In Lieu of 10,000 Words

The absolute best chocolate bar on earth.

Another morning, another view.

Peculiar berries that the birds apparently eat in winter. Soft like a mushroom, red like a rose.

The sun fighting against the fog and the mountains.

And there it is.

Fondue for one, breaking all the rules. No caquelon, no fourchettes and rosé wine. What a disgrace!

Here comes the sun.

Nothing but Alps as far as the eye can see.

Alpine sunrise over the lake.

Beautiful walk home through the little forest.

Thanks

It's odd to think that Thanksgiving is happening all over the United States and yet here I am in Switzerland on a nothing Thursday doing nothing in particular. I should go to bed, but somehow I can't quite get tired knowing the holiday, nine hours behind me, is in full swing. My colleague, also American, and definitely the best friend I have in Switzerland and one of the best friends I have had of all time, bought me a Thanksgiving present. It's this really fantastic smelling mild liquid handsoap. I am sure thankful for her. She is a constant link to home, knows about things non-Americans don't know about and just gets it in a way that only someway from your same home can. She is from Seattle, born in Portland, so she's not only American but a Northwesterner, too. If she weren't here, Switzerland wouldn't be nearly so great. I know that long after this experience is over, she and I will still be friends because even though we haven't been friends long, she's one of those special ones that clicks straight away and you know it fits. It may seem silly, but I'm also thankful for Switzerland. I'm enjoying life here, it feels right and it makes me more thankful for home than any Thanksgiving ever has. Here's to the expat life!

The Green God (Part Deux)

Nothing like mentioning Starbucks to get lots of feedback on the blog. It's funny, too, because while I was writing the post, I was going to write "Now, I normally never go to Starbucks, but I have never been so happy to see a Starbucks in my life," but instead I wrote, "I have never in my life felt such joy at seeing a Starbucks" because upon reflecting a bit, I realized it's not true that I never go to Starbucks. I guess you could say I rarely go to Starbucks.

The Green God is definitely not my first choice in coffee. If I'm in Spokane, I'd rather go to Bittersweet, Rockwood Bakery or Thomas Hammer, and yet I'd pick Starbucks over the Rocket anyday. Sorry Rocket fans. In Portland I'd rather drink Stumptown Coffee. When in Seattle, my first choice would be Café Fiore, then Lighthouse, then Diva, and then just about any of the millions of incredible coffee roasters in Seattle. But sometimes in Seattle those places are really far away, so a quick pop into one of the millions of Starbucks is a natural thing to do. Especially one that has those yummy breakfast sandwiches. Mmmm.

In the Northwest, there is a different attitude and relationship toward coffee than in the rest of the United States. Last Spring I was in New York and Pennsylvania for my brother's graduation and didn't have a decent cup of a coffee for a full 6 days. On day 4, I saw Starbucks in Manhattan and you better believe I was happy then. The only problem there was that they seemed to have altered the Starbucks Americano to suit the taste of East Coasters. It tasted like watered down coffee to me and my sister Amy, a fellow coffee connoisseur. But, hey, it was better than diner coffee which I'm convinced was Sanka or some equally disgraceful powdered disaster.

I'm not saying that Starbucks is the only good coffee outside of the Northwest. The basic truth is, that when you live in a place long enough, you know the good coffee and where to go and you don't really need Starbucks anymore. But here in Switzerland, the whole notion of Starbucks is so comforting, so like home and so familiar, I can't help but love it. I am a Northwesterner afterall. I like my 16 ounces of coffee in a paper cup, and I like walking around with it even more. The closest thing I can get to that in Neuchâtel is nasty Migros "à l'emporter" coffee in a whimpy 12 ounce cup that's only half full, too hot and they're really stingy with the cream and sugar. So, while at home in the States I am more or less neutral on the topic Starbucks, here in Switzerland I am devotedly PRO-Starbucks.

The Green God

It hailed to us like a shining, familiar green beacon of hope after being kicked out of not one, but two local establishments for wanting simply to enjoy a warm drink in lieu of a full meal.

My impressions of Switzerland are becoming increasingly negative despite the fact that I'm feeling more and more at home here. On a trip to Bern yesterday, my friend and I received what I have come to expect as a Swiss reception in any sort of customer service situation. We were yelled at in a language we didn't understand (Swiss German in this case) and then expected to be content anyway by the waitstaff. This no longer surprises me, but it still makes me angry and when the offender speaks French, I tell them off effortlessly - somehow I have no trouble finding the words when I'm angry. When they don't speak French or English, I tell them off in gests, which is what language is all about anyway. By the time we were yelled at a second time yesterday, we had been searching the streets of Bern for a cute cafe or tea house that wasn't either overcrowded, overly smokey or staffed by yellers for over an hour. My sprits really began to drop and I was ready to go get on the next train back to Neuchâtel.

Then Carolyn saw it. The Starbucks sign. I have never in my life felt such joy at seeing a Starbucks. I stumbled around that corner to find a little piece of home in a mean, foreign city. It was all familiar, the decor, the refrigerated case full of muffins and donuts, the overstuffed chairs, round dark wood tables and most of all the protocol. I know what to do in Starbucks, there's no way in hell anyone's yelling at me there. The curvy Starbucks signs had favorite seasonal drinks like Peppermint Mocha accompanied by ridiculous Swiss prices, such as 7.80 chf for a tall Latte! Once we got through the long line, the cheerful barista in his green Starbucks apron greeted us in the most cheerful, not at all resembling a yell, Swiss German and then spoke English when he realized we were not Swiss. YAY! I paid 4.80 chf for a Grande Coffee, sat in a window seat sipping it and kept the insulating sleeve as a souvenir. It was the most enjoyable Starbucks experience I could have asked for. In fact, it completely redeemed my opinion of Bern.

But it's not Bern that I like; it's knowing that for 30 chf and an afternoon I can spend an hour and half on a train and take a mini trip home.

Settling

Today was an incredible day. It may have been the contrast to yesterday which I might describe as the worst day ever, but whatever the reason, I had a good day today. School has been stressing me out as working as a Montessori is always a matter of being one step ahead, calm and "looking for the child who is not there" as Montessori herself put it. When the kids are bouncing off the walls, screaming and destroying the materials, it's really hard to remember this. I'm trying to make it a kind of mantra. Keeping her books close to me and reading them often is a source of great inspiration and reassurance. Almost everytime I open one of her books it's as if she's writing to me personally, describing exactly what I should do to change the direction of something in my classroom or deal with a difficult situation with the children. Today I decided to be the change I want to see at school and it's working already. Ghandi and Montessori would have gotten along well.

This evening I made several major purchases. I passed the point a long time ago when I could pack up everything of mine and leave on a plane the way I came. Crossing over into the territory of really settling in here was something I've resisted. I didn't even move my suitcases down into my storage space after arriving for several weeks, and that was after finally unpacking them completely. Now, I have a brand new, shiny, snazzy Philips hairdryer and top of the line Sonicare Elite toothbrush, both with Swiss plugs. I'm settling in on a deeper level, mentally and physically. The decision to start changing my behavior as the teacher to effect change at school gives me a sense of ownership that I've been lacking and my feelings toward Neuchâtel are more and more feelings of comfort, a place I can call home. This is a good shift because all I've been able to think about lately is my trip home for Christmas. The States will always be home and I will no doubt settle down in Spokane one day. But in the meantime, it's important to be connected to where I am living, enjoy it fully and be present in each day. I am glad to be putting the effort into doing that. Of course I'm still counting, though. Five weeks until I go home for Christmas. Five weeks of living in and making the most of Switzerland.

Global Gimcrackery

So, it's not just here on the European continent. Christmas is getting an early start everywhere. A German friend who lives in the US just chimed in that Christmas displays have taken over the stores and display windows. It appears that the movement is pioneered by none other than Macy's (see picture) who decided to bypass Halloween this year and get straight on to Christmas. This suprises me, as according to Wikipedia, Halloween is the 6th most profitable holiday for retailers in the US. I made a quick trip to nordstrom.com to see if they had started up with all the nonsense yet. What did I find? A greeting that nordstrom.com is under construction. What could this mean? Possibly that nordstrom.com is being made over in Christmasy colors and lights? It would disappoint me to see this happen as Nordstrom has always made a magical transformation the day after Thanksgiving to ring in the Christmas Season. I am not a wild fan of the commercial Christmas trumpery and the frenzy of the season can get a bit excessive, but I have always enjoyed Nordstrom's decorations. They are always tasteful, stylish and very pop. The Santa at Nordstrom always has a real beard and convincing spectacles. I hope they're not breaking their tradition and getting out the Christmas stuff early.

While we're on the topic of holidays in America and abroad, I'd like to take this time to clear the record. Everyone here in Switzerland believes Halloween to be an American holiday. It is not. It is an ancient Celtic holiday that has been celebrated for thousands of years in Ireland and Scotland. Halloween has become part of the American melting pot of culture due to Irish immigrants in the 19th century -- learn this and more about Halloween here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween. The talk page is also quite interesting.

I myself can't wait to get home and do some shopping in the States over Christmas break. I have been scrimping and saving in hopes of having a bit pot of cash to spend while I'm home. And I intend to spend, in full American style, like a drunken sailor, comsuming to my little heart's content.

Sick

Today was a sick day for me. I slept. Pretty much all day long. That's good because I was up last night with a fever. Pretty much all night long. Drrh. The day was spent drinking effervescent vitamins and wasting time on MySpace between naps. Whoever invented Paracetamol deserves a thank you. Sick days are a drag. The whole day goes by and nothing is accomplished. Well, except that I don't think I'll still be sick tomorrow. Nevermind, that is something accomplished. And I did manage to do one load of laundry. I would add a picture to this post, but I look horrible. I should go wash my sheets and pajamas and take a shower to avoid reinfecting myself. There's nothing better than climbing into clean, yummy smelling, just washed in Persil sheets all clean and scrubbed with nails clipped and hair combed. Mmm, that sounds so nice, I think it's about time to get ready for bed. Afterall, I'm pretty tired.