Insane in the Brain!

Okay, so I decided yesterday that all of my blog titles will be song titles. And yes, I am going from Barry Manilow to Cypress Hill. I can listen to everything from ABBA to ZZ Top, as long as it is not Country Music. Well unless it is Carrie Underwood. I like her. Otherwise, please shoot me. Can't stand the stuff! Most song titles will be easy to quote, unless the band is Led Zepplin. What the heck is a D'wyer Maker anyway? Is it Elmer Fudd trying to say dryer? Who knows. But that is what I have decided to do. Let's see how far I can get!

Hey! Speaking of Led Zepplin, I could have titled this The Immigrant Song! Darn it! It would fit too! I am from the land of Ice and Snow - Minnesota, so it could work. But, I don't scream as nicely as Robert Plant; just ask my boys. Oh well, I'm not going to change it now, so deal. You are probably thinking, what? You are nuts! Well, who you tryin' ta mess with ese? Don't you know I'm loco?

Yes I am crazy. Why? Because I have no idea what is going to come out of my mouth next. The television stations here are either in French, German, or Italian. I know Spanish and Portuguese. And English, usually. I am learning French now, and I learned German and Russian in high school and college. I know, you are so impressed, right? Well, I can remember 2 sentences in Russian. Menya zavoot Jennifer, My name is Jennifer; and Ya rabotayu v universiteyt, I work at the university. I phonetically spelled them so you can read it. That is it. Nada mas! I remember more German, and more is coming back to me everyday. Not helpful. You would think so, but it is getting in the way of French. And it is making my brain melt. Too many words people!!!!

The radio stations are the same way: French, German or Italian. We can figure out about 50% of the Italian since it is close to Spanish. But I get caught up in the accent. So cool! It's like when Ricardo speaks Spanish. I don't listen to him at all, just the accent. So sexy! He will kill me for that. Love you baby!

So, in the grocery store, to find a product, if we can't figure it out via the French name, we look at the German or Italian. (If you haven't figured it out by now, this country has three official languages.) We can figure it out by them. Of course since we put Google Translate (shameless plug) on our phones, we type it in, read it, buy it. Works well for us. It's when we get to the register, or I ask a question that I am screwed. Which language will come out first? Well, usually Spanish. Then people look at me like I am insane, hence the blog title. Okay, that didn't work so next English. Nope? Okay, what is the word in French? Got me. So I smile and say No Problem. Yes, it is the same in English and French. Lucky moi! My kids just roll their eyes. Or they say, "Wrong language mom." So when asked a simple question, I decided to blend the three. When did I decide this? No idea, they all come out at once. Si-yes-oui. (There should be an accent over the "i" in si, I don't know how to do that.) Si-yes-oui makes it easy, blend all three and someone is sure to understand. Of course the look I get tells me I belong in Bellview, but I don't care. I get that look at home all the time. Hopefully, the clerks will just think of me as the quirky American.

It is difficult to learn a new language, especially at my ripe old age of 29. Okay 35. FINE! 42, jeez you don't have to be so picky. Chillax much? It is supposed to be easier sooner or later. But I have too many words in my head for the word more - mas (again accent), mais, plus. What doesn't help is that "mas" in Portuguese is "but", whereas "mais" in French is "but". HELP ME!!!!!!!

My brain hurts. So much...

Looks Like We Made It!

To quote the esteemable (don't know if that is a word or not, but I am using it) and very talented Barry Manilow, "Looks like we made it!" Though I will not quote the rest of the song. Until I looked it up I did not know what it was about. No reference to my life whatsoever. Well, except the title in this case.

Let's see, December was a blur. Finish school, semester finals for Javier, pack the house, throw in a minor surgery for me Christmas Eve eve, Christmas, trip to Hawaii, return home for 24 hours, and then move to Switzerland. I probably could have added a few more things. I am Superwoman don't you know! I believe in all of that we half circumvented the world. Can you half circumvent something? I have no idea. But I thought it sounded cool. I actually figured it out, nerd that I am. Minneapolis is at longitude 93 (how do you make the degree symbol on this stupid computer!), Kauai is at 159, and Vevey, Switzerland is roughly at 7. Let's do the math. Shall we? 159-93=66 and back again is 132 plus the 93 to 0 GM then add 7 which gives you my friends...232 degrees traveled! But can you count the doubling back? No clue. Still if not, that is 166 degrees and not too shabby. Totally cool, am I right? No, well okay.

So we get to Switzerland. Can I say postcard beautiful? This place is gorgeous!

That is the view from my bedroom window. Or living room. Yes, I think living room. Purty amazing ain't it! Yes, you are all welcome to visit. Not all at the same time please. Not enough room!

And this is about a 10 minute walk.

We spent the first week getting acclimated. Figuring out the grocery store is fun. Did you know they close on the weekday at 7 pm? And don't open until 8 in the morning! On Saturdays they close at 5. Yes, you read that correctly, 5 PM! Oh and they are not open on Sundays. So if I forget to go? Sandwiches and cereal kids, so sorry! By the way, French is very difficult. Nothing like Spanish or Portuguese though they may share words here and there, mainly with Portuguese. So if I can't figure out directions or what the heck I am buying, I look at the German or Italian. I know. Neither are Spanish nor Portuguese. But it seems to work out. We are all committed to learning. Why not? Boys have class at school; I am doing Rosetta Stone at the moment. Though I do get lessons, I have not signed up yet. A few people speak English where I live, but not many. But I met two very lovely ladies in the grocery store to help me. One from Chicago and one from Cleveland. We were trying to find mayo and they pointed us in the correct direction. It comes in a toothpaste style tube!

Well, we are finally connected. That first week I could only text my husband. He was working so could not always respond as quickly as I hoped. That was really difficult. The boys and I got phones this weekend. My plan lets me call the States. Very exciting. But I am still trying to remember the time changes. I wait for the 7 or 9 hours, but then I am in the middle of my afternoon and I forget. Forgive me, please. I will figure it out eventually. Air shipment came yesterday, and boys are happy because they can use the PS4 finally. Yey! Quiet time for me. That is until they start yelling at the TV. Like the video game is doing whatever on its own. Right. My joy was finding the coffee pot.

The boys started school this week on Monday. Tuesday, Ian went to France to snowboard. WWWWHHHHHAAAAAATTTT?! You want me to send my kid to school on the second day to go to another country? With his passport? The kid who can't find the butter in the fridge when it is staring him in the face? Okay? But he did fine. Underestimated the fella. Came home and slapped his passport down on the counter, "See Mom, I didn't lose it!" Good job Ian! Thursday, I had to do the same for Javier. Less worried about him. Why? Don't know. He IS 14 and can get into any kind of trouble. He did great, too. So far they like school. How can you not? They go to school 4.5 days a week, and twice a month go skiing/snowboarding for the whole day. Yes, 4.5 days. In this area of Switzerland Wednesdays are half days. It is. The Law. Sure thing Bucko! 

I got to go on an adventure too! I went up to school for a coffee get together. LOVE THE SCHOOL! This place is gonna be awesome. I took the bus to the train station, and then I took the train up the mountain then walked to the school. Funnest was figuring out the tickets. We went up the mountain last Friday to get uniforms. Note to self. Never go anywhere you can't remember without Google maps. 

Friday we got to the station to buys tickets that the kiosk. Well, there is first class and second class. Which do you buy? No idea. So I kept going back and forth to figure it out. Finally, Javier said, "Stop being your mother! Let me do it!" Okay. I apologize to you mom for all the times I have said anything like that to you or rolled my eyes at you. But he was right. I was acting like my mom. Which was very funny. I think Ian shuddered actually... But it worked out. Second class is just fine to buy. And we made it up the mountain. Then, without GPS, and trying to remember from October from when I was in a car, we wandered around for about a half hour, asked a mail carrier, got direction is frenchenyol (Spanish and French), stumbled through two fields, and made it. Then we got lost again trying to find the train station on the way back, and ended up at one further down the mountain. But we did it! And no worse for wear. Each kid got 2 polos, 2 gyms outfits, a track suit, and a hoodie. Total? $600. Yes, it shocked me too. Yousers! 

Here is a pic from the train station on the mountain. We are about a mile or so up, lake at the bottom, and the French Alps in the background. Same ones from my house picture above. Literally. You will notice the amount of snow in that crevice thingy has increased.

Yes, I have no car that the moment which allows me to log in a lot of miles walking. My FitBit, Hans, says I walked 70 miles this past week, the distance the Penguins march in Antarctica. COOL! And yes, I named the FitBit Hans. You know like Hans and Franz, "I'm Going to pump. You up." Yes, I know. I am weird. But I am also getting wordy. which is my husband, not me. So I am going to sign off for now with one more picture I took last night on my way to get Javier from the ski trip drop off. It is the sunset behind the castle around the corner which houses the Children's Museum.