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So long slackers!

My homemade cupcakes

Today was the last lesson in my “slacker” German class before Sommerferien (Summer Hols). I was planning to write a short profile of my fellow students anyway, and today we had a little farewell party where we brought food and sat around chatting. I found out more about most of them than I had in the previous six months!

I think I’ve mentioned what an international group it is. We started off with about 18 students but have dwindled to about ten… so, not meaning to be offensive in any way… here goes!

Ms Bulgaria – Looks like a cliche “eastern European” with stripper shoes, tight sparkly jeans, loads of makeup, big hair, fake nails with designs and diamantes (I’m jealous), possibly a boob job. I actually wondered if she was a prostitute for a while, but I don’t think that now. She is a singer – not sure if professionally or not (must look out for her on future Eurovisions!). Speaks v decent English and is pretty diligent with the German. Not a slacker.

Ms Croatia – Sits next to me. Scrappy and a bit tough. A real talker, if not much of a written-word sort of lady. She reminds me of some people I’ve known through the years, seems like she’d be fun to get drunk with. Has a son around P’s age and another one who’s much older (in his teens). Works in a shop I think. I like her. Although she sometimes seems slightly insane and Ms Somalia inferred/asked me once if I thought Ms Croatia had a drinking problem?! A bit of a slacker.

Ms England – Nice girl from Nottingham. She rides horses and is quite sporty with pilates classes, walking up mountains etc. on weekends. Works as a nanny for a Swiss family with two girls aged 6 and 8 (who she says “hate her speaking German” and ask her not to do it in front of their friends because it’s so embarrassing!) I targeted her early as a native English speaker and we exchange homework/notes if one of us misses class. Not a slacker.

Ms Algeria – I always thought she was a bit snippy. She’s one of the younger ones in the class (22?) and doesn’t speak English, which must be a bit difficult (she speaks good French and Arabic). But today she said her husband has told her “no babies until you learn Deutsch!” which made me angry and sorry for her. Also that she’s doing school/uni here studying mathematics and all sorts, which is impressive. Not a slacker.

Ms Sri Lanka – This lady is really lovely. And pretty good at German. She has young kids and wears a headscarf. I asked her if she was not eating today for Ramadan but she said there’s no fasting when you’re menstrurating. Good timing! Not a slacker.

Ms India – Don’t know much about her, she’s pretty good at the Deutsch. Is Hindu so doesn’t eat meat (Ms Sri Lanka made vegi samosas for this reason, sweet). She said she’s not continuing the class because she’s going back to Bangalore for 2 months for her brother’s wedding and then her husband says no more classes. Didn’t quite get the full story on this – if it’s financial, or he doesn’t want her to study, or to learn elsewhere or what. Not a slacker.

Ms Eritrea – I really like this girl. She’s also pretty young – early 20s I would say – and has children (one at least, more? not sure). She’s savvy and a bit gangsta in that she wears mull-leaf leggings, Lady Gaga T-shirts and a leather jacket (fake, I think, but who am I to talk with my Topshop model?!) I thought she was one of the queen slackers, but today she revealed that her husband laughs at her whenever she attempts to speak German or even gets out her homework book at home so she “gets nervous” and doesn’t do it. Fucking hell. What’s with these husbands?! A slacker, but with extenuating circumstances.

Ms Somalia – Sits near me. Didn’t know how to tell time on an analogue watch/clock – I said “dude, you’re in Switzerland!” Next class, she had a watch and asked me to set it for her and show her the ropes. She also took great interest in my German-English dictionary. Surely she has seen a dictionary before? I dunno. Plus there’s a funny relationship going on between her and Ms Croatia that I can’t quite work out. Not quite sure what to make of her. A bit of a slacker.

Ms Switzerland (the teacher) – She’s a funny lady with a somewhat whiney tone of voice that does her no favours. She is actually quite nice and friendly but I find her a bit small minded somehow. Eg: she gives us these needlessly fiddly little games to play, that I’m not sure really help us learn. Oh well…

Ms Australia – That’s me.

Absent today:

Ms Turkey – Reserved mum of three (or was it four?!). I don’t know her that well. One class she had to bring her 4 year old son and he was quite sweet. Might be a slacker, more likely just a busy parent.

Ms Indonesia – Tiny powerhouse with 2 kids who completely mangles all German words when she speaks. It can’t be easy – there’s surely no correlation between Deutsch and Indonesian (Portugese?!) at all. She has perfect English though. Might be a slacker.

Ms Peru – Used to sit next to me but hasn’t been seen for a while. I think she’s pregnant. Really struggled with the Deutsch. I think it’s a much bigger leap from Spanish to German than English to German. Plus most of us speak some English and can discuss/explain stuff to each other so she was pretty isolated. A slacker due to circmustance.

Ms Cuba – I almost wasn’t going to mention her as I think she’s attended about 7 classes in total. Was very friendly and smiley and always made an effort to chat for a while to Ms Peru. Slacker? Or is she doing another class? Very odd…

Ms Nigeria – Sits on my row. I’ve had some good convos with her in the breaks. She’s got 2 kids similar age to P. Has been in Switzerland 3 years and bought a house here (points! She said it was difficult because it’s difficult AND because having dark skin). She is a beautiful lady with a large diamond ring. She wants to go back to work (in HR) but says it’s nigh impossible with the language barrier and skin colour a bit too (her words). She’s a slacker, but blames the class.

I was thinking that now I’ve started my new faster-paced German classes that I might not go back to finish the module in the slacker class (we have 5 weeks off, then another 3 weeks to finish up). But actually I’ve grown quite fond of these women, although I don’t know if I’d quite call them “friends”. And now I’ve written all this, I realise most of them aren’t really slackers after all. Funny how your assumptions catch you out sometimes.

PS: My cupcakes were a roaring success, even the Ramadan-ers took one home for later 🙂

CLAIRETHICAL? part 1

Totally radical man! Near Zurich HB

I’ve been thinking quite a bit recently about trying to live a more “ethical” life. By this I mean, walking the walk, acting more in accordance with some of my views and principles. This is in no way a manifesto. I just thought if I could do the occasional blog about it, it might help me clarify things.

So: What the f&ck do I mean by living a More Ethical Lifestyle? It’s about the choices I make when it comes to buying goods, recycling & environmental stuff and the things I support by engaging with them (or not), actively or passively. This still sounds a bit academic, so let me give some examples…

Buying stuff.  This is probably easiest to define. In terms of food, it’s about buying stuff that’s been ethically produced – no battery farmed stuff, preferably organic fruit & veg etc (although I admit I’m a bit sceptical about “organic” as the labelling is not always regulated, and it’s often an excuse to print money). Furniture that’s been made well and to last (eg: not Ikea!), from sustainable or eco-friendly sources, clothes that aren’t sweatshop or near enough. etc. I’m in a good spot food-wise here, because Switzerland loves “bio” stuff and is very strong on local produce, most of which is excellent, although you do pay more for it – oftentimes A LOT more. Oh well.

When it comes to other products though, it also gets harder. Cosmetics are a big issue that I would rather ignore but I can’t. For want of a better word, the “un-ethicalness” of being a vain woman is kinda scary. Hair dye. Makeup. Plastic containers of goop for hands, face, hair etc. Contact lenses (not gender specific of course, but when I think of the hypothetical pile of used and discarded contact lenses that would build up throughout a regular CL-wearer’s lifetime, it’s pretty gross).

Then there’s sanitary products, the waste/discards from hair removal/waxing, nails (I had acrylic nails for 5 years – lemme tell you, that shit ain’t organic!), junk jewellery. Old handbags. Shoes that you don’t wear because they were good in the shop but they’re actually hideously uncomfortable. Throw-away fashion. Unfortunately on the clothing front – I’m a bit fickle. I like cheap, fun stuff a lot of the time and I generally prefer quantity over quality. So that’s a bit of an issue for me. It’s depressing. Of course, I always put old clothes in the charity bin I’d really prefer not to encourage/support so much cheap tat being produced in the first place.

Problem is, I just can’t see myself going out tomorrow to start seeking biodegradable hair dye, organic makeup or vegetable nail polish. But maybe now I’ve written this, I will try a bit harder. And, again, the expense of pretty much everything in Switzerland is a deterrent to impulse buying for cheap thrills.

Recycling. Luckily for me, this is a no-brainer in Zurich because the city is really well set up for all kinds of recycling. In fact, Stadt Zurich actively encourages you to put out less “landfill” waste by taxing the garbage bags (Zuri Sacks) you have to use and, I believe, even the “landfill” rubbish goes to a biomass recycling plant rather than to actual landfill (Oh and I see there’s even a recycling tram to collect bulky items!). Plus there are paper and card collections every other week, there are bottle banks everywhere and there’s even a separate bin for bioabfall, which includes all kinds of kitchen and garden waste.

Environmental stuff. This is a biggie. For all the horrendous human rights abuses that are going on around the globe, the damage we’re doing to the natural world is just criminal. Policies that involve people can be changed, our behaviour towards others can be changed. If we destroy the environment, there’s no takebacks. I’m not saying I don’t believe in addressing human issues: of course I do. But the environmental stuff is so urgent and crucial right now. It’s a cliche but there’s no point creating a wonderful society of human beings if there’s no planet for us to dwell on, right!? And it’s so often sidelined. I would like to do more to help.

Things I engage with. This is the trickiest one and perhaps what kicked me into thinking about this whole “ethical lifestyle” thing in the first place. And it’s a lot more insidious. Example: The World Cup is on at the moment and Fifa is well-documented as being corrupt, so part of me would like to not engage with anything World Cup related on principle. Especially as Fifa is based just up the road… But, assuming I did that, would it make one jot of difference to Fifa? And I quite enjoy watching some of the matches. So who am I hurting with this highly-principled response? Only myself. And this one is relatively easy, because I don’t enjoy football that much. What about when it comes to giving up something I really love because it’s produced by a corrupt Big Business?

Because, ideally, I would “boycott” all companies and their output that I deem corrupt and/or essentially evil. But that’s almost all of them! I’d have to change my bank accounts in three countries, stop buying most of those cosmetics and vanity products listed above, never eat takeaway food from a global chain, never buy another piece of clothing from Topshop. As well as encouraging my husband to quit his job at one of the Global Big 4 auditing firms etc. Again, it comes down to – how much does acting “ethically”  impinge on my lifestyle? It always strikes me how it’s so easy for people to scream against Monsanto, while happily guzzling down a Diet Coke. I can’t believe that on a world scale Coke is much better than Monsanto. All big companies are essentially corrupt – you can’t make shitloads of money without doing some dodgy deals somewhere and screwing the little guy/s somehow.

I don’t have any answers for this. I am probably being too idealistic too think there are any. And, ultimately, I’m a bit too lazy, vain and complacent to change things. But I’ve been thinking about it… and it does bother me.

I suppose an obvious answer is to fight the good fight more – be part of the solution, sign petitions, write letters, give to charity, raise awareness (whatever that means?! I am reluctant to start posting loads of preachy/guilt-inducing articles on Facebook!) Yeah, I’m sceptical about slacktivism – in some ways I think it’s worse than doing nothing because you feel all self-satisfied but what do petitions really achieve? Perhaps I am wrong. I probably need to do some more research.

Anyway – if you have some ideas of (ideally easy) changes that can be made (or petitions to sign ;)) … let me know!

 

 

Milanosmith

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Thought I’d better write a more cheerful entry after my latest doom-and-gloom posts.

I recently took a trip to Milan to see one of my favourite bands: Aerosmith. The train trip from Zurich-Milan is excellent: easy, relatively cheap and with some stunning scenery.

For this reason I set off just after 9am in the morning from Zurich HB. The journey is four hours taking in stunning views of the Swiss alps as well as some hugely impressive feats of engineering. All those rail and vehicle tunnels, the tracks and roads themselves, as well as power lines and cable cars snagging their flimsy way up the mountains is seriously cool.

Milan itself was interesting to visit. It’s not the most stunning Italian city there is – and in some ways reminded me a bit of Zurich – you can almost smell the money and the business that’s done there. Plus: trams. However the Duomo is spectacular and prices were cheap compared to Switzerland. It was also pretty cool to see big glitzy shops of Versace and Prada, Missoni etc and know that it’s the “home of…”

The Aerosmith show was at RHO Fiera Milano – a large stadium complex on the outskirts of town. I think we expected a stadium – I was thinking it would be a bit like Homebush in Sydney (where I saw AC/DC) or perhaps London’s O2. But it was more like the carpark of the MCG. In 1988. Very oldskool – a concrete carpark with a cruelly low stage (we only had about 15% visibility, especially as the catwalk seemed to slope down!) and only about 50 portaloos for what must have been 10,000 punters(? 20,000?). I have to say, after Switzerland the UK and Australia even, this venue was a bit wanting!

Transport to and from the place was also somewhat confusing although we made it there OK (Metro track works meant a rail replacement bus for the last 2 stops out there, which was spookily uncrowded considering how many people we thought would be making their way to this stadium show). And when we left, we completely missed the non-signposted entrance (via underpass) to the overland train station that would take us back to Milan. As for the rail replacement bus back, they sent a single one, which about 500 people crammed on to so fast and so full they couldn’t even close the doors! I think by the time the show finished, the Metro would have stopped running anyway so who knows where it was taking the people if/when they ever managed to get going.

Anyway, after following the crowd for a bit, then doubling back after a conversation with two Irish Aerofans who were even more confused than us, we found the concealed station entrance and caught the train back to Central-ish Milan. Unfortunately the stop it went to was the opposite end of town to our hotel. Once again, nothing was organised or clear with buses or taxis (and huge queues) so we walked it – about a 45 min trek – luckily it was a lovely, balmy evening and the Milanese seem to stay out late so there were plenty of people around. Plus we got to see a bit more of the city. But it meant heads didn’t hit pillows until 2.30am after standing/walking for 5+ hours!

It was all worth it though – the show was awesome. They played for 2 hours including encore (Here’s the setlist). Sound was excellent. Joe Perry has a sense of humour and I liked the old fashioned touches like bothering to introduce the whole band at the end (even if ST did forget one guy’s name). But I really couldn’t see, even with Steven Tyler STANDING ON THE PIANO. Oh well…

Next day and a half, we spent doing tourist stuff – the Last Supper, Duomo and a lot of time sitting in cafes and watching the world go by. Milan is a really nice little side-trip from Zurich : )

Fail Fast

 

“Fail Fast” is a tenet of some management methodologies (eg: Agile) that basically involves swiftly identifying when a project or sub-project is not working, giving up, and moving on. I like the idea because I hate wasting my time. Unfortunately I am not great with the notion of failing in general (for myself). But I guess sometimes you’ve just gotta call time.

We’ve been in Zurich for four months now and I’ve clocked up what I’d deem as a few failures already. So with a mind to “fail fast” and move on, I’m outlining them here.

Germanfail: I haven’t loved my German classes. I picked one of the cheapest courses I could find as I’m generally a believer in trying the budget option first because sometimes it’s great and why spend more (eg: lots of Supermarket own-brand groceries), plus I think it’s easier to justify paying extra for better quality than it is to “shift down” once you’ve tried the so-priced best.

I’ve found these classes a disappointment on a few levels.

  1. Childcare: I could not take advantage of the childcare they provided (another reason I chose the class) because they would only let me use it if I put P in both days of the course, but I only needed it for one.
  2. The teacher: I don’t like to knock people doing their jobs so I won’t go into details but I don’t think the teacher is great, nor has she created a particularly conducive learning environment IMHO.
  3. The students: at least a third of the class never does their homework and have started asking me (rather than the teacher) to explain stuff all the time, which is tedious and distracting although, admittedly, also slightly flattering. Some of the students don’t seem to “get” a lot of the exercies or understand the fundamentals of grammar and one of them doesn’t even know how to read an analogue clock/watch. This is not me saying they’re stupid or lacking intelligence – I believe they just haven’t had much exposure to education or the methods of learning. But the upshot is – it slows things down and is dull for me because I mostly do “get” things pretty quickly.

SOLUTION: I’ve taken matters into my own hands and found a class that seems a lot more suited to me. The new school is called Bellingua and says it’s for “committed, fast learners”. According to the website, 75% of its students hold a uni degree so I’m assuming they won’t be nearly so mystified by what I consider fairly basic language exercises and grammar. I start on Monday.

WHY IT’S STILL A FAIL However, today in my normal class (I plan to do both classes concurrently for a bit) I was surprised to discover that most of the other students are continuing to the second unit in the same school with that same teacher. Am I the asshole? I also feel sad not to have successfuly made friends with any of the students (again, maybe because I am the asshole?). I mean, I like them, we say hello and have had a few good conversations, but there’s nobody I would exactly seek out to hang with. Fail.

 

Housewifefail: My next fail is as a housewife. I don’t think I’m cut out for this job. I hate cleaning. I’m reasonably organised but I’m inconsistent with planning. I hate cleaning. I don’t mind cooking but I don’t always get my A into G with it. I hate cleaning. I am fine with grocery and other shopping but I seem to end up buying a few bags of groceries almost every day, and getting HI to grab a few more bits on his way home from work, which is inefficient and surely costing us more. I hate cleaning. Laundry I am, dare I say, quite good at although I want to wash every day, which is a bit impractical. I hate cleaning. I’m cool with paying bills and doing admin eg: chasing up the real estate agent for our house sale in London etc. And did I mention I hate cleaning?

SOLUTION: This one is trickier to solve. We can’t afford a cleaner right now because I’m going to be spending extra money on the German classes (see above). But actually writing this out has made me realise that my main issue is a bit of disorganisation and my hatred (irrational?) of cleaning.

WHY IT’S STILL A FAIL: If I’m completely honest, housewifefail stems from the fact that… deep breath… I’m finding it extremely hard to deal with my change in status from roughly-equal-working-person-in-a-partnership-involving-small-child to housewife. I don’t think it’s fair of me not to do the cleaning and run the house since I’m not earning money (except from some freelancing, which will also be somewhat curtailed by the increased German classes, see above) and that was basically the deal we struck. Plus, although I hate cleaning, I love it when the house is clean and it depresses me to see it messy, dusty and dirty so I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. I think I need to learn to love it. Or at least accept cleaning as part of my “job” now. Possibly if I schedule it better, it won’t seem so hateful and overwhelming?

 

Friendfail: Acquiring friends here feels like it’s moving at a glacial pace. I was prepared for this but it doesn’t change the fact that it feels very shitty not to have “critical mass” of pals to hook up with yet. And, while I’m not sure quite what I could have done differently, I can only blame myself. I haven’t put myself out there enough, haven’t tried hard enough, haven’t doggedly followed up the small friendship leads I’ve had. So I’m a bit of a proud, aloof, shy adult sometimes… I don’t wanna run after the popular kids in the playground begging for scraps. But I’m sad to say that I feel the housewifefail and resentment would be much mitigaged if I had a few more local cronies. And, of course, the fact that I haven’t bonded with any of my German classmates is another fail on this front.

SOLUTION: Try again. Try harder. Do things differently (?) Well, maybe the new German class will deliver on all fronts – giving me a new set of people to befriend, a new sense of purpose and identity, plus, of course, winging me on my way to being able to make friends with native-speakers and thereby opening up whole new avenues of potential buddies!

WHY IT’s STILL A FAIL: Because I feel like shit right now and the house is a mess. Thanks for reading!

Why this is not a mum blog

I’ve had a bit of rare free time this week and it’s meant I’ve been contemplating what do do with myself, occupation-wise, now we’ve landed and (pretty much) settled in to our new lives in Switzerland.

I think if I wanted to make this blog really huge, I’d make it a mum blog.  The genre has become super popular and the good ones are excellent. But I don’t know if I want to hang my shingle on Clairevetica alone. Besides, the “mum blog” is not really me. I don’t feel like I’ve got a lot to say to the unknown masses about mothering or parenthood. I enjoy it, but it’s personal.  I’m happy to give advice and share experiences with friends, but I don’t need to tell the world about it. That said, I’m sure I’ll write a few posts on parenthood and my whole experience is obviously coloured by the fact that I’m here with my son and husband.

When I became a mum, particularly when I was on maternity leave, people would make suggestions like: why don’t you write a book about motherhood? You could look for work on a parenting magazine*! Why not write kids books? Huh? Just because I’ve given birth doesn’t mean I’m automatically interested in all things child-related. I mean, sure, I am interested in those things as they affect me. But that massive shift in focus to a single focus?… nuh-uh. Sorry. Would people make the same suggestions to my husband? I doubt it.

So while I love my son dearly and I mostly enjoy being a parent, it’s just Not. My. Main. Thing. It feels a bit weird to write that, actually. Because it sort of is my main thing – it probably takes up the biggest portion of my time and a fair chunk of my mental space. Especially since I had to give up my job to move here (although I’ve done and am doing a fair bit of freelancing). But, at the risk of sounding like an asshole, as far as kids go, I’m mostly only interested in my own (and my friends’ children, I am not a complete monster). Besides, my son will grow up. He’s already growing up! Why would I want to remain stuck in babyland?

When my parents were here recently, my dad made a rather ill-advised comment about how I should perhaps become an actor, or a teacher! Why would I throw away 20 years of work experience in an industry I enjoy to start from scratch? Again, would he make such a suggestion to my husband?  I do try to take this sort of comment positively – like I’m so talented and flexible, I could do anything I set my mind to (!) –  and I know my father, and the baby-book suggesters, were not intending to be rude. But it’s still rather perplexing. Like my previous adult life’s achievements don’t really rate.

Anyway. So what life-occupations am I looking for?  Well, without particularly meaning to, I have been pressing the flesh a bit here. I’ve had meetings and discussions with a few people running their own writing/editing/marketing businesses from Zurich, and the possibility of sending work my way has been aired. Then they come back and ask me stuff like: what are my strengths, how much do I want to be paid etc. and I’m a bit stumped. So here’s the best working-draft I can come up with, for the purposes of clarifying it in my own mind if nothing else:

I want to do writing and/or editing and/or work on projects that are interesting to me. What I find interesting is a piece of work that I can have some autonomy on, and that I can help shape the direction of. I can do freelance bits and pieces but for longer-term/ in general, I want some “skin in the game” or else it doesn’t really hold my attention. I want pieces of work that finish and have a tangible output that I can point to and feel proud of. These jobs could be in the context of an ongoing role/project or discrete pieces of work.  I am happy to work hard, but I don’t like wasted effort. I don’t expect to become a millionare or I wouldn’t be in publishing. But I need to get paid a fair and reasonable amount. You’d be surprised how long research, picture sourcing and thinking can take and no one wants to pay for those non-output aspects of the job.

I don’t think I’m particularly wild to start my own business. Because: in what? I enjoy collaborating with people – I think two heads are usually better than one. If you find someone you really work well with, it’s such a joy and I find it extremely motivating. If I had a good idea for a business, and a great partner, I’d do it. But at the moment it’s not something I have a huge yen for. I’d also like to write a novel, but that’s a lot of working on my own. I think I kinda need that spur – that obligation to complete for somebody or with somebody or by somebody.

So I guess that’s it – my non-mum-blog manifesto. Well, if I can have a musing (amusing?) ramble on me own blog, where can I? Shut up.

 

*Ok so I edited my local NCT mag Tottenham Tots for 18 months. But that was a large editorial project where I did all the layouts myself in InDesign, sourced and wrote stories, sourced and took images, placed ads… a wonderful, satisfying and extremely educational experience!

Bad = Good

 

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Badi season has arrived in Zurich! We’ve been to our local outdoor pool, Bad Allenmoos, a couple of times now and it is fantastic. It looks like an Artist’s Impression of the ideal leisure space and it kinda is. So much of Switzerland feels a bit like the 80s and this is no exception. Takes me back to happy childhood memories of swimming in Camberwell Cold Pool (I think CCP has gone now? boo!)

There’s three pools:

  • A toddler paddling pool on two levels with a fountain, bubblers and “water road” as well as lots of toys.
  • A “fun” pool that’s about (my) waist deep in the deepest bits, which has giant and not-so-giant floatee things for people to play on as well as a large waterslide (free to use) that empties into a sectioned off bit at the side.
  • An adult lap-pool with a deeper section at one end that has a small diving board.

The rest of the complex contains the aforementioned beach volleyball courts, a kids play area with equipment (swings, slide, sandpit etc), a cafe, a kiosk, sun umbrellas and sunloungers to hire, stacks of dressing sheds and a huge expanse of grassy space to spread out on. And it’s 10 minutes’ walk from my house.

Plus there’s no fences around the pools because (I guess) they trust that parents will keep an eye on their kids and that people aren’t idiots. There’s not signs everywhere to say don’t run, don’t fall, don’t shout, don’t this, don’t that. (Well there is one, politely asking those who’ve come from the beach volleyball courts to please rinse off the sand before getting in the pool – using one of several handily provided outdoor showers placed between the footpath and the pool itself). And there’s a couple of no diving pics in the shallow bits but that’s about it.

Bad Allenmoos is the biggest outdoor Badi in Zurich. It’s one of 24 indoor and outdoor pools in the city (I think this includes the official lake schwimbads). And I have got a Summer Season Pass that gives me free entry to all of ’em* from 10 May – 21 September. Awesome. It’s gonna be a summer of swim!

*Except the Dolder Grand I think.

Lady Friends and Thespians
Image

Six? and counting… I’m slowly meeting new people here!

I am struggling a bit this week to get everything done. It’s my last week with mum & dad here so I want to spend time with them, but there’s all the other stuff too – work, housework, German homework, dropping off and picking up P, planning meals, doing day trips. And HI is away in China so it’s all feeling a bit hectic! Plus the weather’s come up all lovely and I just want to be outside riding my bike, really! But bike riding’s a rather solitary endeavour…  And I’d still love to make some friends. 

So last night I had a late-breaking mum date. Got a text saying there was a spare ticket to see two English-language plays being put on by the Zurich Comedy Club and would I like to go along? Yes please. The plays themselves were fine – both quite gentle, especially the second one, A Candle On The Table, about old ladies entering a retirement home, which had a very sweet ending. It was more the company. I knew I was missing having “friends” but I don’t think I realised quite how much I have missed just sitting around with a bunch of women my age and in similar situation (married, kids, living in Zurich) and chatting away. Gosh it was nice. 

English-language plays are put on by this company about every six months at the Theatre im Seefeld. When we were over here earlier in the year doing our Zurich recce we stayed right across the road from this Theatre so it was good to see a production there. Also who knew you’d be able to see English-language plays in central Zurich? Apparently they’ve been doing it since 1954 though! 

Speaking of friendships – budding or established – I’ve also spent too much time this week reading this Renegade Mothering blog that I just discovered. It’s great. I hope I can be as interesting and sassy as this woman in my writing (in my own way). The current (at time of writing) blog on her no-BSND friendship manifesto is way-cool. So, as well as being really chuffed to have just upped my potential friend quota in Zurich by 4x in one night, I’m also thinking about all my old scalies scattered across the globe and feeling immensely grateful that they’re all so excellent. And also: please email me more often because I miss you and I’m lonely. Ha

Rain, rain go away, I want to ride my bike today!

I'm just a lonely bike waiting to be ridden...

It’s been a wet week so far in Zuri. A good excuse to stay in but it’s frustrating because I BOUGHT A BIKE on the weekend and I am itching to get peddaling!

The afternoon (Saturday) I got said bike was sunny at least. And this was good because I got it at the Veloborse – a second hand bike market that happens every month or so in Zurich. Felt like a proper Züricher going along to this and making a purchase! 🙂

In typical Swiss fashion, the bike market was extremely well organised. There were hundreds of used bikes for sale and anyone could wander in as a punter. Each bicycle has to be registered with the people who run the market (Pro Velo) and they require proof of ownership/ that it’s not stolen and they check it’s roadworthy at least (although take no responsibility, they are 2nd hand bikes after all). All the bikes are set out on a big carpark/plaza, each with a slip showing the make, seller’s name, price etc. So you just grab one you like and take it for a little test-ride around the platz (or further afield, if you leave your wallet or something as security). Then, when you find one you like, you take it up to the central cashdesk and pay your money (cash only). A lot of the vendors are there to answer questions on the bikes (one guy almost sold me a cool vintage one but it didn’t have enough padding/suspension for my non-cycling ass). And there’s also a tent where they can do adjustments to seat height, tyres and stuff for you on-site.

Because we went there late in the day (around 1.30pm, the thing closed at 3) we may have missed some bargains but it did mean vendors were keen to shift their stock. After walking away from the vintage beauty and narrowly missing out on a really ugly bike I thought would be a perfect thief deterrent (when I went to test-ride Uglycycle another woman had already grabbed it, faugh!) I found – joy – a stylish black Cresta (classic Swiss brand), which is actually the same make as the one I test-rode and LOVED at Velotto (a devastatingly hip bike shop in Zuri West). Best of all, I bargained the guy into a 10% discount and walked away very happy with my new-old bike. Score!

Then I bought myself a sensible (?!) new orange helmet (I’m having a bit of an orange/pink binge atm). I figured it would make me easier to spot since I so often wear black and am likely to be careening along on the wrong side of the road.

Now, if only this rain would stop so I can ride it… !

 

 

The Bubble

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I haven’t blogged in a little while because my parents have been in town and I’ve also had a lot of work from my old job in London to do (paid work) so it’s been rather hectic!

Having mum and dad here has been great. They’ve zugged off to Geneva for a few days so, while there’s still freelancing to be done, I have a little more headspace.

With my family here, I’ve been floating along in a “tourist bubble” doing things like taking them up to Uetliberg – the Top of Zurich – a lookout that’s about 20 mins on the train from Hauptbahnhof.

We took a trip to Luzern for the Swiss Transport Museum / Verkhershaus (for P’s birthday – 3!). That place is amazing. I thought it was good the first time we went a couple of months ago, but with summer coming, it’s been made even better – in the large courtyard, they have created a temporary lake for kids to practice sailing on (older kids, not 3 year olds), plus there’s loads of biggish, ride-on trains (the Gartenbahn mini steam train, awesomes!), as well as planes, cargo carriers, diggers and even canal boats for kids to shunt about. It’s the sort of place that makes me wish I was 8 years old again to enjoy it. And I’m not usually that sort of woman!

Plus we ate at the Swiss restaurant Zeghauskeller. Basically all stuff with did with other friends/as tourists before! (Need to get some new ideas…)

All this sightseeing has been lovely, but it doesn’t help me break the bubble. I guess it’s always hard when you find yourself somewhere new to make the transition from feeling like a tourist to a resident. Especially as it’s so picturesque and “European” here, and I somehow don’t quite see myself in that setting. Having extra adults to speak to also means I can push my German illiteracy a bit further away for a while and enjoy my little English-speaking bubble.

And because mum and dad are, to some degree, “home”, it feels a bit like we’re all on holiday together. Truth be told, I’ve caught myself a few times thinking what a relief* it will be to return “home” . And then I realise that home is Zurich now. Err.

Speaking of bubbles and homes. I really hope that real estate bubble in London is still expanding, because the sale of our house there just fell through. No! 😦  Rather unceremoniously, with no explanation given. I feel a bit shocked and upset but also protective: our poor little house, going back on the market without us there to look out for it, polish it up and present it in the best light.

A rather deflating start to the week. Pop. Fizzzzzle.

(*just general holiday malaise, not because I’m having a bad time!)

Tunnel Vision

The $250 view (only seen once crisis averted)

When your kid is sick, your whole focus narrows down to a fine point. P was really unwell on Thursday so I had to do an emergency dash to the the Kids Medi Centre in town. I tried calling a couple of local pediatricians (you don’t take children to normal GPs here apparently) but none would see a “new” patient at short notice. I guess I need to get him on the books at one of these places for future situations. I am a bit rubbish with doctors though. Neither myself, HI nor P has been ill very much, thankfully, so we generally don’t think about it until it’s almost too late!

Anyway, I’m really glad this place exists. It is right at the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) so involved an unexpected tram trip into town. Usually this would be a pleasure, but tunnel vision meant I barely noticed my surroundings. Running around Bahnhofplatz like a crazed mother-bear trying to find the door to the bloody place before P spewed. The little gem held it in until we got to the reception, making for a dramatic entrance. ha ha ha – oh I have vomit on me.

We are still in the process of setting up our medical insurance here. Everyone legally has to take out health insurance within three months of arrival/ living permit being granted. The irony is, I had spent that very morning filling out the forms for ours. But since it’s not yet in place and I don’t have a Medical Card, I had to pay upfront for the doctor. CHF 218! (roughly = AUD / USD). OWCH. Then another CHF35 for the medicines, which I would also be able to claim on health insurance if we had it. Luckily, it will be backdated to 1 April, so I should get some of the money reimbursed.

Anyway – once P had thrown up and squirmed through the examination, he perked up a lot. So much so that by the time we were leaving the doctor, he didn’t want to go (because they had a cool fish tank in the waiting area). I was relieved, seeing the light at the end of the sick-toddler tunnel, so figured w’d hang out a bit and get our money’s worth by snapping some pics of the view. I guess their prime pozzy adds to the cost of treatment? And maybe there’s a charge for vomiting? Whatever. He is much better now, and that’s all I care about.