All things Swiss

This morning while walking along the river with Luke and Afton an old woman stopped us and vehemently shook her finger at me. I didn't understand a word she said, but based off of her gestures, I gathered she was mad that Luke was not wearing a jacket.

It's hard not to laugh when someone is yelling at you because your kid is not wearing a coat in 65 degree weather.

The fact that older Swiss women will openly criticize you is just one of the many cultural discoveries we have made so far. Our observations in Switzerland have been both fascinating and amusing. I've yet to be horrified or really frustrated, which is a good thing. Below are some of our Swiss observations* thus far...

*I maintain the right to rescind any of these points at any time.
We've only been here for 2 1/2 weeks after all.

J-Walking Madness! Here the majority rule, and the majority travel by foot. I've seen groups of people stop bikers, cars and even trams to cross the street (see above picture). It's pretty remarkable. There are crosswalks, but many people do not bother to use them. The good news is that unlike the US, city traffic is sparse and goes very slowly.

No checks. After opening a Swiss bank account we discovered that the Swiss do not use checks. Cash is generally used, but for big expenses (like paying your rent) you either transfer the money online, or you go to these nifty little kiosks where you can transfer money into the desired account (like your landlord).

Amazing Playgrounds. Honestly, the playgrounds just might be my favorite aspect of Switzerland. Here, the playgrounds are all about creativity, physical activity and encouraging the children to use their brains. Safety seems to fall at the end of this list (according to US standards anyway). The pictures below are from a playground which is a block away from our apartment. It has a big aqueduct where the kids (and Andrew) can control the water flow and play in it.




Swiss Efficiency. In our bathroom, their are two buttons to flush the toilet- one for a "big flush" and one for a "small flush". There are street sweepers (shown below) that tirelessly rid the city of street clutter. The trams are freakishly punc. There is no thermostat in our apartment. Instead, there is a thermometer outside which takes the temp and triggers the heat if necessary. It's madness I tell you!

street sweepers

Big button= big flush, Little button=little flush

Shopping in Germany or France. Everyone here seems to do their "bulk" grocery shopping in German or France. The reason? Food products in Switzerland are smaller and cost more (Swiss agriculture is highly protected and regulated). We went grocery shopping in Germany this past week and we were amazed! The store was enormous (even compared to a US grocery store) and we paid a fraction of what it would cost us in Switzerland. Another cool thing is that we were able to walk there from our apartment. It only took us 15 minutes to walk to the German border- how cool is that?

The Public Toilets (Lori this is for you). I was shocked to discover that you have to pay to use many of the public toilets here. We were at the train station a few days after arriving and Luke really had to "go". When Andrew realized you had to pay to use the bathroom, I think he considered letting Luke wet his pants. The public bathrooms are nice, but at 2 francs/entrance, they should be.

Fashion Staples (for women): Skinny Jeans and Flats. I don't think that I'm going to be jumping on the skinny jean fashion train, but I do, however, love the flat shoes. I haven't noticed a whole lot of sneakers, but that is also a trend I am more than willing to start.

And Lastly, The Food. Basel is right on the boarder of France and Germany, so the cuisine is a blend of these different cultures. All I have to say is that is it amazing. There is lots of cheese, lots of bread, lots of meat and of course, lots of chocolate. There is also another vital component to the Swiss diet: Red Bull. Maybe this is a European thing, but seriously, have you ever seen an entire refrigerated section of energy drinks?

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

The move, reunion, and a vacation

The last few weeks have been insane. We had to move out of our home, move into my in-law's, I headed up my High School 10 year reunion, and then we had a 10 day trip to Utah- all back to back. I was a bit stressed during the process, and I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't the most pleasant person to be around.

About a day before the move I noticed that Sam was drawing at the kitchen table. I went over to see what he was drawing and my heart stopped when I saw what I thought was a picture of me. I timidly asked, "What are you drawing Sammy?"- completely prepared for him to say that it was me. He stopped, looked up at me and said, "A lion. Why?" ...I can't even tell you the relief I felt.


I also thought it best to eat everything in our fridge before our move, so during the last two weeks I didn't do any grocery shopping. The children were not happy about this, so Sam took it upon himself to make up a shopping list of acceptable foods for me to buy. He also wrote down an "apple pie recipe" because apparently he needed one.

Sam's Apple Pie Recipe (translated)
-get some apples
-chop the apples
-boil them
-cover it
-put it in the oven
-take it out

Sam's Shopping List (translated)
-soup
-pancakes
-pop corn
-doughnuts
-macaroni and cheese
-fruit snacks

In the end, "stage 1" of our move went as smoothly as possible. (For those wondering, stage 1 involved moving out of our house, and moving into Andrew's parent's house.) It was a little depressing seeing our home completely empty less than a year after we moved in, but I think I was prepared to feel that way. We adore the family who is renting out our place and it was a huge burden lifted knowing that our home is in such good hands. In many ways the new tenants are exactly like us- LDS, 2 little boys and a baby girl. I seriously wonder if any of the neighbors up the street will notice that we've even moved. Our belongings (along with our minivan) were packed up by a professional moving company, and are now on their way to Switzerland. We'll be heading out on August 16th, but in the meantime, we are enjoying some family time.


The next event to occur was my High School 10 year reunion- which for some reason I decided to organize. With everything going on in my life, I think this reunion could have potentially pushed me over the edge. It probably would have, were it not for my friend Jill. Seriously, I cannot thank that girl enough!!!!!! I basically called her one day last year and told her that she was going to help me plan this thing. Even though she told me every day that she wasn't going to help (and even threatened to poison everyone at the reunion), she took on so much of the load. She took care of everything from the decorations, raffle tickets, finding a place for the reunion and collecting cash...geez, did I even do anything? THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Thanks also to Kim, who came despite her many threats not to. :)


And finally, we had our trip to Utah. The main purpose of this trip was to attend my extended family reunion which took place at my grandparent's cabin in the Uinta mountains. To quote Andrew, "it was legendary". Seriously, this place is amazing, and if you don't believe me, just look at the pictures. The cabin is rustic, which is why I love it so much. There are toilets, but because the plumbing is so old, we have to use the outhouses. Of course, there were a few people unwilling to use the outhouses...and one day my sister (I'll not say which one) came running into our room to say that the upstairs toilet was overflowing. When I got to the bathroom poopy water was gushing over the toilet onto the floor. I hissed at my sister to hurry and help me clean it up before our grandpa found out, but before we could even get a towel my grandpa burst into the room demanding to know what happened. Apparently, the toilet water came pouring through the ceiling right onto everyone who was in the kitchen. GROSS!

Some other highlights included a 6 mile hike which ultimately turned into a 12 mile hike (not on purpose), a rafting trip and rescue mission (more on that later), a fishing trip with grandpa, and enough sites and hikes to make our hearts content. We love my family and I don't think that anyone could have a cooler grandpa and sweeter grandma than I do. When the family reunion was finished we were able to stay with Dan and Kristen in their new home. It was fun to be with them and their location allowed us to visit BYU, American Fork Canyon and Salt Lake. My Grandma Walker also came to the reunion, and we loved seeing her as well.

Look at my grandpa, how awesome is he???

Sam on a fossil hunt.

The green river near flaming gorge dam.

Ash relaxing on the upper deck of the cabin.

Here are some pictures of our rafting trip down the green river. There were 3 rafts in our group, and it was the mission of those in Joe's raft to throw everyone in the river. Fortunately our raft had some little kids in it, so we were somehow exempt.

Look at the picture below- I love how I am in deep conversation while Luke is trying to jump out of the raft. That' some good parenting! At least I'm somewhat holding onto him.

Now look carefully at the picture below. What you are seeing is Andrew and my uncle Jon rescuing a woman and two little girls. These people belonged to another rafting group who idiotically thought it would be a good idea to stop their raft in the middle of the rapids and jump off of this boulder. DUMB!!! The men in their group jumped off the rock, and then their raft got submerged leaving the woman and 2 children stranded. We were not far behind them, so we pulled our rafts over and my uncle and Andrew walked back up the river, jumped in, and traveled down the rapids to the rock. There was a dodgy moment when Andrew tried to get to the rock, but thankfully I didn't see this. They ultimately got the raft out of the water and jumped into the rapids holding the hands of the girls and woman. While this rescue mission was occurring, the men of this group were too busy worrying about their lost car keys to give their stranded family members much thought. Nice.

Fishing with Great-Grandpa Stones

After catching fish, my grandfather showed the kids how to clean and cook them. It was a nice little biology lesson.

And lastly, I leave you with perhaps the funniest thing I have seen in a while. While driving through American Fork, Utah we passed this little boutique.... only in Utah.