The Internet

The internet is a wonderful thing when you are a expat. You can do all sorts of things within the confines of your own home with out every uttering a word. Sometimes that is a great thing.

This week I was able to plan and book an entire trip without once talking with anyone. I was able to research a few vacation packages in the Zermatt area and compare prices. I was able to make a reservation for a hotel and train and cable car passes up to the base of the Matterhorn.

At the same time I was able to find the best way to get to Zermatt via train. I found a timetable, and even found a package for week long train passes for my parents.

Then I looked into museums and found a list of museums that my parents can get into for free with their train passes. How amazing, all of this good information on the internet.


Oh, did I mention that Migros is having a sale on Pepsi this week. Its a great deal 6 CHF for 9 liters. They sell the soda in a 6-pack of 1.5 liter bottles. It is usually about 12 CHF for these 6-packs. (For all those americans out there the normal price of soda is about 2.19 USD for a 2 liter)

Schaffhausen

This weekend we got an invitation from my wife's friend to visit Schaffhausen. Schaffhausen is a city close the German border north of Zürich. It is famous for its castle and its close proximity to the Rhine Falls.

We managed to catch a glimpse of the Rhine Falls from the train, as the tracks run just above the falls themselves. The falls were definately a sight but not as large as I had imagined. I was expecting something on the scale of Niagra Falls, but this was much smaller. Impressive none the less, but impressive on a European scale.

In Schaffhausen we wandered the streets of the alt stadt (old town) looking for something to eat and drink. The city was sponsoring a festival so there were vendors selling food everywhere. Even though there must have been close to 50 food vendors we really only had three choices; raclette, bratwurst, or Chinese.

We opted for raclette which is a swiss tradition. It is cheese that is melted directly off of the cheese wheel and it is served with pickeled onions, pickels, and boiled patatoes. This strange combination actually tastes quite good. However, the smell is terrible. We ate in a raclette tent, which had about 20 tables each sitting 6, and everyone was eating raclette. As we were leaving I thought how terrible this stuff smells. I was thinking I probably needed and shower to get the stink off of me. I would liken the feeling to that same thought you have after leaving a smokey bar. I just thought it was bizzare that I wanted to "wash the cheese smell out of my hair."

Did I ask for your opinion?

We'll maybe not your opinion, but your comments for sure! I want to thank everyone that has been responding to my posts, both via the comment option, e-mail option or via personal e-mails. Ever since I have asked if anyone was reading my blog I have been quite overwhelmed by the number of friends and family that have been in touch.

I am amuzed when I talk to people and they mention some event in my personal life and I think 'How did they know that?' The power of the blog. I sometimes forget how public a blog really is.

While the blog has definately made my life more visible to my friends it is a very one way relationship. I read the posts and the e-mails and they all relate to something I have done or written. It is encouraging to know everyone is actively following my doings but this one way relationship creates sometimes odd conversations. Those reading can ask me questions about all the aspects of my life. I on the other hand don't have that same view into their lives. This leads to conversations where I feel like I am constantly talking about myself. People are asking about this event, or that trip, or whatever. Something I had written spawns question after question. And I struggle to and ask "How's the weather over there?" That is one aspect of blogging that I had not really thought about.

Also interesting to me is that there several of you that I have heard from more in the last few months than in the last several years. That is amazing to me. How easy it is to stay in touch when we use digital media as a means of communication instead of phone calls, family reunions, or pub crawls. I don't mean this as an insult to my readers, but really a invitation to continue to keep in touch in this time of simple, cheap, and fast communication.

Fussball

After work today I went out to play some football (soccer) with a coworker. It was just the two of us kicking a ball around in an extremely muddy field having a good time. I really enjoyed the opportunity to forgot about things for an hour and just to have a little bit of fun.

The whole experience just showed me that I really need to start looking at finding some more friends. I think I've been her long enough where it is really time to start trying to meet some people. The question is where?

The coworker that I was playing football with is actually living in France. He travels to Baden during the week. On our walk home from the pitch he mentioned how people in Switzerland are not as friendly as he would have thought. I can understand his point. On the street people seem to have a drive or ambition to get somewhere. They aren't interested in taking in the sites. My coworker noted that you could probably walk down the street naked and nobody would notice. I see quite a bit of truth in that statement however I don't know it its because people are truely that intent on getting somewhere, or that they just aren't aware of their surroundings, or if its because they've already seen enough naked people.

Sleep

I have been quite stressed lately. I can't really remember the last time I got a good nights sleep. That was until last night. I think a combination of things have left me wound up beyound belief. Lets see, I can thing of several things that are really bothering me:

• New job, with new responsibilites
• Not knowing the language
• Knowing I don't know the language
• Shopping for things that I don't know the word for
• Shopping for food on a daily basis
• No shopping on Sundays
• All shopping on Saturdays
• Stress from work
• Trying to find friends
• No time for exercising during the week
• Selling our house
• Filing for claims for items broken in the move
• Dealing with expired driver licenses
• Dealing with guests
• Neighbors that I can't understand
• Not being able to read my mail
• Not being able to understand the news
• Having to pay for every single mode of transportation immediately before using it
• Feeling guilty about wanting to eat out because it is so expensive (2o USD for 2 tacos, taco bell style)
  

I think last Sunday it just all came together. I was just so tired (Ich bin Mu"de). I was just so mentally and physically exhausted that my body just shut down. I went to bed and for the first time in weeks slept all the way through the night. I woke up fresh and ready to go. For a few hours I really felt good.

Unfortunately I now feel exhausted once again. My recovery didn't quite last as long as I had hoped. My back hurts, my eyes are dry, and I feel like I just need to go to the Thermalbad. I hope this stress thing ends soon. I tired of trying to not look tired.

Now Thats a Photo!

Heidelberg Altbrucke

I have fianlly had some time to spend organizing my digital photos from our trip last week. I was very pleased with this particular photograph.

It Sounds Like a Marching Band!

What is that noise?! It sounds like there is a marching band in my living room!

I think I've written before that Saturday mornings are very active just outside of our balcony. We live at the center of town where there are all sorts of activities on the weekends. Saturday mornings tend to include the farmers market, musically artists, and various groups and clubs that host bake sales, or run a wurst (btratwurst) stand raising money for their club or group.

Usually the artists are subdued. There is one duo in particular, and cello and violin player that I enjoy. Their renditions of the classics like "Brahms", are a far cry from the classics "Sweet Home Chicago", the Chicago street musicians that I am familar with usually play.

This morning however I was greeted by a different group. A loud marching band type group was making all sorts of noise. They were loud and abnoxious and about 20 feet directly below my balcony.

My wife was telling me that she learned that the people of Zürich, make fun of the people that live in my canton (state). They say "The people of Canton Argau all wear white socks." Which apparently is an insult similar to calling someone a redneck in the US. The reference to the white socks is related to the fact that white socks were vary fashionable in the 1980's but that is no longer the case today were black socks are all the rage.

If you take this comment and compare it to what this band was wearing, I can see that the folks around here are slightly fashion challenged, but they were trying to draw attention to themselves so I can't completely blame them for their orange and chartruese outfits. If you look closely though, I think that trumpet player in the lower right is definately from Zürich.

Operation Snake Bite

I have noticed that the shopping experience in Switzerland is much different than what I was used to in the States. I was just thinking how shopping and planning a military mission seem to have quite a bit in common in my new surroundings. Both have the following elements

• Motive
• Strategic Planning
• Percision Execution
• Debrief

As an example, We have a gas grill. However I have not had a chance to get a propane tank or the european gas regulator to use the grill. Recently I have had a deep desire for a Steak d'Achet (see my ealier post) thus I have a motive to go shopping.

Then comes the strategic planning.

First where will I get this equipment? Surveylance told me (actually my friend told me) that I could buy the necessary parts at Jumbo. I now had my location.

Next, what was I looking for? Now I make a list. What about a contingency plan if I can't find the items? Next step, take the list to German class and get it translated by my German teacher.

How will I get to the store and carry home a heavy propane tank? Ah, my friend Carlos is in town on business, and he has a car. He can drive me.

Now that all the pieces are in place we come the execution. Make a few phone calls, check the store hours, and go. Everything is running smoothly, like clock work, out of the office buy 5:30, home by 6:00, at the hotel by 6:15, 5 minutes to the Jumbo, time to shop.

Find the Grills, check. Get the regulator, check. Get the hose, check. Find the propane tank, wait taking on fire, can't find the tank may have to divert this bombing run. Put contingency plan A in place. Ask sales associate if she speaks english. Thats a negative. Put contingency plan B in place. Speak very poor German, use lots of hand gestures, hope that the few english words I mix into the conversation make some sense to the poor woman who is trying to help me. Sucess, I have what I need.

Mission objectives complete, head to the check out. Leave the store.

Now for the debrief. Looking back I realized I was just in one of the few stores in Switzerland that was the size of a typical American store. There were over ten aisles and they had shoppping carts. Unbelievable. However, I only really saw two aisles, and I have no idea what they were selling other than Grill parts. It is amazing how narrow minded I have become when shopping. It is just so stressful for some reason that I really don't wander around the stores like I would back home.

Next time I'll try to take in more, and heavan forbid, relax a little.

We Bitter

Last weekend we made the trip to the hinterland. I had to go to Mannheim Germany on business on friday so my wife joined me to make a long weekend of it. This was our first excusion outside of the Swiss boarder together and it was a much needed opportunity to get away from things for a few days.

Our intention was to go to Heidelburg for the weekend and see all of the things that tourists are supposed to see. The castle, the river, philosophieweg. Basically all fo the stuff in the travel books. It was also a great chance to practice a little Duetsch.

I was a little frightened about how I would fair in Germany since I have only had a couple of weeks of lessons, but apparently I must be doing pretty well. I had more than a few people assume that I spoke german because of some of the questions I was able to ask in german.

I managed to do all of the following in german:

• Buy a train ticket
• Order and pay for dinner
• Buy tickets to the Church tower tour
• Ask for directions to the nearest ATM

I was quite pleased until I got to the ice cream store. That is where I failed. I managed to order the ice cream well, I must have had the vendor momentairily fooled.

"Ein Kugle kische bitte" (one scoop of cherry please)

Then came my downfall. He said something I didn't understand. I had to respond quickly. I was tired. It was late. And out it came

"Wee Bitter?"

Now I've spelled this sentence the way I said it phonetically. In German the phase "pardon me" is actually spelled Wie Bitte? And phonetically it is pronounced Vee Bitta. But I was tired, exuasted, and surely not on the top of my game.

It was like a bad game show moment. I could see the guys expression change, I knew immediately he thought "TOURIST!" and yes he was right. I felt like I had just racked up 8,000 Swiss Francs, and Pat Sajak was telling me I just lost my turn. Oh defeat, how painful.

I finished that conversation in english.

All in all though it was a good time, I enjoyed the weekend and had a chance to practice what I had learned in class. I'm really looking forward to more traveling and more language practice. I surely need it.

Steak d'Achats

Getting up at 4:30 in the morning sucks. But its what you have to do if you need to be in Paris by 10:00 for meetings. I probably should have gone the evening before but I only found out I had to go very late last week. As a result of the late notice I coudn't get the flights I wanted and the only choice was a very early flight on Monday.

I was only in Paris for one night. I didn't get out of the office until late Monday evening so I was in no mood to do any sightseeing. Other than the Vietnamese resturant and the office unfortunately I don't have to much talk about.

The one exception was the Steak d'Acahts.

I went to lunch with some of my peers at the office to the company cafeteria. on the menu was some sort of beef looking thing that looked similar to a salsbury steak. I know, salsbury steak is definately bottom of the barrel in the US, but steak is rare here and I was just dying for beef. Also, all the locals where ordering this thing so I figured I joined them.

I asked one of my co-workers how to pronounce the word and he obliged to repeat it to me several times while I attempted to make sounds that were in direct violation to all the German I've been learning. Some how I managed to get it out and The chef understood me.

So after I ordered I asked how Steak d'Achat translated to English. I was not impressed with the answer. Hamburger.

So I spend two days in Paris and all I learn how to say is Hamburger. I can't tell if that is pathetic, ironic or a little of both.

I assured my co-works that my wife would not be impressed with my new word. After my comment a quick lesson yeilded me practicing declaring my undying love for my co-works as I practiced my romantic phrases to use at home. Although this would have been a big hit when I arrived, I've already forgot the phrases because they were just to long.

For an Amercan in europe it is amazing how much passion a Steak d'Achats can conjure up in ones soul. Looking back on the experience maybe I did learn the most apporpriate phrase after all.

The Stanley Cup

In my German class today my wife pulled out a copy of 20 Minuten a local pop culture newspaper that we've been told is 'good' reading material for beginners. The articles are short, simple, and usually about Hollywood stars. Thus if you can't really understand the article you can pretty much infer that it is about divoirce, preganancy, or a wedding depending on whose name is mentioned.

After dinner this eveing I decided to relax with the 20 minuten and read some German. I use the phrase very losely in this case. Although I've been able to keep up with some US sports it has been difficult. So I figured when in Rome....er...Switzerland, do as the Swiss do, so I figured I would turn to the sports section to figure out what Switzerland has to offer.

To my surprise staring me in the face was an article with the headline 'Gerber Zeigte im Emmental die Stanleycup-Trophae' Now I don't speak enough German to understand half of that title but the word "Stanleycup-Trophea" sure looks familiar. Wait, wait a minute, is that a picture of some Swiss dude holding the NHL's most covetated award? Is that the Stanley Cup? In Langnau? Does this article say that the Stanley Cup is in Langnau, only a few kilometers from my apartement?

Sure enought it does. Martin Gerber, one of the best players on the Swiss National Hockey Team also plays for the Carolina Hurricanes who just happen to be the current NHL Stanley Cup Champions. And as tradition has it each player gets to spend a few days with the trophy. Just my luck that Martin Gerber decided to bring the Cup home to show his buds the hunk of junk he won in the US.

I am quite amused, that even several thousand miles away from home I find American culture quite present if you're willing to read the fine print.