrival in Switzerland

First and foremost, I am extremely glad that we brought a 2-year supply of deodorant from the US. Antiperspirant really does make a big difference. I'm also glad that I brought a whole lotta everything with us for that matter- they weren't kidding when they said it was expensive here.

With that said, we love Switzerland! I know we have only been here 5 days, so it is way too early for such statements, but so far, so good. I didn't expect the kids to adjust to the jet lag and upheaval of their lives so quickly, but by day 3 they were back to their routines. They have been such troopers and it really has made this transition go smoothly.

How was the flight over here? It really could have been worse. We flew out of Philadelphia on an 8 hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany. The boys slept a little, but mostly just watched movies. They didn't complain, and neither did we. By hour 4 Afton was irritable and ready for bed, and after several failed attempts to get her asleep in his arms, Andrew finally laid her on the floor where she slept for at least 2 1/2 hours. This was actually suggested by one of the flight attendants, who were awesome! You can tell that almost anything goes on international flights. I also decided that Frankfurt is the worst airport I've ever been to- I've never walked up and down so many stairs. Sam was in tears, and at one point I really thought we were going to have to leave him behind while trying to catch our connecting flight to Basel.

The kids playing with their new Playmobil toys at the Philadelphia airport.

At any rate, we survived, and with the help of a relocation agency we made it to our temporary apartment. It's a nice little place- even if everything is white with straight edges. I kind of feel like we are living in an Ikea catalog. We do have a really large balcony which I love- it's been fun eating our meals out there.

Waiting for our landlord to arrive with all 8 bags of our luggage.

Ikea everywhere!

The boys eating on the balcony.

Our car has arrived in Switzerland, but we don't plan on getting it until we move into our "permanent" house (we won't get the rest of our belongings until then either). Instead we've been taking the tram everywhere. It's extremely efficient (most things in this country are), and convenient to use. It has also proven to be a great way to practice the few phrases of Swiss-German that I know. This includes, "Do you speak English?" and "I do not speak Swiss-German".

Here are a few of the random observations I have made so far:

• Basel has perfect weather (at least in August)- it has been 80 degrees, and sunny with no humidity.
• There are NO flies or mosquitoes here. NONE! I wouldn't believe this, but no one has screens in their windows, and there is no bug problem.
  
• Despite what we heard and expected, the Swiss people have been very friendly. They are definitely more reserved, but most of the people we have encountered have been encouraging and helpful.
  
• Middle-aged men love capris and "man bags". Is this a European thing?
• The cheese and chocolate selection really is amazing. In fact, when I was grocery shopping the only cheese I recognized was mozzarella. It was a little frustrating.

I know there is a lot more, but it was a long day with lots of walking and now I am tired. I leave you with some pictures we've taken to try and capture our new life here.

Andrew in front of his new work building- The Bank for International Settlements. I think that this building is hideous, but Andrew and Sam think that it is an architectural gem.

This is the view from the bridge we cross to get to our apartment. We are just a couple of blocks away from the river. Andrew and the boys took the little ferry you see crossing the river.

Luke and Andrew on the tram.

Eating at some middle-eastern restaurant. I love all of the outdoor eating areas for the cafes and restaurants.

Look at these narrow streets. I mus have been out-of-my-mind to bring my minivan here. I might be too afraid to drive it once I get it back!

The bakery at the grocery store....aghhh, pastries.

This is a village called Aesch. Andrew really would like to live here (I previously did too), but after spending a few hours in it, I decided it was too quiet. It is beautiful and charming, but I don't want to feel so isolated. We are now looking in the next village up called Reinach. It is a little bigger and has a ton of ex-pats living in it (the International School is close by). We have a viewing of a townhouse there on Tuesday which we are hoping will be as nice inside as it is on the outside. We shall see.

Goodbye to us.

Andrew's mom came upon this billboard in NYC a couple of weeks ago. In case you were wondering, a large section of my in-laws basement is filled with our belongings.

Well, we are now settled in Switzerland (at least in our temporary housing), and I think the hardest part of this move was saying goodbye. This goodbye was made particularly worse by the added guilt of "stealing" the grandkids away from our parents. (I know that those tears my dad shed were not for me...or for Andrew either.) My parents and sisters came up for the weekend to see us off, and we were able to get together with Andrew's local family for a large dinner. It was really nice to have everyone together.

We were also able to get done everything we needed to in preparation for this move, which put my little stressed-out-heart to ease. I even got done some extras- like getting my haircut so I could get bangs. For some reason I had it in my head that bangs were "European" looking. Bangs, skinny jeans and scarfs...yes, I'm that ridiculous. And for the record, I don't think my bangs make me look European, they just make me look dumb.

There will be much more on our arrival later- because for the time being Andrew's computer is not letting me download my pictures- sorry Ashley and Becca!

Our nieces and nephews presenting our family with a scrapbook they made with notes and pictures for us- very sweet.

Grandpa Willis and the boys

My family saying goodbye

Grandpa Walker and the kids

Classic Sam and classic Aunt Ashley