Fasnacht

One more quintessential Swiss experience.  Yay for having something to write about other than staying home and watching the snow fall :)
   What IS Fasnacht?  You know Mardi Gras and Carneval, right?  This is the Swiss version. Which means there are WAAAY more clothes involved, and from what I saw (which was all in the daytime) less debauchery in general.  True to Swiss form, every little town and region does Fasnacht a little different, maybe on different days, so I can only comment the St. Gallen festival.
    Essential ingredients for Fasnacht:
     Face paint: you might just be painting extra freckles on your face, but there needs to be something (we failed on this one).  Many faces were much more elaborate- airbrushed on, for sure. I suspect for some, a little touch of face paint was to make up for a lack of another essential-
      Costume:  this is the time of year when the stores fill with costumes.  The big difference I noticed with the costumes from the U.S. is the lack of specific characters here. Much more likely to see cowboys, princesses (but not Disney), knights, clowns, pirates, or garden gnomes than superheroes or movie or tv characters.
    Confetti:  The streets are well padded with confetti, despite the sincere efforts of cleaning crews.  Who am I kidding? Of course it gets cleaned up! I think the snow made it more difficult, though.

check out the paint jobs

 and the costumes 

Apparently, there has been Fasnacht "events" leading up to the weekend throughout last week.  I think these were mostly things like gugges (marching bands) playing at one of several bandstands set up through out the old town area. I did a quick walk through last Thursday while waiting for a bus and caught a gugge playing. It was fun! a lot of drums- clap along and nod your head kind of music.  These bands are neat in that they are comprised of a variety of ages. I think they are based out of communities. Of course, there were also outdoor stands selling warm (mostly alcoholic) beverages and food vendors. What is winter in Switzerland without gluwein?  (don't worry, it's just mulled wine)
   Our first Fasnacht event was a kids party for the neighborhood. All the kids dress up, some of the adults, some dancing games and other little carnival type games.  Nothing too unique. Jackson dressed as Spider Man ( one of the few specific characters) and Jo was a fairy princess ballerina (she wore a tutu).

 Jack with a friend from Kindy.

   Our second Fasnacht event was the big parade through town on Sunday afternoon.  Sunday was a gorgeous, sunny day. And probably the coldest so far.  This did not stop or dampen the festivities.  We went to the local church at 11.  (There was a Fasnacht theme). And we went into town at noon and stayed outside until the parade was over and we made it to my brother's hotel room at 4.  That is a very long time to be out in 25 degree weather.

   The parade consisted of a lot of gugge, a few floats, a lot of confetti, a lot of people in costume, and a lot of confetti. There were confetti cannons, there were people in the parade throwing confetti and running up to parade watchers and shoving it down the backs of their collars, and most interestingly- parade watchers throwing confetti.  Henry was attacked three times by people in the parade. I read that not being in costume is an invitation to being confetti'd, and I suspect him being a young man looking like he is trying to avoid the confetti didn't actually help.

 It's really stuffed in there.

 Jackson dressed as a dragon this time (we borrowed a bag of costumes from the neighbors) and Johanna repeated her costume as a fairy princess ballerina (tutu). Grandma bought them each a confetti gun- shoots a small amount of confetti.  Interesting piece of info: It is only acceptable to throw a single color of confetti. Multi colored confetti suggests it was picked up off the street, which is considered bad form.  Possibly more because it "robbed" a confetti maker than because it was pick up off the street.

 This is a truck going backwards. That is some mad reverse skillz.

 Typical costume for people in the parade. A lot of witches and gnomes/ogres.

  The last Fasnacht event was really just for Jackson, he had a party at school.  They could wear costumes and bring their confetti guns (what?! guns at school?!) but only without the confetti.  This time he dressed as a pirate. Johanna stayed home, but dressed as a fairy princess ballerina (paraded around in a tutu).
  Eli also took a brief turn in the spidey mask.

I find this to be ridiculously cute.

 

School Holiday

Another week at home!  oof.  I think this is rougher on me than being in a different country- being "stuck" at home.  We were blessed with some warm weather, which makes it much easier for us to get out and about. 

We made it to snake park twice, once with a side trip to the Toy Library. We never did make it to the indoor play place.  I mostly wussed out on taking 3 kids on the train to a location I have never been to, nor completely sure of where it is. It did occur to me that those sorts of places are germ breeding grounds and I partly didn't want to risk getting the sickies, but mostly I chickened out on the idea.

  We did manage to do a few fun things at home.  How I didn't think of this sooner, I don't know, but it occurred to me to look at Pinterest for ideas for kid activities.  I did some searches and was rewarded with some fun, basic science experiments.  We played around with mixing acids and bases (baking soda and vinegar) and static electricity, and flotation. We worked on transferring substances (instant coffee grounds) with different spoons and using tongs (not on instant coffee grounds). We also made another Aunt Mickey recipe- a kind of play dough. Most of this was all in one day :)  On top of this we played plenty of hide and seek, simon says, duck duck goose, road rally (from Mickey Mouse clubhouse), we painted, and we did some baking, too. 

 Yes, we lick the spoons.

Mixing up flour dough for play.

Sunday, I lured Kenny away from the books for one last excursion.  We day tripped to Constance and spent a couple hours at Sea Life Konstanz! - an aquarium. They really take advantage of all the sea themed movies and tv shows.  The kids really enjoyed it, they were particularly fond of the penguins and pointing out all the Nemo's and Dory's.  And I think it really did all of us a lot of good to get out and be together.  It was also great that we left a snowy St. Gallen and arrived in a sunny Constance.

Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday and Kenny, despite not being a particularly big football fan, was really missing the "holiday."  Because of the time difference, if the Super Bowl were to be shown on tv here, at the same time as in the States, it would be on in the middle of the night.  I promised Kenny I would look for it while I was up nursing Eli and that I would wake him up if I found it.  I found it- with French play by play.  And it was only about a half hour delayed.  They didn't show any of the commercials so I wasn't as interested.  Kenny got out of bed and moved to the couch for the game.  He definitely fell asleep, but he says he would wake up and watch parts.  Not exactly, a Super Bowl party, but a taste of the American Way. We also had fondue for dinner- somehow bread and cheese seemed to be a close approximation to Super Bowl food.

Updates:
   Johanna has decided that underwear is more comfortable than a diaper so we are potty training again!  Maybe it will stick this time?  I can't say it is going great so far, but not too bad, either.  Enough successes, that I am willing to keep going. 
    Eli is 7 months and is not only pulling up to standing but letting go with one hand and pivoting. 
He's also eating more- very fond of yogurt and banana. Not as big a fan of avocado.  Not a lot of variety happening yet. He's sort of on a sleep/nap schedule, which is nice.
  Jackson can zip his coat by himself.  This may be completely appropriate for his age (or for a younger kid, I don't know) but it impressed me. Zippers require some serious fine motor skills.

Acclimation

    As I have chronicled, living in a foreign country is challenging – language, rules, cultural norms, but I noticed a shift in the early part of December, so four months in. That was the point when I think I was getting really adjusted. If we were planning on staying longer, that would have been the point I could have taken on language classes without feeling entirely overwhelmed. I could have made more concerted efforts in developing friendships for myself and the kids, I would have tried harder to really fit into the neighborhood. Before that it was very much survival. Since we arrived I have thought about surviving vs. thriving and how my goal has been to thrive. There have been many moments when I have stopped and thought to myself- “this is surviving” and many moments when I have thought “this is thriving.” But if the goal were to really live here long term, four months was my acclimating period.

    Now that it is February, and about 3 weeks past the writing of the first paragraph, I look back on what I just wrote and wonder how that would have worked out in that alternate universe in which we live in Switzerland. (For what reason, I don't know.) Because we have been sooo insulated- with illness and the weather and the school holiday- it has been us in our house and that's about it.  Being on the tail end of this adventure, I think I simply haven't seen the motivation to make more effort. Especially when the effort would have to come dominantly from me, as Kenny has been swamped with tests and a huge project. I hope I don't sound as though I am complaining - being home and isolated HAS been difficult at times, but also good.

   So we ARE on the tail end of this adventure- less than 2 weeks to go. And social plans are going in the calendar. I'm working on arranging for pre- school for the remainder of the year for Jackson.  We are certainly looking forward to our return to Illinois.  It is so pleasant, and comforting to be returning where we are known and where we know family and friends and even how to live- the cultural norms etc. So looking forward to seeing some of you soon!  (Really, would love to see all of you, but realize that may not be realistic.)

 

Austria, Revisited

   In my attempt to cover all of Christmas break, I really glazed over a lot of details. For my own benefit, as this is the only record of the happenings on this adventure, I want to backtrack and offer a few more details of our trip.

   We flew into Vienna in the late morning and discovered you can walk a crazy distance all completely indoors in the Vienna airport. Not so great with 3 young 'uns, one person with a bum knee, and one with sore hips. We made it, though! I think we were all really grateful that Dad arranged for a shuttle service between the airport and hotel. It is so reassuring to walk out of baggage claim and see someone with a sign that has your name and know you are taken care of.

    After settling in to the hotel, we went out in search of lunch. The hotel is owned by a friend of a friend, which meant a bit of a deal, but not close to the tourist/historical area. Only a couple blocks from a U-bahn station, so a fairly quick trip to food and sights. Lunch was traditional and a bit touristy. You can tell when a majority of the dishes on the menu have pictures. It's great being in places where weinerli (hot dogs) are traditional food. 

    We spent the afternoon doing the museum thing- checking out the armory, the royal dishes (yes, really) and the royal apartments of the Habsberg dynasty. We also learned more about Empress Sisi than was entirely necessary. (depressed royalty, made to look “mysterious”). Interesting connection to Switzerland, though- she was assassinated in Geneva.

    We ate dinner at the Gosser Bierklinik- a restaurant my dad and his friends frequented for when the occasion called for a step up from the University cafeteria food. Lukas Knoll joined us for dinner- he and server were enjoying quite the chuckle at our expense.

    Jackson, Kenny, Katie, and Henry watched the Lipizzaner horses (famous dancing horses) go through their morning exercises at the Spanish Riding School Saturday morning while Grandma, Grandpa, Johanna, Eli, Lukas, and I enjoyed a visit to a Viennese cafe (cafe's are a big deal in Vienna). More of us might have gone to see the horses but children under 3 are not allowed. We couldn't get tickets for a performance- although outside the ticket office they run a dvd of a performance on a loop and we stood and watched it enough to get the gist. The exercises were a bit of a let down, unfortunately.We hit Stephansdom, big, old Cathedral- always good for bird's eye view of wherever you are. Apparently, it is pretty rare to have a sunny day in Vienna, so we definitely had to take advantage.

    The afternoon brought another cafe at the Sacher Hotel to enjoy Sacher Torte ( chocolate cake with a raspberry filling). I found it a bit dry-it would be much improved with a little ice cream. The cafe served the cake with whipped cream. Lukas' mother also served cake with whipped cream- an Austrian/German cultural trait??

    We also rode a tour tram around the historical circle of town. We then did one more museum. The summer palace held an art museum with a special exhibit on Klimt. I have never been terribly impressed with his work (His most famous piece is “The Kiss”) but in person, it was breathtaking.

 He used real gold in that piece and several others- really lovely. It would have been nice to stop and enjoy it, but that is not how a 2 year old does a museum- we do NOT stop.

    Jackson walked through the museum with Grandma. He learned that a lot of people in paintings don't have clothes because they are angels or fairies and are really invisible so they don't have to wear clothes. This lesson was directly linked to learning that all the ceilings were very well decorated. (Well done, Grandma.)

     Lukas directed dinner, which brought us to an American style steakhouse. If you are going to eat American- steak is not a bad way to go. 

 We ended the evening with a Fiaker (horse drawn  enclosed carriage) ride.  Both tour guides (Dad and Lukas) were in the other carriage so it didn't mean too much to me, but we supposedly went past some of the buildings that Dad spent a great deal of time in when he stayed in Vienna.

    The rest of our trip was spent in Linz/St. Georgen with the Knoll's. We were well fed and well entertained. The Knoll's own a mill (as previously mentioned) and their house is connected to the mill. I can only imagine how much of a kick my dad would get out of that. He says he could never move out of T-town because he would miss the hum of the mill. My mom would not get a kick out of this arrangement- that much harder to get my dad to be “home.”

    Lukas has 2 younger brothers. The youngest is in his early teens. He spent quite a bit of time playing with my kids and they really enjoyed him. So much so that Johanna for several days kept asking to go to Felix's house.

Impressions of Austria

    Switzerland has ruined me- no place may ever seem clean and tidy again. I spent a little time in a park in Linz with the kids (who needs museums or historical architecture- give us a good park!) and I had to keep reminding myself that I was in Austria and not an Eastern European country. This was partly due to the immigrant population around me- definitely not speaking German, but also because of the litter and unkempt nature of the park. It was a really nice park in all actuality, but I was viewing it through Swiss tinted glasses.

   I also really noticed the difference in how Switzerland commemorates history, or really doesn't. If you have ever been to Europe (or any country older than the U.S.) you can be blown away by the sheer age of everything. I don't notice this as much in Switzerland because there are no statues of this king and that queen, barely any of that famous general, no castles or palaces. It's not all modern and new (in fact, mostly NOT), maybe just a lack of visible history.  

   What I really think of Austria, not just what seeing Austria made me realize about Switzerland- a good place to see proper history, congenial, really great architecture. I only wish we could have made it to Salzburg, too.

Things to eat in Vienna

Weinerschnitzel

Sacher Torte

Manner cookies (sugar wafer with filling)

Linzer Torte (although we did not get this accomplished)

  

The Winter Blah's

I wish I could say that the reason I've updated the blog in a while is because there has been so much going on. I cannot say that at all.  We had 12 straight days where at least one person in our family had a fever. And everyone of us got hit, too.  It wasn't flu- not that bad- just an icky viral thing with a cough.  I still have mine- treasuring it ;)
   Sick days were filled with nonstop tv and movies. Well, we did take time outs to play games on tablet computers. Saturday (the 19th) was close to some sort of breaking point for me. I finally felt better- really felt better. I believe that there is a level of healthy where I think I'm doing good and ready to re enter society. And then I leave my house and go out into the world and feel out of kilter and ready to crawl back into my bed.  Anyway, I felt better, but Jackson had an ear infection, there was snow on the ground, and Kenny had serious studying to do. No. where. to. go.  AAAHHH!!!

 One non tech activity we managed- non messy finger paints.

 We make up for our non-tech moments. *sigh*

  Sunday night I escaped for a little girl's night with Tina- a woman I was introduced to by a mutual friend. She moved here in June, We arrived in August and this was our first intentional meeting. We did run into each other on the bus near the toy library back in December, but that was a pretty brief exchange.  We went to a Tex-Mex restaurant (fajitas on sale for 25 CHF!) It was not bad- a Swiss approximation of an Americanized version of Tex-Mex. Yes, that is taking into consideration that Tex-Mex is already Americanized. It was great to get out of the house and I'm glad I finally had the opportunity to get together with Tina.  And to top it off, Kenny and the kids had a great night!
   Wouldn't it work out, that the one time we are really sick here, there are tenants in the house from the States with a four year old daughter?  They came from Atlanta and the daughter had never seen snow. We did play outside with her one time. Sophia's presence even convinced Johanna to go out and play in the snow, which she loved.  I don't think the Dad spent too much time in the snow either. When the first couple of inches were on the ground he asked me if I thought he needed chains on his tires.  This family gave me a great birthday present by inviting Jack and Jo over to play at the exact time Eli fell asleep for a nap. If only my sinuses had cooperated so I could have slept, too.  It was still a great rest.
  I am so thankful that Jackson was ready to head back to kindy on Monday and we could return to a bit of a routine. Johanna, Eli, and I went present shopping. That's right, we had a birthday to celebrate. Kenny turned 30 on Monday.  My birthday was the week before, but I was sick and I didn't get any presents so it doesn't count. (Kenny knows he still owes me.) We celebrated with homemade brownies and we gave him a sweater- he asked for one, really!
   Now it is Wednesday and I'm trying come up with a few activities for the kids and me for next week when there is no school-yes, the whole week. I think this is so people can get in one more solid week of winter sports. My goal is to work up the nerve to get me and all three kids to the indoor playground that is a town over-this will require getting on the train. I'm nervous.
  Speaking of goals- I did it! I lost the baby weight! My mom brought pre-baby jeans at Christmas. I could put them on then, but now they fit! (If I was going to be sick, at least I lost a few pounds). Thanks for holding me accountable.
  Eli is not only crawling, he is pulling up to his knees. He often sits on his knees to play, but won't sit on his butt- unable to go mobile fast enough.  And not only his he pulling up on to his knees, but a few times now he has made it up to his feet!  I think it would happen a lot more, but he pretty much only wears footed sleepers.
  And just in case you missed it on facebook- we are officially going home February 16.  We had originally planned to stay until the 28th. The vision was to travel, but we have realized that it would not be as enjoyable as envisioned and we are ready to head home. We are looking forward to home and the people that it holds.

Massive Christmas update

So what day is it anyway?  I'm a little out of it after the long holiday- still trying to get into the regular routine. Much like most of you, I suppose.
   In a nutshell- we have been spending the past 2 and half ish weeks with my family (Rick, Diane, Henry, Katie) and as of today, January 8, Katie is still with us. This was definitely good for me. I was in serious need of fraternization and time away from my lovely littles. I think having my family around didn't bother Kenny too much and maybe allowed him to get a little more studying in? maybe?
   So here are the highlights:
My folks took over the basement apartment so they were right handy. Kids especially loved that.
Dinner in an Alpine restaurant (pretty high up). Restaurant is located in a house/barn/school (all connected a la Swiss style) They still have a hog and piglets around for...ambiance... In the evening, they do a show where they fake the electricity going out and then bring lanterns to your table so you can experience old timey Swiss living.  It was really tasty and fun.

 The toilet! Once you moved the lid, it was a regular working toilet. This one was a 2 seater.

Traditional Appenzell singers

Making Sugar Cookies and Eggnog

 'Nog. We were able to invite Andrea and her family and our friends from Israel over for eggnog. Most everyone claimed to enjoy it. I discovered why i never care for it- the whiskey!  Just rum is just fine.

Christmas morning "around" the tree

 Jackson and Johanna LOVE these jammies- thanks Grandma Debbie!

 Our tree. really a great idea with so many littles and so very little space.

   A note on Swiss Christmas:  Advent really features big here. So much so, that Christmas isn't really geared up for until the 20th probably at the earliest.  Obviously Advent is preparation for Christmas, but putting up trees and decorating doesn't seem to happen until just before Christmas Day. Decorating is much more low key- a real tree with a few decorations- MAYBE electric lights, quite possibly real candles. And I get the impression that they are more likely to leave the tree up beyond Christmas, possibly to Jan 6, Feast of the Three Kings and the traditional 12th day of Christmas.
   Feast of the Three Kings is celebrated with Dreikonigkuchen (Three King cake) a sweet roll with a small plastic king in one piece. The person who finds the king gets to be king for a day and the bakeries include a crown with the purchase of your rolls. They had this at kindy and Jack got to be king!

Skiing at Flumseberg
   45 minutes in, Katie took an awesome spill (me watching: "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod"). Did a real number on her knee- no docs for her though. Ms. PT knew they wouldn't be able to do much more than she could.
   I went to get ski patrol, took one step up on slippery surface and fell and twisted my knee.  Much more minor than Katie's, but I opted out of skiing for the rest of the afternoon.  :(
  My injury did lead to taking Jackson out on skis.  He did pretty good at french fries, but needs to work more on pizza.  (Skis parallel and snow plowing).  Kenny remained uninjured and got to ski a bit more on his own.  Everyone else hung out in the cafeteria. The Swiss expect that if you are going to a ski location- you WILL be skiing. There was absolutely no other place to hang out indoors.

Swimming at the Santispark
   Something I've wanted to do with the kids since we found the place. A bunch of mostly indoor pools with water slides. Had a bit of a scare where I thought Jackson was drowning at the bottom of a water slide. But otherwise, it was a really nice time.
  Interesting set up- Dressing area is completely coed (with  little private dressing stalls) except for the showers (which you can pretty much see into as you walk by) and the toilets.
Trip to Vienna
   We traveled to a new country, and saw a lovely city. Dad spent 10 months in Vienna as a student so he acted the tour guide (along with family friend Lukas Knoll) and showed us a couple of favorite haunts.

   We then ventured on to St. Georgen, Austria, Lukas' hometown and location of his family's Mill. We spent time with Lukas' family and checked out his mill. The latter was a special time for Kenny- he's really missing work.
  We also took an afternoon to do something not so fun, but very worthwhile- visit a former Concentration Camp at Mauthausen.  So important to bear witness to this atrocity. It was a very appropriate day for it- cold, gray, bleak.
  We rang in the New Year with the Knoll's. Okay, we spent NYE at their house, I'm not sure if anyone made it to midnight other than Katie.

 The real tree with real candles. Just after the lit a sparkler hanging from a branch.

7 hour(!!!) train ride back to St. Gallen.
  I would much rather be on a train for 7 hours than a plane. *yay* flight back home...

Day trip to Zurich with everyone but Kenny.
    Classes began again Jan 2, so he had to miss out :(
  We took a bus tour (not the smartest idea with kids aged 4,2, and 6mos) We also took a boat ride on Lake Zurich- I think this was actually public transportation and we simply stayed with the boat for it's entire route. But it did allow us to see Mistletoe Mountain! This is what Johanna calls EVERY mountain. I think we were actually looking at the Alps. I enjoyed the stained glass windows by Marc Chegall in the Fraumunster (Church of our Lady).

  At the end of the day, Dad, Mom and Henry said good-bye and stayed in Zurich in order to catch their flight back to the States
 Week with Katie
     I wish I could say we did more extra fun stuff, but Jackson was due back at kindy on Monday and really I think the kids (and I) were ready to get back to a normal routine.  With Katie around, I was able to grocery shop alone, go to my Bible study without infringing on Kenny's study time, and Kenny and I were able to go out one night.  Katie and the kids participated in lots of games, painting, pajama partying.  Katie also took the opportunity to do a day trip to Munich.
   It took me all week to write this-it's now Friday and we have snow again!  What a cruel joke- no snow the whole time my family is here and as soon as they all depart, the snow comes back.
Here is what Eli is up to now!

 Yes, he did that himself. It's about all he does any more.

exploring avocadoes

Christmas Carol Sing Along

   Friday night was an exciting adventure. It was yet another learning lesson on what is reasonable to expect from children aged 0 to 4. That does not include sitting through a semi-church service/Christmas Carol sing along. This could have worked out okay, but I really think professional musicians (opera singers) have a very different concept of a sing along than I do. The words “sing along” to me, cannote a certain casualness or family friendliness. I should have known better when just before things got started and my kids were mildly running from one end of the church to the other (with a couple of other kids) and one of the leaders nervously asked me if maybe my kids needed to go downstairs to the play room.

I might have been more fully in mommy mode, but I had been asked to do a reading for the event. I was trying desperately to inch my way into functional adult mode, if only for a little while. And a little while is what it was. I was the first reader and as soon as I got back to my seat I was whisking Johanna to the back of the church in a desperate attempt to scrounge up a drink (come on, water fountain!!).

    The majority of the rest of the event was spent either in the basement (yes, all 5 of us- Jack can't bear to be left out and Eli started to get fussy just as I got up to read so he only survived a few more minutes in the church) or at the back of the church where the kids were moderately less interrupting. FINALLY, the service wrapped up (there was way more readings and messages than I would have anticipated) and we got to eat some snacks. Snacks always make kids happy. This was a gathering of English speaking people so I don't remember anything terribly Swiss. Johanna and Eli fell asleep on the way home and despite having to carry them, I think both Kenny and I were pretty happy with that ending.

    The next night we were invited out by some of Kenny's classmates to a Syrian restaurant. There are several students from various Arabic countries and they have claimed this restaurant as a piece of home and go there probably at least once a week. Leyla (student) even told me as much “when I am here, I feel like I am home.” I tried to learn a lesson from the previous night and fed the kids a snack at their normal supper time and packed activities (read-tablet computers). Things went so much more smoothly. And the best part: there was a bench so when Jo fell asleep an hour into the evening, there was a place for her to pass out :)

And as far as the restaurant, let me just say, if you are ever in St. Gallen and are tired of the traditional Swiss food, eat at Sahara. Sooooo good! Kebabs (meat on sword like skewers) hummus, stuffed grape leaves, tabbouleh, and all kinds of stuff that I have no idea what it was called. It was a really nice evening out with friends (who are kidless but get a kick out of our kids). I even saw more ice in one glass than I think I have seen my whole time here. It was someone's whiskey on the rocks.

A few other updates:

   Took Eli to the doctor for shots. 18 lbs! And 25.5 inches. We took the opportunity to allow the kids a lunch out at McDonald's. I'm getting more comfortable with it. We are not there very often but it is probably the place where I feel the most foreign- it's the crowds and the ordering at the register- no opportunity to connect with the employee and get their empathy so they don't mind putting up with my English.

   Eli is this close to crawling. As it is, he is doing the worm- going up on his knees and sliding down in the direction he wants to travel. (Update! Eli started crawling on Jan. 5 – yes, that is the day my parents went back to Illinois. I was talking to my sister and Kenny in the kitchen while looking at Eli who was on the floor in the living room. Mid-sentence I realize Eli is honest to goodness crawling!)


We also celebrated Christmas with Kenny's classmates at the Class Christmas party.  This was put on by the Swiss, but was not foreign- food, drinks, a gift exchange among the classmates. My kids thoroughly enjoyed running up and down the hallway of the school.

Table decorations- those are real branches, oranges, and chocolates

 Spinning in office chairs is so much fun!!

 Chocolate!

 Kenny receiving his gift from Danny, the Italian

   

Some of the random things I've always thought I should write about all mashed up together

Economy of Space- A phrase that I began applying to the way the Swiss live. Space is a valuable commodity here, and the Swiss are perfecting the art of utilizing it the best they can in a way that is still aesthetically pleasing. From the use of underground- shopping, parking, the garbage dump- to building houses/apartment buildings up and using roof space.

Packaging for products has this in mind also. Liquid detergent is most often sold in a pouch, not a jug, for instance. A lot of packaging is recycling or disposal friendly. The milk carton I buy is a coated cardboard and there are instruction on the side for how to flatten it. I think it is very much a way of life. I have seen people throw away at the grocery store the plastic container their meat came in. I assume because it took up too much space in their grocery bag. I also assume they wrap their meat in a plastic sack. Johanna, Eli and I often sit next to the recycling wall in the grocery store and I have watched many people pushing their recyclables into the appropriate slots, and when they are finished they walk over to the public trash can and throw away their plastic clam shells. Those things take up valuable space in the 2 CHF trash bag, why keep them in your trash when they can go in someone else's?

Things I see.

There are several trends I have spotted and I wonder if they are particular to St. Gallen, Switzerland, Europe, or if it's a bigger city thing. Or none of the above and I'm just that behind the times.

-Tattoos. Obviously these are plenty ubiquitous wherever you are, but they appear on every mild mannered desk jobber around.

-Also piercings beyond ears. There just seems to be a crazy high number of them. And if you happen to be one of those people with a bull ring in your nose- yes, it does look like you have boogies hanging out.

-Dreadlocks on white people. This is about to get un-p.c.- is the term “Euro-trash” applicable?

Since Jackson starting kindy, I have had the privilege of observing the school kids (ages 4-12/13). The big trend with the boys is to gel their hair up and over in the front (what is this called? Think rainbow). And then to wear a knit ski cap over the rest of the hair- leaving the bangs out. And skinny jeans, colored skinny jeans. (EVERYONE wears skinny jeans. They should not.)

A story (kinda): Jackson takes a snack to kindy everyday. The first week, when it was exciting to go to school, I sent bread and cheese (very Swiss of me). The second week when things came crashing down, I asked what he would like and gave him options that included a granola bar- that is what he went for. I knew (intuitively) most of the kids brought healthier things, but if it gave him a moment of happiness to eat a granola bar at school- that is fine. He continued on the granola bar track for a couple weeks. One day he told me he had to brush his teeth after snack. Okay...did he need a toothbrush? No, the teacher provided one. The next day he tells me he doesn't want a granola bar because they have sugar and if he has sugar then he has to brush his teeth. He then asked if he could bring chocolate for a snack.

Cost of living. I have mentioned before that Switzerland is expensive, but I had someone ask me about the price of bread here and it occurred to me that a basic way to understand the difference in COL (without going into the political factors) is the price of some basic staples. I am going to do a rough estimation of the price in US Dollars

Gas: Sold by the liter (about 4 liters in a gallon) at about $1.90 a liter. ($7.60 a gallon!?)

Milk: Also sold by the liter. There is a very wide range on the types of milk you can buy. From UHT shelf stable, to Alpine organic. Probably ranges from $1-2/liter. Do the math: $4-8/gallon

Bread: To my Swiss-washed brain, bread is very reasonably priced. For a common loaf (a good sized 500 grams) around $2

WHY does it cost so much more to live here? The one basic factor I'm aware of is that everybody makes more. There is a higher minimum wage and this leads to everything costing more.

I also want to say that it is impressive how many goods are produced in Switzerland. Trash cans, binders, paper, watches, knives- so much stuff is made here. And if it is made here then you will surely see a symbol telling you it is Swiss made. If I noticed this many products in the U.S. that indicated they were made in the USA, I would be shocked.

A game I play with myself: What I Will Miss About Switzerland

(Other than the things that remind me of home, like my Women's English Bible Study)

-Elderly people using ski poles/nordic walking poles as canes

-the bread

-the cheese

-the chocolate

-public transportation (don't get me wrong, a car is great, but it is nice to have the option) and even though I don't always like it, it's good that we have to do some walking every day. It's actually really nice after a big meal- assuages the guilt and aids the digestion

-the emphasis on outdoorsiness (thus making outdoor activities more accessible to the regular joe shmoe)

I suppose I play this game when I'm feeling homesick or I see something particularly amusing.

  

Torch Walk

      What is the most important ingredient for good fondue? The same ingredient for good anything- an appetite. It doesn't hurt to develop this appetite with a 5 km hike over snowy terrain. This is what was quaintly referred to as a “torch walk.” It was really a nice little adventure, improved only by less whining (but what isn't?). But as with most things outdoorsy here, I underestimated the event.

     The event was put on by the Swiss Milling School Student Association so most of Kenny's classmates participated. We were driven by van up and out to-- I really have no idea where. But the owner of the restaurant we ended up at was there with mulled wine and warm (kid friendly) punch. The worst part, as far as being cold, was probably waiting around at the trail head for twenty minutes or so for the teachers/guides. Although it was very entertaining to watch all the students dancing and horsing around in the snow. (Gangnam Style is the class anthem) Once we were walking it was not so cold. 

       The kids and I were given the option of going straight to the restaurant and waiting for the others, but like I said I was underestimating this “walk” and I didn't want to miss out on a quintessential Swiss experience. I regretted that decision off and on throughout our hike, but Kenny's classmates were very kind in helping us get the children to the restaurant in a timely manner. Kenny carried Eli, the reasoning being that Jo is so clingy to me that if I carried Eli, I would end up with both him and her. But the cold and the dark increased her clinginess (she would really do herself a favor by WEARING HER GLOVES!!) and she refused to walk so Kenny ended up with the two youngest. Jackson was a trooper, but he has great difficulties walking next to snow and not kicking at it or playing in it, so we were a little slow. 

          This really was a torch walk. Real torches- open flame and everything. The kind of thing that made me feel like I was in the Lord of the Rings. I had a hobbit, I only needed a green cape. And these were definitely necessary- our path was dark! It was apparently a road, though. We came across a house or farm every now and then.

We were hiking in the snow, but our path had been flattened. It was a little slick. Kenny tells me that after awhile, Johanna fell asleep so she was passed around to several classmates, and one of these guys even came back to me and Jackson and gave Jackson a shoulder ride to the restaurant. It's sweet to see all these men with our children. Some have children back home, but I think most miss being around families. Or maybe our kids are just that cute. 

Dinner was great. Fondue is delicious, but when you've been out in the cold, working up an appetite, it is just really really good. The kids shared a chicken and vegetable plate. I have never seen so many vegetables on one plate in a restaurant before. They like the idea of fondue (they like the idea of dipping any food in some kind of sauce) but hot cheese with the flavors of wine does not do it for them. (ketchup does)

How Jo ended the night

   The guy holding the staff for Samichlaus is from Israel- Jewish. The man sitting next to me laughed and said, "it's like the light and the dark sides together." Yes, Stars Wars metaphors are ubiquitious.

    Samichlaus and Shmutzli came to visit so I was able to build on my working knowledge of Christmas traditions here. He gave a bit of history on Saint Nicholas and was very specific that Samichlaus has nothing to do with Santa Claus (I beg to differ, the idea of Santa Claus had to come from somewhere). He seemed to be trying to throw in a little superiority about this separation. 

    There are a lot of men who dress up as Samichlaus and go to schools, houses, public events. I had assumed that the Swiss did Samichlaus, like the U.S. Santa, or even like I did St. Nick, back home. You leave out a sock or shoe at night and in the morning there are goodies. Now I kinda think that it is more common to have a direct visit. I learned from another woman here that it is the Christkind- Christ Child- that brings the gifts on Christmas Eve. And I have picked up from TV that our “Santa Claus” is known as “Weihnnachtsmann” (spelling is probably wrong) The Christmas Man? Curiouser and curiouser.

    Anyway, this Samichlaus had a little ribbing planned for all the students and bags of treats- nuts, chocolate, candy. He is one of Kenny's teachers. Ouch- What a thick accent. That would definitely be difficult to follow for 8 hours a day.  "Thank you, wery much!"

 Some shots of the students

"

  When all was said and done, it was late. We still had to get back to St. Gallen. And up the hill to our house. I was ecstatic to learn we were getting a ride back in the van all the way to our door!  I was sleepy so this excitement didn't really show until it  was our turn to be dropped off. And just as I tell the driver thank you and he turns onto our street- and the van stops. And won't go any further.  He can back up and get out, but he cannot make it up our now snow covered street.  :(  We had to wake Jackson and make him walk. He was so out of it that he just bawled the whole way. I almost did, but I managed to keep it together.