I got sick. It sucks.

As I am preparing for christmas...which I have to pack into a suitcase to take home with me...I keep getting distracted. Studying and hanging out with new friends was enough of a distraction, now I am nursing again. The entire family has come down with some sort of Swiss Flu. Tina swears that it isn't like the flu we get back home, not that it matters because they have all the syptoms as far as I can tell. The baby is fortunate enough to have not gotten this yet, and Roger, since he was working late almost all week. I haven't either, which is amazing because I was taking care of Amandine all week and she has had it for 4 days. Keep them in your prayers. I would prefer not to get sick, and if Chiara gets sick she will have to go to the hospital because she can't go more than a day without eating. I am still hoping to make it to Zurich before I go home for Christmas...I just need to find time one weekend. Looking forward to seeing everyone in a few weeks.

Sorry it has been a while since I posted anything new. The last few weeks have been pretty boring and uneventful...thus very good. German is going well...I am going to start attending a German speaking church to help with my language skills. Friends are good, and the family is doing pretty well despite having colds. I have miraculously been well even though I am around Tina and the baby almost all day. I am heading home in 1 month...which I realized today, and had to start thinking about Christmas presents. I am super excited to get americanized Chinese food, Mexican food, and starbucks that only cost 3 dollars instead of 7. I am also super excited to see Pierry and my friends...I am not use to being without them for months at a time. I head home on the 18th to spend Christmas with my parents and siblings, new years with friends in TN, and a few days with my grandparents. I am excited about coming home for a bit. Although sad that I will miss Christmas in Switzerland...it would be gorgeous.

Well...the baby got the measles. She is almost over them and seems to be doing fine. Jack, the little boy miraculously had the antibodies in his blood from a transfusion, so he was okay. I am really tired...it has been a crazy last few weeks. I am going home in less than 2 months. I will be home in IN for Christmas and TN for most of January. I am so excited to see everyone. I can't believe that it has been 3 months already...it went by so fast and yet, so slowly at the same time.

So, a week ago I was in Nice, now I am tending the sick...more on that later. The weather was perfect, warm but not hot during the day and cool but not cold at night. Our hotel was in a good location considering the price, and although the water smelled in the bathrooms it was really safe and comfy. Erica, a friend from my language class and fellow aupair, and I had a fun time walking, exploring the city, and just relaxing on the beachfront with fresh fruit from the markets. We also visited Cannes just west of Nice. It was even prettier than Nice, but quite crowded due to the Film festival that was going on. We couldn't walk through it b/c we didn't have badges...but it was fun to watch. The trip was almost too short. We had a great time and were both a little apprehensive about returning to work. Which leads me back to the sick. Amandine has had some type of Cold off and on for the last 3 weeks. Tina also got sick...we thought that was just a cold but as it turns out it is...the Measles. Yes, that is right. Apparently vaccines do not last forever. There is a chance the baby has also gotten this, but we can't tell yet. The doctors are hoping that she is immune b/c she should have gotten a little of the virus through the milk...acting like a vaccination. Lets hope so. Even worse, the family friends were around just a few days before. Their son is in the process of major chemo therapy to the point of shutting his entire immune system down. So, it is really quite dangerous that he has been around Tina in the last week. Please pray that he does not get the Measles as well. At this point it could be extremely dangerous for him. So...pray that everyone gets better. Goodbye for now. I will update when I know more.

Nice was fun...I have pictures on Facebook. I will update later...there has been so much to do this week.

This weekend I took a trip to the mountains with some people from my small group. It started out raining, we almost missed the train, had 6 people who tried to squeeze into a European economy size car that sat 5, and it was COLD. The house that we stayed in was amazing. It was a typical Swiss farmhouse, half barn half living space, but it had been redone on the inside. The kitchen was very modern with electric oven, stove, dishwasher, etc. but they left the old wood burning stoves too. The house was huge (I will have pictures on facebook soon). So, that night we had devotions, had a dinner of tomato and mozzarella salad, got a fire going, and went to bed. That morning we woke up to the sun and...bells. There was a field of sheep just outside our window and they all had bells on...I guess to find them if they get lost. It was so fun. Then we had a huge breakfast and headed out to hike through some of the mountains. It was gorgeous, the hills and valleys hiding little villages. Again, pictures will be on facebook. On the way back home, we drove to the highest mountain in the area, it was a terrifying car ride up the winding gravel roads, but it was amazing at the top. Just in the distance you could see the real Alps. Snow covered tops and all. It was picture perfect. That is the first time I have seen the Alps, I wish I could have gotten pictures, but no one was able to capture them on the camera b/c of the lighting. Take my word, it was gorgeous. Now it is just me. I have this week to do whatever I want, then next week I am off to Nice with my friend Erica. I am already relaxing without anything to do.

Those 2 weeks of vacation...I still get PAID!!! Apparently I get 4 weeks of paid vacation as an aupair...by law...this is SWEET!

Change of Plans

I get two weeks off in October. Originally my friend Erica and I were planning on going to Paris for a few days when she also has a week off. So, yesterday we went to the Train station to figure out if they had any packaged train and hotel deals. We found out that the Rugby championships are being played in Paris that week ontop of it being the October holidays and everything was booked. The only train tickets left were 270 ch, normally 32 ch, and the hotel for 3 nights was going to cost 750 ch per person. Total without food, museums, etc. over 1000 ch. That is 2 months salary for both of us. So we had to change our plans. We found cheap airline tickets online and a hotel that will only be 85 ch per person for 2 nights. Where...Nice, France. We are going to the beach. I am actually more excited about this than Paris. Now we don't have to worry about seeing all of the sights in just a few days. We can go to the beach, see the south of France (maybe by bike) which is suppose to be beautiful, and only spend 200 ch per person for the entire trip. That makes me really excited. Plus instead of spending 3 hours on a train both ways, we will spend like 1 hour in a plane both ways. I can't wait. So, when I get battaries for my camera I will have some great pictures of south France in the late summer.

Strange Translation

So in language class today I learned some interesting things. We were learning the names of household objects. The two that I found interesting. Gluhbirne - means lightbulb. Literally, it is the combination of two words...Gluhen means to glow, and birne means pear. So literally it means "glowing pear," because of the shape. The other one is Wasserhahn - which means faucet or the tap. Wasser means water, and hahn means rooster. So wasserhahn literally means water rooster, again because of the shape (the faucets here have the long necks). The funny thing is that in a restaurant you have to specify if you want tap water or bottled water. So when you order Hahnwasser (tapwater) you literally order "rooster water." I just found it funny...hope you all get a good laugh.

My American Night Out.

So, this sounds a little lame, but last night I had an American night out. It wasn't suppose to end up that way, it just did. It started the the most expensive game of bowling I have ever played in my life. 10 ch which is about 11-12 dollars. That was for shoes and 1 game. I miss the college night at the family fun center...2 dollar bowling. Then we had drinks...at some place where the entire menu was in english...I am still not sure why because everyone spoke german. And by the time we were finished we were hungry and the closest thing open at midnight....Mcdonalds. Where I had the most expensive cheeseburger I have ever had there. It cost 2.50 ch which is almost 3 dollars...aren't they still like 89 cents in the states? But, it was a fun night out with the small group at church.

I got a free haircut today. It should have cost me about 200 francs, but this other aupair that I met has connections and I got to volunteer for the stylist to practice on. Along with the haircut, I got a neck and head massage, a hand massage, and my hair got colored (darkened just a little). It was so nice. Plus, my boss was kind enough to give me the afternoon off. A great start to the week. In two weeks, I will be going to the mountains, and then to Paris. I get two weeks off when my family is in Greece. Just for the record, the best chocolate so far has to be the milk chocolate with amaretto cookies in the middle. Perfect with coffee.

My fat pants don't fit! That is a good thing...they are falling off. This summer after I finished school, I didn't do anything...and my pants were tight. Now, after only a month...they fit again. I thank this to eating chocolate, and this ridiculous hill next to my house. In the afternoons while the kids are taking naps I try to exercise (because of the chocolate)...the hill is really steep and really high. However, I found the best exercise place literally 20 ft from my house...the cemetery. I live right next door to the largest cemetery in Switzerland. This cemetery has steps that go all the way to the top of the hill...(there aren't any graves in this part of the cemetery so its not like I will be jogging by a grave as someone is being buried). It is more like a very safe park...I saw a deer there last week. But anyway, my goal is to be able to jog up all the stairs in one shot before I leave for Christmas. I can only do about 1/2 right now. My life isn't that boring that I have to talk about my exercise habits...but I will have to show you pictures soon so that you understand why this is a great part of my day.

German is going well...slow but good. I found a group of people my age at a church and we meet once a week for bible study and discussion. I might go to Paris next weekend, although I am not excited about spending an entire night awake, which is the plan at the moment, so I might put that trip off until October. I will be going to the mountains with the small group from church in late September, so that should be good. It is getting colder here, about 10 C...I think about 55-65 not quite sure. So I have to go shoe shopping...I couldn't take all my boots with me. Keep an eye on facebook for more pictures soon.

This has nothing to do with Switzerland....

I really want people to answer this, and I am not trying to be conceited but I don't get it. In the past 2 years I have had at least 15-20 people come up to me and ask me if I was mixed. Most were perfect strangers, others had known me for weeks and had just assumed that I was. When I am tan...well maybe I get that. But tonight, having forgotten my ipod and my phone so I had nothing to do, I was on the tram...staring out the window. This black guy gets on the bus, I should mention that I have only gotten these remarks from people that were not white, and almost immediately asks me if I am Brazilian, I said no, Italian? No. What are you? I am from the U.S. Your not mixed with anything? No. That is pretty much how the conversation went...he proceeded to hit on me after making snide comments about the U.S. (he was English) and not once asked my name or anything. Normally, I would say that the Pashley bum has something to do with these comments, but I was sitting the entire time with a knee length coat on. Jenna, Ellen, do you get these questions too? I mentioned it to Chris onetime and he was completely shocked that someone would say that.

Tonight I went out with some other Au pairs to the Brazilian festival in Basel. There was no Brazilian samba music, very little Brazilian food, (mostly German sausages) and I don't think a lot of the products they were selling were Brazilian. But, I had Guarana! I haven't had that in almost a year, Jenna...that is a hint! Otherwise, it was a fun Swiss street fair to go to.

An interesting fact I learned the other day about this country...you have to have a licence for almost everything. Televisions, or if you just have a cable connection in your home...you have to pay about 30 franc a month just to not get fined. Radios...on alarm clocks, on phones, in your car, another 15 franc a month. They actually drive around with radio wave sensors and will track people down who have signals from their apartment and no licence on record. That is just a tad bit ridiculous.

German...an interesting language. You pronounce every letter just like it sounds in the German alphabet, except the vowels. That is why it sounds so weird. And you can actually put words together and spell them in one. For example...Viertousandeinhundertfünfundzwenzig. (that might be spelled right)....it means 4125, it is my postal code, and the last 4 digits of my mobile number, and yes they actually say it like that, not vier-eins-zwie-fünf (4-1-2-5). So...other than counting to 100,000 I have learned to be polite, and that is about it.

Things I miss from the states...
Box mix Brownies
Fluffy cake mix cakes
Cheap and unlimited soft drinks in restaurants
Stop signs...they all have round-abouts
SUV's

Things I wish we had in the states
Good public transportation
Swiss chocolate
drinking at age 16...don't worry they can only get beer and wine until they are 18
bakery's on every corner...ahhh fresh bread

Things I am glad are not in the states
Mullets...they are all the rage here...especially faux mullets
Tight acid wash jeans...it is like I went back into the 80's
licence for electronics (see above)

I forgot to mention in my last post one of the most European things I have experienced so far. This would NEVER happen in the US, unless you were catholic. When I went to the lunch at church last Sunday, what drink do you think was being served...but wine. Yes...wine in church, it was nice, I giggled to myself just a little when I thought about how Union University would picture that one!

Today was my first ever German class. It was in German...and I don't mean we were learning German, I mean the guy pretty much only spoke German. I am told that this is the best way to learn a language, but will have to test that out myself. There were 5 of us in the class. The retired lawer from Britain, who must be learning for her own pleasure. The 40 something Vietnamese housewife who only speaks Vietnamese. Then there were the 3 Au pairs...myself, the Australian, and ironically the Vietnamese Canadian who translates what little we could figure out to the Vietnamese. Then the only guy who comes in 45 mins late, is a Kenyan born bakery assistant who comes from England. On the plus side, the three au pairs are all age 22 and are desperately trying to find people our age in this city! Hopefully this week we will get together for drinks in the evening.

Other than that, not much else has happened. I got lost trying to find a church on Sunday and missed the entire worship, which I don't think was so bad. I got a nice walk in, and the church ended up being pretty bad. I came into the children's sermon, and when the adult sermon started, I couldn't tell a difference, other than the pastor changed. Then, realizing that I forgot a key to the house, I went to meet the family at their church for lunch. Thinking I knew my way there...I got off on the right bus stop, but turned down the wrong street. After a nice walk through the fields I realized as I approached the German Border that this was not the way to the church, thankfully this was the first day it had not rained in a few days. So clearly nothing too exciting is going on...I am still awaiting a Swiss adapter to use with my computer. Hope everything is doing well.

This is the first time I have ever had a blog and its sole purpose is so I only have to write 1 letter to everyone. If any of my sisters or my mother try to correct any spelling errors, I will be furious, they all know that I was awful at spelling and grammar. But, here goes...

I have been in Switzerland for a week and a half. The new baby finally made it and is the cutest little thing you have ever seen. So small, and hardly ever cries...hopefully that won't change. I start language lessons next week for German. Unfortunately, I found out that Swiss-German and German, are very different. Swiss-German is not a written language, but everyone speaks it. So, I still won't understand half of what people are saying unless they know to speak German with me. Now, I also have to carry two kinds of currency, the Swiss franc and the euro. Switzerland is not a part of the EU at all! Living only 10 minutes walking from the German border, i need euros anytime I go shopping there. I also found that the Swiss electric outlets, although they use the same voltage as the rest of Europe, have different adapters...thus the handy adapter my friend heather gave me will only work when traveling. The Swiss are so particular about being independent! I have met a lovely Albania woman who I have seemed to get along with very well. She is english speaking, but a little older and in a very different part of life. She just had her first child, and although we have a lot in common, her husband is an actuary, I would like to find where people in there twentys are in this place. The university is still on summer holidays, so maybe they will be back soon. Missing you...