A Word on Multicultural Construction Outside My Flat

This is what's going on outside my flat.....I mean RIGHT outside my window...everyday.



I don't even know what this does...



I don't even know what this guy is supposed to be doing, but we see a lot of this behavior all day long.


Must be break-time....again

So these guys are buiding three new tunnels and tracks to the Zurich Main Station right below us. The project is going to take three years. At the rate they seem to be moving at, I'll bet money it's going to longer...much longer.

The greatest part of all this...besides the amount of noise streaming through our windows mon-fri 7am-5pm...they're all different nationalities.

The workers fly their Portuguese, Spanish, German, Swiss and Italian flags with pride on all their machinery. My question is: how are they communicating with one another to get this job done? The one thing they all know how to do in the same language is make noise...noise that you still hear in you ears after they have stopped for the day ....I suppose that's a universal language.



Said supposed "tunnel"



Do you have a flag????? No flag, No crane.

Austria, Mt. Pfander, and Speedos

So yesterday (Sat.) we strapped on the kids and met up with Rick's friend from work, Timo to skip over to Austria for a bit. Our Destination? Mt. Pfander where at the top lies a wildlife preserve along with the best views of mountains that I've seen yet here in Europe.

The only way up these mountains is by ariel car. I have no idea how the people who live half way up the mountains get back and forth, as I have yet to see roads leading the magnificent homes there.

Waiting for us at the top of Pfander was the set of The Sound of Music. I've never seen so many hills and mountains in one place. Of course, the wildlife had its share of goats...the most wild animal you'll see around these parts. Cate had fun at the children's park on the peak of the mountian and actually fell asleep on the train ride home from being out in that pure mountain air all day.

So take a look:

Today we're off to the pool park where pictures are prohibted because of the freakish amount of nakedness and men in speedos. Sorry, there will be no pictures for the curious.

Some thoughts on the freakish amount of child bullies in Zurich

Firstly, I'm sure that there are only a few bad apples in the bunch, and all those apples live in my neck of the woods.

What is up with the kids around here? I've had visitors describe them as "children of the corn-like". I, myself, have experienced a more aggressive side of the children in my swiss neighborhood. I've been holding it in, doubting myself...thinking that maybe I'm just a big softy when it comes to the feelings of my own kids. But after today, I've come to the conclusion that I was right all along. There IS something wrong with these kids and worse yet, their parents. Some examples:

My three year old has been repeatedly beat upside the head at her playgroup where parents are suppossed to be supervising their kids. Instead the parents look on at the mele with a glazed, almost mother's little helper-stare and say nothing to their own children about keeping their hands to themselves. One smack I can take...two or three even...I mean three year olds will be three year olds...but more than that, with the assailant's parent watching? I thought there was something wrong with me for wanting to do something until another mother stepped in and called the parent on the negligence of her own child....the rescuing mother was from Great Britain, mind you...not Switzerland.

Other transgressions include time spent at the park. Last week a little girl poured dirt over my daughter's head not once, not twice, but three times....while myself, my cousin, and my three year old screamed NO...Stop...And this little minion of satan's father just stared on with no emotion on his face at all...no alarm that dirt had gotten in my poor baby's eyes, all down the back of her shirt. We all were physically pushing this little monster away but she just kept coming back with more dirt...her tongue sticking out of her mouth like a troll. I've asked other expat friends, and apparently she's famous around town for this sort of behavior.

Today was the icing on the cake. My daughter approaches two youngsters about her age at the park and instead of getting a welcome to play, she gets stoned. The monsters pick up fists full of stones and throw them over and over even as she runs away. Of course, mother is sitting on the bench taking it all in. I pick up my screaming girl and we leave the park. It must have dawned on zombie mom at that point that her kids were up to no good because I could hear her German scolding as we exited the park area.

I'm not going to tell my daughter to start hitting back or to begin throwing stones. But what do I tell her?

Well, I usually just tell her that these kids around here are the spawn of satan and that she's the best little girl I know..that not to worry because there lies a special hellish parallel dimension waiting for all them and she'll never have to be bothered by them again. Then I tuck her in bed nice and tight and kiss her precious little cheek. As she is sleeping soundly, I'm working deep into the night on voodoo dolls of every little bully I come across here in Zurich and their Stepford Moms.

Ban the Double Stroller

The double stroller...the bane of my existence. The hummer of prams....if you will.

The Swiss look at my monstrosity of infant transportation with absolute disgust...sometimes I get an occassional surprised look as if they've never seen anything like it...and they probably haven't.

Why? How? In this world of bigger, better, and more, has Europe missed the boat on the Double Stroller? I'll tell you why: Their kids, once able to walk, are expected to walk, not lounge like a prince or princess while mommy pushes 50 plus pounds in an uphill country.

Around these parts, the infants get the luxury of a ride, and older siblings walk next to the stroller, do not sit in it.

I realize the reasons behind the look of disgust I'm getting are many-fold. Part of it is that my stroller surely announces me loudly as American. I can't even get by as a Canadian when we're out with it. Another part, is that I realize my older child appears lazy as her Swiss three year old peers zoom around on their scooters, ride their trikes, or simply just hold mommy's hand as they use the two legs they were born with.

Could the double stroller be a factor in childhood obesity? Is it the first easy chair recliner of our child's life? Is all that is missing when we strap them in a portable dvd player and a remote?

As I finish this post, I hear the words of my long deceased grandmother. Whenever I asked to be carried or said I was too tired to walk, she would simply say: "Didn't God give you legs?"

"Yes." Sheepishly, knowing what was coming next.

"Then use them."

A little note on travelling with kids and the Alps

So, throughout this whole experience so far...being in Rome, Florence, Germany, even simple everyday places here in Switzerland, I've neglected to mention the impact of travelling with small children...pretty much one of the main points of this blog.

Travelling to Italy with a six month old was much easier than travelling with the three year old. A baby is portable and goes with the flow. A three year old is very routine driven, still, and any gliches in that daily routine can cause the mother of all meltdowns....at the Collosium....the Trevi Fountain...the Domo...you name it...and we had a tantrum probably at every historical pit stop along the way in Italy. And the icing on the cake was being vomited on when our plane landed back here in Zurich.

Standing on a street corner in Rome some American sorority nut walked by and commented in her valley girl voice as she looked on at us in disgust : "who brings a baby to Rome?" Besides wanting to subtly stick my foot out and watch her tumble into the Forum, I wanted to correct her. It should have been "who brings a three year old to Rome?"

Besides all this, I realize you can't stay home until your kids are 18 and then don't want to go anywhere with their parents anyway. I don't NOT reccommend travelling abroad with small children, I just recommend making sure you're prepared...if that includes special toys to keep them busy, extra snacks in case they don't like the local cuisine, and having all your crazy pills packed and accounted for to keep yourself from having your own tantrum while standing in line to climb the Domo. And topping a tough day abroad off with a couple glasses of the house wine, helps make the evening go much smoother.

All that being said, we did some great hiking here yesterday in the swiss wilderness and got some spectacular views of the Alps because the weather was amazing. Even the three year old had some fun here and there.
Hiking with our friends, the King Family

Note to Self:

Never abruptly stop taking Klonopin again. Those were some nasty hallucinations....

Luzern

Two weeks ago the fam took one hell of a trip to Rigi mountain...6000ft up. It started in Luzern by steamboat. Then we ended up on what looked like a hundred year old rail car vertically up the mountian. We were in the clouds. Other than that, it was a spectacular view down into the forest and the town of Luzern. Once we reached the top of Rigi, there was a bit more hiking to do, but not much to see, seeing as the fog was extremely heavy. We're lucky we didn't lose anyone. And if this double stroller we have makes it the rest of the time we're here in Europe, I'm having it bronzed when we get back home.

After lunch and a few "drinks" (which we needed for the next leg of our trip) we all hopped on an ariel car that took us pretty much vertically down the mountain. I'm so proud of Cate. She had a front row seat and wasn't the least bit afraid. She's a pretty brave three year old seeing as some adults could barely look.

So take a look:














So...Just a few words on some of all this:

Please everyone take note of he live baby in stroller above and sleeping aunt Ally on the bench who is suppossed to be providing the adult supervision. The hiking must have been too much on her. I sure do hope the wheels are locked on that stroller.

As far as I'm concerned, the picture of the adult having a beer with a baby slung over her shoulder is too fuzzy to be incriminating.

Skinny Jeans and some recent sights

Ok...

I've been remiss in keeping up with life here in Switzerland and the sights we've taken in. I'll be brief. I have two kids who are screaming at the top of their lungs as usual....

About a month ago we went to this fantastic place known as the Rhine Falls. It's Switzerland's answer to Niagra Falls and is right around the corner from Germany. Rick's co-worker, Timo was kind enough to show us around and then take us to his nearby home of Schauffhausen...which was eaqually impressive. Take a look:














Alright...

I don't care how good I look in Skinny Jeans, I'm not going back to that place where green neon frilly socks are right around the corner. Sorry, Ally.

Also, Allyson has left us for the Jerz. Take a look at some photos of us being sad about it as well as her meeting a nice egyptian fellow on her last night in Zurich. What luck!

Flat Irons, Blowdryers, Wet Towels, and no Sex

I'll call this one a companion to the post before it...poor Rick.

Walking home in the rain from dinner last night at Mama Mia's...a real hotspot here in Oerlikon...we stop and get Rick his favorite dessert: vanilla ice cream with some caramel....the caramel is a very important element to the story.

I can't remember exactly what brought upon his almost epileptic outburst but very suddenly I was witnessing a man becoming overwhelmed by so many women issues that the caramel was dribbling from his chin as we stood there in the rain.

Terms such as "sorority house" were being thrown at me. As well as "Everytime I go into the bathroom the toilet paper is gone, and all the towels are soaked!!!! What do you girls do in there??? I'm tripping over shoes, flat irons, and blowdryers all over the place!!!!"

Please keep in mind that we are standing in the rain with melting ice cream. And then he hits me with this....of course

"....and I'm not even getting any sex!!!" By this point, I still haven't gotten a word in yet. I sheepishly open my mouth to make up some kind of excuse for my lack of physical affection but I'm cut off. He's on a roll and there is no stopping him.

"....and I give up!!!" His declares to me ...throwing his arms out to the side and a stream of caramel flying over his shoulder.

"...I'm not trying to get any, anymore! I'm done. That's it! "

To which I say " Ok. Can we still be friends?"

House Full of Women, Poor Rick

My poor husband has so gracefully put up with a flat full of relatives...all females for almost two months, that I just have to mention it and give him some serious kudos. And we all know what happens when women spend a lot of time together...certain uh, anatomical things start to sync up....poor, poor, poor, Rick.

...not to mention that our three year old is a girl, as well. That's an entire issue in and of itself.

I have seen looks of both desperation, frustration, and confusion on his face daily and our super supply of Motrin is mysteriously disappering at an alarming rate....and this is the state of things when we're all getting along. I can't even imagine what must be going on inside his brain when we throw a cat fight in there.

He tries his best to keep a low profile, but when there are four females under one roof and one man, someone is getting picked on, and it's not us girls.

Keep On Keepin' On

Probably the thing I am impressed most about by this country, is the elderly. They are just as active as their twenty/thirtysomething counterparts. Compared to these counterparts in the U.S. they are way more active.

The are everywhere, for one...they're hiking, they're climbing through caves and down steep steps carved out of stone at the Rhein Falls. (where I fell down after my first five minutes on the scene.)

These guys just strap on their little canes to right underneath their elbows and there is no stopping them. They run for the buses, the trams, the trains. They will hipcheck you out of the way if you are taking too long to get onto one of these forms of transportation. It is refreshing to have a constant reminder everyday, that life never stops....not even when some of your body parts do. You just have to drag them along with you and keep on keepin'on.

I think back to some of the people I know back home just in their early sixties and how they have let every infirmary they have keep them down...on the couch, in the bed, depressed and worried about what might happen if they DIDN'T listen to their Dr. and actually got up and out of the bubble they have put themselves in. They seem so much older than the old ones here. It's even in their faces: "that's it...I've hit 60..where's the nearest casino?"

My mother's mom was vain enough to the point where when she had to start using a cane, she just gave up her activities. My dad's mom was vain to the point of refusing to where a hearing aide once she lost all of her hearing. Imagine having a grandmother completely capable of interacting with you...just choosing not to...just giving up.

The Swiss would never do that, I suspect. I suppose their may be a few exceptions here. I've only been around a few months. But the majority of the people I see running around here like mad are not my age..they're much older and they accomplish it any possible way they can.