Why I Hate Apartments

4:45 AM.
The upstairs neighbor's alram starts going off. It isn't that loud, but in my old age I get woken up pretty easy. I know that it will go off for 5 minutes or so, then they will hit snooze and then it will go off again in 10 minutes. I struggle to stay asleep and ignore the alarm but I know it is pointless.
4:55 AM.
First cup of coffe in hand and writing a Blog post.

Building a Bow

Xavier's wooden bow broke some months back. He's decided to build a new one (with Todd's help) using the tools he received from Santa this year. Not a great photo below, but one showing Xavier's first steps of shaping the wood after gluing several pieces together to make the frame.

Fussball in the Yard

(Xavier's the one in the black coat)
Xavier playing soccer this week a couple of the neighbors. The weather has been spring-like:)

Truffles by Izzi

Last Saturday, we were invited to our friends home for dinner. Isabella made truffles earlier in the day, and brought them to share. Dominique, French Swiss and an excellent baker, loved Isabella's truffles and even asked for the recipe. They were a hit with all!

Most Embarrassing Moment to Date

Saturday was a warm, sunny day in Bern. After doing a few things, we all wandered down to the Saturday open market so that the kids could have some tacos from the "taco guy" (as we lovingly refer to him).

Izzi and Xavier sat on the edge of one of Bern's many fountains, with Todd and I standing near. I reached into my backpack to retrieve Izzi's water bottle, and decided that I should move my house key to a safer pocket. I grab the key and it slips out of my hands. Little did I know, I was standing on top of a grate-covered street drain. Down my key went.

This may seem like a small tragedy, but Todd warned me on my arrival, "The Swiss are mad about their keys. Do not lose your key!". The key for our flat is a sort of master key, opening our mailbox, the main door, our cellar door and our storage room door. So, if someone loses a key, all the locks in our building need to be refitted and we pay the bill.

So, I ask a nice Swiss man next to us if he has any idea if there is street worker around, or if he knows where I could report the "dropping down the drain of my key". I end up walking to the nearby Police building and talking with the receptionist. She calls a car nearby and two police officers show after about 20 minutes and walk back to the fountain with me. They are unable to remove the grate on the drain. They make a couple of phone calls and 30-40 minutes later 3 firefighters arrive with a crowbar, a pick-ax and a magnet on a rope. After about 10minutes they retrieve my key. This all takes place in the very busy central market in Bern with many Swiss watching and stopping by to enquire why such a force of public servants is standing around a fountain in Barenplatz. (Helping a foreigner of all things!!)

I thanked the crew and quickly disappeared. A friend here shared a story after hearing my tale. A colleague of her husband lost a key for the hospital they work at. All the locks were replaced and the doctor had to cover the bill...40,0000chf.

I am supposed to be getting a bill from the Fire Department for their service. I'm nervous to see what the amount will be, but with the timing of billing in CH, it might be six months or so before it arrives.

Sloth-Like Day

After a busy week, the kids were content to stay at home and play today. The sun joined us again...another day in the mid-50's. A couple Swiss neighbors wished me a happy spring. It can't be?!

Izzi's Day on the Slopes

Isabella got her day on the slopes with her dad during Sport Week.

Xavier Sporting It in Meiringen

Xavier continues his journey to master the board. Todd and he spent day 3 of Sport Week on the slopes.

Basel Zoo

Xavier and I spent the 2nd day of sport week at the Basel zoo with our MN friends. (Isabella received a last minute invitation to join a friend and her family in Lucerne for a few days, so wasn't with us.)

I believe that Xavier and I were most shocked by the size of the rhinoceros, this being the first time either of us has seen a live one. It made me very much want to visit our friends in Kenya and see wildlife in its natural setting.

The rhino also put on quite a show, urinating profusely, making us all laugh. It went on so long, we finally had to leave mid-show. I still wonder how many minutes the full urination lasted:)

Thanks to Alison for sharing her photos.

Picnic with a Cat

We've had some warm winter days this year (like today in the 54 degrees and SUNNY!). On one of these, the kids and I decided to take a picnic to one of our favorite spots, the forest. We picked up a friend along our walk, a cat that belongs to Izzi's friend Jannah.

Xavier Turns 7

On December 31, we celebrated that morning that Xavier speedily came into our home (literally our home!).

Xavier had requested a party with his whole class, as many children do here, but honestly, Todd and I still don’t feel comfortable hosting 15 German-speaking children at this point, and probably never will:(

So, instead, Xavier woke to balloons hanging from his bedroom ceiling and a couple of homemade birthday signs throughout the house. He enjoyed a pancake breakfast in bed, opened his presents, and then joined his sister and dad at the indoor water park in Bern. They had a blast, and returned home in time for dinner and ice cream cake.

Snow...Board and Ski

Our first real ski trip in the Alps. We all had lessons: Todd and Xavier snowboard and Isabella and I ski. It was beautiful and fun.

A Merry Christmas

Morning walk in the forest with snowball fight, a giant snowman, candles on the tree, more gifts then were expected, sledding with friends and many thoughts of loved ones at home.

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

Many of our Christmas gatherings this year involved cookies. We hosted some expat friends for lunch and the kids (plus a couple of the adults) rolled and decorated cookies. I attended a cookie exchange with five other women, so made 60 cookies plus for that event. And then, we joined forces with our friend, Dominic, and her two girls to make and decorate over 300 more cookies. We gave some of the cookies to neighbors and teachers, but ended up with plenty to spare.

Snow in November

It is unusual to get much snow in Ittigen, and when a couple inches does fall, in usually melts within a couple of days. But this year, in late November, we got 4 or 5 inches of snow and it stayed for a couple of weeks. The temps were as low as 5 degrees or so, which is quite cold for here. We lost the snow a week or so before Christmas, but then happily it snowed on Christmas eve. Swiss friends told us that it is rare for them to have a white Christmas in Ittigen/Bern.

Holiday Basar: November 20-21

Similar to our Waldorf school in Minneapolis, our school here holds a holiday basar to raise funds for the school. It is a two-day affair, where you can purchase everything from wreaths, mistletoe, candles, clothing, old records, books, stamps, cheese, fresh pasta, bread, other farm goods, and a multitude of other things. There are a number of performances in the theatre over the course of the two days including classical ensembles, comedy, drama, circus, vocal and others. And of course, there are several options for food such as roasted chestnuts (very popular here), crepes, deep-fried apple rings, pizza, cotton candy, baked goods and two meal options at the cafeteria.

Every adult member of the school community is expected to donate at least 7 hours of their time to the basar. And each class, starting in the 3rd grade, creates something to sell. Isabella's class sold the cheese that they made last spring, bringing in well over 1,000 francs. I spent several days making advent wreaths with other members in the community, and both Todd and I worked several shifts at the crepe/apple-ring stand.

Anyone Out There?

After such total neglect of this blog, I'd be surprised if anyone is still checking it. But still, I plan to do a recap of the last few months. I won't follow Todd's lead and make a resolution I can't keep, but I hope to post more often than I have been:)