[routine]

Aug 31

The last day of August. Tomorrow September starts.

Speak of which, my birthday is next month. You ought to write me a letter.
Here is my address:

Margaret Hubert c/o Familie Coddron

Chemin des Cerisiers, 5

CH-1273 Arzier

Switzerland

That's right, get out a piece of paper and sketch me a quick note. I'll write back with a postcard. I love getting mail and for those in college, this is a great way to insure that empty post box get's filled up.

Today was my first day of doing what I will be doing.

I woke up at 8:45 to try and establish a routine.

Empty the dishwasher.
Eat breakfast.
Clean up my mess.
Blog.
Tidy up my room.

My breakfast was one piece of bread with butter and jam, Twinings English Breakfast tea with sugar and cream, rhubarb yogurt, a pear, and two tiny plums.

11:40 - time to pick up Oleann from school. I arrived. Sat with the other moms. Out she came! I love our walks together. Even if I can't speak French, we find ways to communicate and laugh together. Always laughter.

At home, most of lunch was set up. We were going to have bread, meat, cheese, and carrots. I got out my curried chicken leftovers and ate that. We cleaned up afterwards and then listened to a book on tape.

Time to go back to school. We rode our bikes this time. I held the little red paper for her as she put in her combination. After a few tries, she gave it to me to open, I succeeded. I rode back. The air was warm. I felt good, free. I was in Switzerland again on a bicycle and it was to early to think about the end.

An hour and a half? What to do in such an awkward amount of time? I began my solo French studies by learning some conjugations of words I knew I needed to know. I must have eaten a few plums.

Before I knew it ,it was time for me to pick up Ollean again. So I got on my bike and made the 3 minute trek to her school. We got her bike free and rode on. I'm glad I can bike up hills. When we approached the last stretch, she was going fast towards the road and I yelled out, "Attent" or, "Slow down!" She didn't and a car was coming, Luckily she fell to the side, knocking the chain off her bike and shoving her onto the gravel. The car had seen her, relief. It waited for a moment to make sure she was ok and we signaled it to move on. I wasn't too pleased. Not mad, just not pleased. So we had a quick English-French talk on stopping at the gate. My intent was understood.

We went home for a Balisto, me carrying her bike with one hand and pushing mine with the other. Balistos are so good, like a cereal bar with a whole lot of chocolate. Time to start English time.

The host rents have requested that I work with Oleann for at least 10 minutes a day on English. 10? We can do more than that. I didn't have the English coursework yet so we played our own games. To get her excited about making accomplishment, we developed a handshake that we did when I thought she had accomplished something worth noting. 30-40 minutes later, we decided we were done.

This is the point when my time with her is optional. I have to be in the house, be with her, but not play all the time. But I'm still in the honeymoon phase and life is new, we played some more. We played Petshop and then she went to play with Floriane. Floriane was loaded with homework but Alice came over instead. We went inside with the intent of seeing the Guinea pigs. We checked them out and then Oleanne got out a few books and had Alice and I each pick one from a series. I picked one out that turned out ot be about girls making a band or something. Without reading the title, Alice picked out one about, well, I'm not sure. Alice was talking with Floriane, who had just arrived. I finally was picking up on some words, "Sexuelle." Which was repeated multiple times. In a kids book? Then I finally I asked for a translation. Turns out Alice's book was about a boy and his penis and vaginas. I'm still not entirely sure but I put the book away.

Floriane and Alice when home. Oleanne and I set the table. Then, I let her play and I tidied up my room a bit.

Someone came home and I was off duty. Dinner was these wonderful sausage roll-ish bundles called "Bird Heads" in Belgium. Delicious.

It was a bit after 8:00 and time to go for a walk. I do so like going for my walks. Floriane asked me if I had taken my medication, which I hadn't. I got to say good night to her and then Alice and I set out on our miny adventure of a walk. I wanted to go down hills, so we could walk up them in the end.

We got home.
Time for bed.
Just another day in Switzerland.

[france encore]

Aug 30 09

Sunday morning.

I just arrived so I haven't had time to find a church. Old Cedar Park Northshore Podcasts will suffice till I can find a congregation. Thanks for the tip, Heather.

I woke up to tapping on my door and the announcement that we were going to the market. I guess we needed more food, this time fruit. I threw on some clothes, rushed up stairs and began on my favourite breakfast.

We all got into the family van and headed out. In the car, we all listened to Mika. The kids favourite song is "Lollipop" and I think we went through at least three encores before any other song came on. They knew the words. We all sang together. How happy.

When we got there, Daniel asked if I felt different in France. What? We were in France again? Oh joyous day.

I guess shopping in the market is a popular thing because the streets were packed like Pike Place during tourist season - but there weren't any tourists to be seen. We were there for fruit. Wonderful fruit. Precious fruit. We got plums. Lots of mini plums, I was delighted.

I played with the kids by the brook and Alex dipped his foot in the water and got it wet. We wandered through the streets, quite the task with 5 of us trying to stick together. We stopped at a butcher's stand and got some raw meat and sausages. Time to go back to the car.

Drove home.

The family napped.

I played Rush Hour with Oleann a bit.
I made myself a bank out of our take out containers as well as a few picture stands.

We piled into the car, for a second time, for a trip to Nyon. Time for Maggie to see the great city. We strolled the water front. The Swiss are big on family Sundays and it was evident as we saw parents, kids, and grandparents all together walking along.

On the water, they had a huge slide. It wasn't regulated, but it was huge, wide, and steep. When people when down it they would skid on the water for a few feet before sinking in. I love Switzerland. I love how they can have that and not worry about being sued. Kids would run up it and fall down again or climb up by holding onto the sides.

We walked into the heart of the city for some much needed ice cream. It must have been the best ice cream in the region because the line coming out of the shop was extensive. It would even rival Molly Moon's. I was informed that indeed, it was the best.

We waited our turn and ordered. I got cinnamon, a good choice in my opinion. I think Oleann disagreed after a small lick. Perfect summer days. Water. Ice cream... all over the kids' faces. Smeared on. Dripping onto the cobblestone streets.

Daniel and I talked about the economy a bit and how Switzerland hadn't suffered as much as places such as the UK and Iceland.

I bought four postcards.

We headed back to the water. To the playground. Played. Then Alex had to go the bathroom. We went home. On the car ride home I showed them the cow hand shake and we built thumb towers.

Back home it was time to talk about the schedule. I found out that life would be a lot less strenuous than I thought it would. I don't even have to take Oleann to school in the morning every day which means some days I don't have to be anywhere till 12:00. I'll talk more about my responsibilities and schedule in another blog.

Dinner was bread, meat, and cheese. They had this really strong cheese that was unbelievably awful.

After dinner I went for another stroll with Alice. I enjoyed her company and we did friend profiles. I told her about some of my summer mates and my best friends. We went back to my room and hung out a bit, then she had to go home and help her host dad with a translation.

Good night world.

[france]

Day Three In Switzerland - the 29th

It's Saturday, my first off day. Very interesting concept for one who has never had a job before. I woke up to my alarm blasting some obnoxious electronic tune and bounced to life.

Today we were going to French.

But not yet.

I hung out with the kids for a while and we decided to go for a bike ride around town. We ended up at the school, a short distance. I was glad because I wasn't sure how far the young Alex could go. He had to walk his bike down hills and he didn't do too well going up hills. He expected me to push him up the hills - but I had my own bike to deal with. I helped walk the the bike down, sometimes, because I saw it was quite the struggle for someone his size. We landed in the playground and ran around. We swung. We played tag. We climbed. We is refering to the children. I sometimes joined in, sometimes took pictures. I was still a bit jet lagged and didn't know how many rounds of le loupe I could handle.

Gillone and the grandmother came to say good bye, as the grandmother was going home. By then, the kids and I were hanging out at the skate park - running up and down the ramps and throwing Oleann's toy, Lanky, around.

Time for the journey home. Many hills, all going up. I wasn't exactly looking forward to this. I helped Alex a bit but finally had him ride on his own. Problem is, when we came to the hill, he didn't want to dismount. He wanted to keep riding. But he would ride down. I said, "Walk, walk," in French but he ignored and started crying out for "Mamma." Luckily, at that moment Florian and her friend came. Florian is the girl from across the street. They both pushed him along most of the way. Up all the hills. They slowed him down at the down hills. I was one greatful au pair.

Lunch time at home, we had leftover spaghetti.

When Gillone came home, Daniel left for Geneva and the rest of us went to France for some grocery shoppping.

It was just a short drive to the border and I was surprised I didn't feel any different when we crossed. We went to France because it is much cheaper than the ever so expensive Switzerland.

My host mom's policy was, "You need, you take." If I needed something, I was to retreave it. So I got my shampoo, toothpaste, agenda, notepad, and two plastic boxes for storage. When we got to the food portion of the sotre, she asked what I like for different things. Luckily, I like what she likes. I got to pick out tea, jam, San Peligrino, and fruit. I agreed with her on Balisto and Haribo licorice.

By the end of the journey, our cart was packed full of drinks, bread, everything. I learned that was the food for just one week.

We took the ride home.

I retreated to my bedroom to rest for a bit when I heard a voice from outside my door. The kids were playing outside with Alice and Florian. Remember them both? I joined for some neighborhood street play including police and travel. It was nice to have someone to explain a few phrases to me that I heard over and over but didn't undertsand.

Dinner was at 7:30.

8:00 I returned to Alice's and had a chat with her host family. Then she, Florian, and I all set out for a walk. We walked the village and had a charming time. Lots of laughter. I think a year here will be nice. The American. The English. The Swiss.

We got home, went to their house, had ice cream, hung out. I said good night. Contacted the world. Slept.

And so life falls into a routine.

[deux jours]

I am so greatful they let me sleep in.

So I did. Till 10:00.

My first Swiss breakfast made me feel so good, like every breakfast from here on out will. I love bread with butter or Nutella and a cup full of hot chocolate. That is what I eat. I heard Alex running around the house when I woke up and Mammi (the grandmother) calling out after him, with the occasional loving scold.

I literally played all day.

Every minute was filled with play, if I wasn't eating.

At 11:30, Alex and I headed out together to pick up Olean from school. Alex is a very slow walker, or perhaps galloper.

From what I can tell, his second favorite toy is his hobby horse. He goes everywhere with it between his legs and pauses every 5 steps to stroke its mane. It's a very slow process and then I understood why we needed the 30 minutes for a walk that takes me around 7 minutes.

There she was waiting for us in a purple and white gingham (I think) dress and pigtails. Such a sweet girl.

Touche saved the day!

aka Tag

With the kids racing after each other, we got home pretty soon. I have to admit, I'm a sucker for kids that grab my hand and hang on on sunny days. I felt quite blissful. Alex on my right. Ollean on my left.

Lunch was bread, meat, and cheese.

We played touche and cache in the yard. Tag and hide and go seek.

Then we heard a crash and I looked to where it came from, my bedroom. The windows were in tact so I wasn't sure what it was. It wasn't until later that I discovered the huge poster of Seattle (my host dad's) that was in a frame had crashed. The glass was everywhere and we couldn't even open my door.

Diareehe. Yeah. Poor kid had it. Flowed onto the cement. It was gross.

Then we walked Olean back to school.

Alex and I played on the playground until it was time to go home, which was when I said so. Go me.

We skipped on back home singing the one of the two songs I know in French, "Jingle Bells."

At home, it was time for his nap and I volunteered to help with the clean up. First, it was the glass. Glass shards covered my floor. Erk. Welcome to Switzerland?

Then I dusted and vacuumed. Went to my room for a bit till it was time to pick up Olean. I got her, we alked home.

The rest of my work day was all play, literally. That is what I do.

I just found out today that I don't actually have to play with the kids all the time. In some ways, its a relief. It other ways, I don't mind it. I just don't know if I could do it for a whole year. It does keep me active though, running constantly.

Daniel came home and I was free to go downstairs. I did.

We all ate together. It was some dish with leeks (I think), potatoes, onions, eggs, and bacon. It was good.

Then I went for a walk with Alice.

Alice is a wonderful girl from South Hampton, England who is going to be an au pair for the family across the street. She's fantastic. I think we walked for about an hour. We were in the woods and the dark made it hard to find our way home, but we did. I'm quite grateful to have her here. I love being with the host family, but I need interaction with people my age, sometimes, and its hard to get without going to school each day.

I got home.

Logged on.

Logged off.

Read my Bible.

Slept.

What a life.

[here i am]

I arrived in Switzerland at around 9:30 in the morning, their time. For me, it felt like it was around 12:00 at night, but I didn't feel all that tired, I was too excited.

Flying into Switzerland was surreal. Amazing. It felt so good. It's hard to explain, but it was like this huge weight had been lifted because I knew that I had another chance to live here. Another year. There is no stress for me to get everthing done, I have time.

My host father, Daniel, met me right outside the baggage claim. He really is a great guy and easy going. It was a huge relief. He also is quite fluent in English which made it possible to converse.

I started to see sights I hadn't seen, brands I had forgeten, as we drove on the main road. We passed a bright red "Denners" truck.

Once we got home, I was introduced to my host grandmother. She will be here for a few days to show me around since the host parents have to work. We drank some French water and I started to unpack. That's when the fatigue hit me. I didn't feel all that motivated to move in, but I did... msotly.

My room.

It's huge. It has room for a queen or kings sized bed, a large desk, bookshelf, couch, a wall of closet space, and an extra twin mattress on the floor if I so desired.

The main wall is orange concrete or something. I couldn't be happier.

It was then time to pick up Olean from school. This is the feeling I had missed.

Her school is about a 10 minute walk from home. As we approached the school, you could see the younger siblings of the current students playing, parents talking. This is a community.

Olean was one of the last students out and I was greeted with a hug. I could tell I was going to like this girl already.

On the way home, I loved watching her. The way she skipped, danced around. She picked flowers and greens for our guinae pigs. She smiled, laughed, held her father's hand.

I can understand bits and pieces of French. I have a long ways to go, but I can get the gist of things if I know the context.

For lunch we all shared a giant "omlette," tomatoe salad, and the beloved Swiss bread.

Then me and Olean had a chance to play before she went back to school. We threw the basketball around, waved to the train passing by, and checked out the bicycles. We played this balancing shapes game for a good 15 minutes. Soon, it was time to take her back to school and this time it was just me.

When I got to the school, the playground and fields were filled with children. It made me so happy. It was a bright sunny day and the parents were chatting and watching the kids from the sidelines. Olean and I joined two of her classmates for some blackberry picking.

She gave me a tour of the grounds and made sure I knew which classroom was hers. I said good bye and began the walk home.

At home, it was just me and the grandmother. She allowed me to continue to unpack and rest, without sleeping. At 2:45 I walked back to pick her up.

All the moms were in groups so I just sort of stood there. I heard someone speaking English with her children.

Olean came.

We walked hom.

We grabbed some yogurt from the fridge and enjoyed it on the patio. Olean just speaks French to me and I listen and hope I don't say "oui" to the wrong thing.

Then it was time to play. We opened up her piggy bank and got out a few franks and headed over to the village shop. It was full of kids picking out drinks and gummi candies. Olean got a push pop sort of sucker and I got two gummi candies. We played on the playground. Ran across the field. Checked out the new benches that were being built. Ran back to the play ground. Ran to the back of the school where there was a partial skatepark. Walked around the school some more. Went into someone's field to hide in their tree. More walking.

We finished our journey and home and got to work on the balancing shapes game, again. We also played Dora the Explorer.

This is when the exhaustion hit me. I had to focus on not closing my eyes. Finally, I gave in and went downstairs. My one minute nap turned into and hour and it felt good.

More unpacking.

Olean was playing with the neighbor girl.

Alex and Gilean arrived at home. Time to meet the rest of the family.

Alex gave me a polite "bonjour" and a kiss on the cheek. Gilean was wonderful as she welcomed me and asked about how my flight had been. Her English is great as well.

Alex, Olean, and I ran outside and played until it was dinner time. First Olean read a book to us and Alex started to warm up to me. Before long I felt like it was just another babysitting job, in a god way. In that comfortable, I can do this, sort of way. Rolling around on the ground together. Bouncing the ball. Laying in the grass. Playing "touche" - tag. Lots of laughter.

Gilean brought me my first letter from Roswita!

For dinner we had spaghetti which was quite satisfying. The small glass of wine tasted good as well, something they don't give me in America.

That was pretty much my day. They figured I would be tired, which I am, and told me I could go to sleep. I chose to go for a 35 minute walk around the village gathering information on the trains, the library, and community gatherings.

I arrive at home at 8:55 PM and here I am now.

I am so greatful to be here. I am so relieved. My host family is wonderful. Yes, I know it's the first day and most are, but you can normally get a basic sense of how it could be. I have a lot to learn with my French and that will be essential in guiding the kids. I am supposed to give them limits, and that won't be possible if they can't understand me. All in time. But for now, I know that I can meet the most important requirement and love their kids.

[au revoir]

It is 1:24 AM in the morning.

I need to get up in 4 hours to get ready to go to the air port.

I am exhausted, wasted, and so grateful that my friend Jenny helped me get everything packed up even when it is so late at night.

It was kinda fun? No. Sort of. Not really.

I normally blog my feelings about leaving. I did that last time. I think I'll try to summarize how I feel here:

"I am excited to go to Switzerland. I will miss America."

And that is simply how it is. I am stoked to see small glimpses of my Swiss life again, I'm thrilled to get a new life style, I am eager to go to Migros, I can't wait to meet my new host family.

But America, you were good to me. Thanks for the memories. I've found quite a few amazing friends over here, especially in the past year. People I never thought I would get close to. They are great.

Can you hear the enthusiasm?

Good night.

[rêverie]

A dreamer, is that what I am?

I don't think so.

But one of my favourite things to do lately is this -- I love laying down, closing my eyes, and walking my way through memories. I like walking to my Swiss school, walking through my host homes, meandering the hallways of the Kantonsschule Obwalden. I take every step, look around and let my mind fill the holes of my memory.

It makes me feel sort of strange.

Lonely.

But then I get this child-like, giddy sensation when I realize I will get to see these sights once more.

Other Notes & Updates

Packing

Still going strong, I am gettingit so all the belongings in my bedroom are the ones I am taking with me to Switzerland. Eveything else is getting packed up.

Good Byes

I am not too focused on that and I've already come to face the reality that I won't get to say "good bye" to many of the people I want to. But I guess that's how life goes, and farewells aren't exactly my favourite thing in the world.

I've said good bye to a lot of important people to me lately. The ones I know I could count on for everything and anything.

Just a small handful of friends remains that I know I'm going to see at least once before I leave including Jenny, Monica, Chrisitan, Alyssa, and my grandparents.

Countdown

As I write this, I have a total of 2 full days left in America, 70 hours, 4225 minutes, 253543 seconds.

[blog règlement]

As always, my blogs have rules and purpose to them.

There is a reason to why I write.

There are things I won't write.

First, since this new family is like an employer, I want to protect their privacy. I will never write negative thoughts about them online, if I should have any. I will not make fun of any differences in a demeaning manor. I will not reveal private things about them.

Also, until I have their permission, I will not write their family name or their children's names. I just picked two random names so we'll go with Jérôme and Caroline till I get permission to use their real names, if I do. Jérôme is three. Caroline is 7.

In general, I will not write about my negative experiences, if I should have any, as they are happening or right after the fact. I will wait till life is back to normal and I have seen the good that came out of it. I record positive memories I want to remmeber, and learning experiences I want to go back to.

My purpose in writing is first for myself, as I am quite the selfish person. I am greatful that I have blogged consistantly since I was younger and I still enjoy looking back on my words. It is my online recording of life. I write online blogs because I feel a slight obligation to keep them coming for the people who do read them. It also ensures that I write out things I would want to remember in the past.

My second purpose is for those who do want to keep updated on my happenings. Apparently, people read these. I know this between the comments posted and people talking to me about it in real life. No one should feel obligated to read these, and I know no one feels that way, but if you're bored and want to know what I'm up to - read on.

[rêve]

I've got less than two weeks left in America and it seems like every day has already been laid out before me, planned out to the minute.

Since I left Switzerland, it's like I've had this ever-so-almost-constant pain, a longing to go pack... did I say pack? I meant back. Longing to go back. When I think about that place, I feel sick and a tightness in the pit of my stomach. I really do want to go back.

For me to imagine going back there - wow - t's this unbelievable feeling. I can hardly believe that it is coming true. I can't believe I will soon be living in Switzerland again.

See, when I left Switzerland and came back to the United States, it was as if my Swiss adventure had never happened. Since no one here in America, in my daily life, had experienced it with me, I didn't have a confirmation of its existence in my daily life. Therefore, Switzerland became something of a dream to me.

Here's are a few select update on various topics:

Packing

Packing and cleaning my room is an ongoing, daily task that I have to deal with. I am constantly trying to purge my life of all of these belongings I have acquired over the past 18 years. It feels good to throw it all away, or at least donate it.

Last time when I left, I knew I was coming back here for another year. Now, I don't know when I'm coming back and I don't know if I'll be living at home when I do. I do know I don't want all of my belongings to follow me for the rest of my life. It is a satisfying feeling to know my meterial life can fit in two suitcases.

I am glad that this time, as I go overseas, I know more what I need to pack. I know what they have there that I like, such as office supplies and body wash, and I know what I want to take with me, such as Reese's and shoes.

I am still figuring out what I need to purchase before I go and this list is a bit too extensive for my comfort including items such as a suitcase (how I wish it could be orange), a backpack for my laptop, additional adapters and converters, photo album gifts for my past host families, and a Webster's New World French Dictionary. My hope, not something I am counting on or really even imagining possible, is another lens for my digital SLR, but I don't see that happening.

Driving

I want to be able to drive for my host family, but currently I am wondering how safe it would be for me, a new driver, to do it. I also don't know that I can get my licence in the next 12 days with so much going on.

French

I am so excited to learn French, it's such a beautiful language. My basic knowledge of Spanish, German, and an insignificant amount of Italian, is quite useful in learning French. I study it daily and write down key words and phrases in a yellow notebook. The thing that is a true struggle for me is the pronunciation. Luckily I know a few people fluent, and there's a great free online program through my library system. This new program is, in my opinion, superior to Rosetta Stone on many levels and is just what I need.

Not Going To College

Of course I have those feelings as I talk to my friends who are going to college. I can imagine what my life would be like if I had chosen to attend schools such as Ripon College or Trinity Western. I would be preparing for dorm life, stoked to live with others my age going through the same thing. I think about all the progress they will be making in that year, how they will meet so many people and experience so many things, but then I have to remember that what I'm doing is what's right for me. I need a year off to make some money, travel, think, and live. I think I will be more mentally prepared and mature for college in a year.

Saying Good Bye

The reality is I won't be able to say good bye to everyone I want to. That's ok with me, too, I guess. I really am not a fan of saying it and I know I'll be back in one to two years.

So, I guess progress has been made. Life is just turning into one giant countdown, it's like New Years Eve stretched out over the course of two weeks.

If you are interested in saying good bye, be at my house at 7:00 to 10:00 on the 20th of August. You can email me for directions. I would love it if you could just stop by and say "hi" or something.

[à plus]

"à plus"

"Yeah, I'll see you later."
No. I won't see you for quite some time.

You know what? I think I'm getting much better at good byes. I don't find them as emotionally draining any more. I don't need to think through them too much anymore.

Good bye can be temporary or pernament.

The truth I hold onto is that I know I can see them again if I have a strong enough will. It could take me a life time, but I know I could see them again. It might be in my forties, after I saved a dollar a week for a couple weeks, but it is possible.

There are temoporary good byes (see you later, see you next week, etc)
and certain good byes (I'll see you in 11 months)
and uncertain good byes (good bye).

Uncertain good byes are those ones where you honestly don't know if you'll see that person again. Sometimes they are the ones where you know you won't see the other person again, regardless of how much they meant to you.

What I like is that greetings are unrecorded, often unexpected moments, but farewells are celebrated and expected moments in which we look back to that one unexpected moment.

Life between the unexpected and the expected.

[admettre cela]

Sometimes, reality just seems weird. We can't picture a life alternate to what we have.

During my Sophomore year of high school, I couldn't picture going to a Swiss school and living with a different family. During my year abroad I couldn't imagine life back in America. Now I am in America and I spend hours imagining the life that lays before me.

Not hoping and wishing, just dreaming.

It feels good to let myself think away.

I have to admit, I see myself as a Snow White figure in Switzerland - happily singing as I clean. We'll see how that works out. I do enjoy housework that is not my own, though, so that could be good.

If I just have to love their kids and take care of them, I'll be fine.

That is what I love to do.

Saying good bye for at least 13 months feels weird.

It's odd to say good bye and not know when I'll be back.

Then again, isn't that what I did when I left Switzerland? I was gone for 14 months and now I'm headed back. When I left, I didn't even know when I was coming back.

On and on life goes.

I think I like it this way.