Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Movers just got here
Not sure where everything is going to go..... I will take some video after I unpack the boxes. This should get interesting:)
Deep Thoughts
These are the things on my mind today:
1. How am I going to watch Gossip Girl? Apparently all the US Television stations block all non US IP addresses from downloading any TV programs - not cool- not cool AT ALL.
2. Thank God all the meat has pictures of animals on the label or I wouldn't be able to cook anything. I don't like non distinguishable meat and it seems like most of it in the grocery store is already marinated so I can't tell what the meat "below" all that coating is.
3. I'm not sure how Nathan and I are going to survive living in 650 sq. feet together. I wonder which one of us will make it out alive?:)
4. I think it's funny that no one on my day to day journeys (trying to buy groceries, etc) speaks English but all they play is American music. I must have heard Beyonce 5 times yesterday.
5. Speaking of music - I am going to be really hip with my knowledge of music and music videos when I get back. The only channel that has English is MTV - and that is only during the music videos:) Even the "Wonder Pets" are in German:) Of course, I would read books but also none of them are in English. I guess I should have thought about that before I came and stocked up on them.:) My preparation for this "trip" was poor at best!
That's it for now - I guess I'm not very deep today:)
love ya, Mandy
1. How am I going to watch Gossip Girl? Apparently all the US Television stations block all non US IP addresses from downloading any TV programs - not cool- not cool AT ALL.
2. Thank God all the meat has pictures of animals on the label or I wouldn't be able to cook anything. I don't like non distinguishable meat and it seems like most of it in the grocery store is already marinated so I can't tell what the meat "below" all that coating is.
3. I'm not sure how Nathan and I are going to survive living in 650 sq. feet together. I wonder which one of us will make it out alive?:)
4. I think it's funny that no one on my day to day journeys (trying to buy groceries, etc) speaks English but all they play is American music. I must have heard Beyonce 5 times yesterday.
5. Speaking of music - I am going to be really hip with my knowledge of music and music videos when I get back. The only channel that has English is MTV - and that is only during the music videos:) Even the "Wonder Pets" are in German:) Of course, I would read books but also none of them are in English. I guess I should have thought about that before I came and stocked up on them.:) My preparation for this "trip" was poor at best!
That's it for now - I guess I'm not very deep today:)
love ya, Mandy
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Apparently the dishwasher needs SALT and other details
Hey Everybody! We are here! I was online for a very short bit yesterday but our power died quickly! The long and short of it is - Nathan bought an adapter in the Atlanta airport and then somehow managed to lose it on the plane so when we got here we had no way to power our American electronics - I really don't know how he survives without me:)! Anyway, I went to the store today and got the adapters and power cord so we are BACK IN BUSINESS! It's a good thing too b/c I was getting very lonely without my computer since the TV only speaks to me in German:)! I have a lot to tell you guys from the last two days, but I am going to try to make my posts short from now on- but as you all know I'm long winded so we shall see)
I'll start at our arrival! We got in around 7:30 am and Nathan went to work after we dropped all 200 lbs of our luggage (yes that's on top of our 700 lbs we shipped over) at the apartment. I got online to say I arrived and almost 30 minutes later I lost all power and ways to connect to the world so I decided to venture out! We are living in Oerlikon which is in Zone 10 in Zurich (I'm still not quite sure what that means) but it is a pretty industrial part of Zurich (meaning not a lot of green - more NYC then NC) but that is okay b/c I always wanted to live in the city! I turned right out of the apartment and ended up at the scariest looking "grocery store" I have ever seen. I almost started crying but I held it together enough to ask the clerk if there was anywhere else to buy groceries. I'm pretty sure I offended him b/c he said "This is a grocery store" but I think he saw the tears welling up and decided to tell me about the "Migros" about 1/4 mile down the street. This was more like it! It was a "real" grocery store. The only weird things were:
1. The eggs are kept in the middle of the floor - not in the refridgerated area. However, I decided to buy some since every else seemed to be doing it. (Which reminded me of the "if your friends jumped off a bridge" thing but whatever)
2. The meat was a little suspect. I get freaked out about not buying Boar's Head so you know this was an issue. I had no idea what the "good" kind was so I stayed clear for the time being - and besides I don't like all the proscuitto and other hams - yuck. Hopefully I will start to enjoy them as I become Switzerlandized - hopefully...
3. This isn't weird but I didn't think about it. It was hard to buy anything in a box that needed to be made up b/c the directions were all in German. Of course most of the boxes were translated into 5 different languages but none of them were English - WTF to that I say! I guess I will be sticking to fresh veggies - I guess that will be good for my figure:). The only words/labels that I recognized were - Uncle Ben's, Old Elpaso, and Weight Watchers - ha!
I walked for miles and explored a lot of Oerlikon - I found several nice parks, more grocery stores, a gym, and the train station. Nathan got home around 6 pm and we walked to the ABB headquarters. All in all - nice first day in Zurich!
DAY TWO
The dishwasher doesn't work and it smells REALLY bad so we emailed the apartment company and they sent someone over. The two women assessed the situation and "fixed" it within minutes - then they tried to speak to me in German (which I can't understand of course) so they had to call someone else in to speak with me. Apparently the dishwasher needs SALT - who knew? Also, she told me the standing water was due to us opening the door too soon and we had to wait an entire hour after we heard it stop. Okay. Either way - no bad smell anymore - but I have been to two grocery stores and haven't found the dishwasher salt yet so I am hand washing everything till further notice - good times! Which for those of you who know me might think isn't that big a deal, but I cooked dinner for the second night in a row which is more than the last 6 months in Raleigh! Nathan is super excited about his "new" wife! Both dinners were even edible - if it weren't for all the smoke coming out of the oven both nights I would say I was a natural!
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS TODAY:
1. We went to the Registrars office today to register that we are now living in Oerlikon. You have to register in your Kries (kind of like a zipcode).
2. I took a train and a bus to Volkiland:) Volkiland is a "mall" that Katrina told me about (Katrina lived in Zurich for 8 years with her husband who also works for ABB). I used the train schedule, paid for my tickets, and got on the right bus all by myself! I was hoping to find power converters and other electronic stuff there. I did - at a place called Intercept. It is kind of like Circuit City I guess. But MUCH MUCH MUCH smaller (more like the size of a gas station convenience store). Not a lot to choose from so decisions are made easily!
3. Nathan and I bought a "half pass" which allows us to ride on public transportation at half price. I'm still not exactly sure how the trains/trams/busses all work but that is a job for tonight. Again everything is in German and 5 other languages besides English but the person working there told me I could read about it all online in English!
Here's my question - if everyone can speak English - then why not have stuff written in English as one of the choices? I'll tell you why. Because these people DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH!:) Of course I don't speak any German, French, or Italian - but Nathan told me "everyone" speaks English. Well maybe at ABB - but certaintly not at the grocery store, shoe store, electronics store, or train station:) I'm going to have to get on the German classes sooner than later!
Well - this post is getting long so I will continue later!
TTFN,
mandy
I'll start at our arrival! We got in around 7:30 am and Nathan went to work after we dropped all 200 lbs of our luggage (yes that's on top of our 700 lbs we shipped over) at the apartment. I got online to say I arrived and almost 30 minutes later I lost all power and ways to connect to the world so I decided to venture out! We are living in Oerlikon which is in Zone 10 in Zurich (I'm still not quite sure what that means) but it is a pretty industrial part of Zurich (meaning not a lot of green - more NYC then NC) but that is okay b/c I always wanted to live in the city! I turned right out of the apartment and ended up at the scariest looking "grocery store" I have ever seen. I almost started crying but I held it together enough to ask the clerk if there was anywhere else to buy groceries. I'm pretty sure I offended him b/c he said "This is a grocery store" but I think he saw the tears welling up and decided to tell me about the "Migros" about 1/4 mile down the street. This was more like it! It was a "real" grocery store. The only weird things were:
1. The eggs are kept in the middle of the floor - not in the refridgerated area. However, I decided to buy some since every else seemed to be doing it. (Which reminded me of the "if your friends jumped off a bridge" thing but whatever)
2. The meat was a little suspect. I get freaked out about not buying Boar's Head so you know this was an issue. I had no idea what the "good" kind was so I stayed clear for the time being - and besides I don't like all the proscuitto and other hams - yuck. Hopefully I will start to enjoy them as I become Switzerlandized - hopefully...
3. This isn't weird but I didn't think about it. It was hard to buy anything in a box that needed to be made up b/c the directions were all in German. Of course most of the boxes were translated into 5 different languages but none of them were English - WTF to that I say! I guess I will be sticking to fresh veggies - I guess that will be good for my figure:). The only words/labels that I recognized were - Uncle Ben's, Old Elpaso, and Weight Watchers - ha!
I walked for miles and explored a lot of Oerlikon - I found several nice parks, more grocery stores, a gym, and the train station. Nathan got home around 6 pm and we walked to the ABB headquarters. All in all - nice first day in Zurich!
DAY TWO
The dishwasher doesn't work and it smells REALLY bad so we emailed the apartment company and they sent someone over. The two women assessed the situation and "fixed" it within minutes - then they tried to speak to me in German (which I can't understand of course) so they had to call someone else in to speak with me. Apparently the dishwasher needs SALT - who knew? Also, she told me the standing water was due to us opening the door too soon and we had to wait an entire hour after we heard it stop. Okay. Either way - no bad smell anymore - but I have been to two grocery stores and haven't found the dishwasher salt yet so I am hand washing everything till further notice - good times! Which for those of you who know me might think isn't that big a deal, but I cooked dinner for the second night in a row which is more than the last 6 months in Raleigh! Nathan is super excited about his "new" wife! Both dinners were even edible - if it weren't for all the smoke coming out of the oven both nights I would say I was a natural!
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS TODAY:
1. We went to the Registrars office today to register that we are now living in Oerlikon. You have to register in your Kries (kind of like a zipcode).
2. I took a train and a bus to Volkiland:) Volkiland is a "mall" that Katrina told me about (Katrina lived in Zurich for 8 years with her husband who also works for ABB). I used the train schedule, paid for my tickets, and got on the right bus all by myself! I was hoping to find power converters and other electronic stuff there. I did - at a place called Intercept. It is kind of like Circuit City I guess. But MUCH MUCH MUCH smaller (more like the size of a gas station convenience store). Not a lot to choose from so decisions are made easily!
3. Nathan and I bought a "half pass" which allows us to ride on public transportation at half price. I'm still not exactly sure how the trains/trams/busses all work but that is a job for tonight. Again everything is in German and 5 other languages besides English but the person working there told me I could read about it all online in English!
Here's my question - if everyone can speak English - then why not have stuff written in English as one of the choices? I'll tell you why. Because these people DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH!:) Of course I don't speak any German, French, or Italian - but Nathan told me "everyone" speaks English. Well maybe at ABB - but certaintly not at the grocery store, shoe store, electronics store, or train station:) I'm going to have to get on the German classes sooner than later!
Well - this post is getting long so I will continue later!
TTFN,
mandy
Saturday, May 2, 2009
1 more day
Surprisingly we are finished packing and cleaning. I can't believe it. Nathan and I are both sitting on the couch catching up on email (and I'm blogging)! I really thought it was going to come down to the wire, but I think being finished 24 hours in advance isn't too shabby!
Today should hopefully be relaxing. I am headed to Swagger around 1 to meet both of our new employees and to work one last time. We actually have a fundriaser tonight for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation from 6 -9 pm so it is a good thing everything is done b/c I am out of time! The plan is to head over to my parents around 7 AM tomorrow morning to drop off Nathan's car, have breakfast, and then drive to the airport.
I was asking Nathan this morning about what time we were getting into Zurich and what the plan was when we got there. He looked at me as if I had two heads - he informed me that he was headed to the office and I could "settle in". I know he makes this trip all the time, but COME ON - this time it is a little different. It isn't just a trip. This time we are MOVING to a country I haven't been to in 10 years and my husband can't take a vacation day? REALLY? Oh well. I'll let you guys know how that goes - I can be very persausive:)
See you on the flip side. Hopefully we will have internet access in our apartment ASAP (we are supposed to) so I can tell you all about the trip. But until then - I will write in the journal Jo Jo gave me and then transfer it here!
love you all,
Mandy
Today should hopefully be relaxing. I am headed to Swagger around 1 to meet both of our new employees and to work one last time. We actually have a fundriaser tonight for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation from 6 -9 pm so it is a good thing everything is done b/c I am out of time! The plan is to head over to my parents around 7 AM tomorrow morning to drop off Nathan's car, have breakfast, and then drive to the airport.
I was asking Nathan this morning about what time we were getting into Zurich and what the plan was when we got there. He looked at me as if I had two heads - he informed me that he was headed to the office and I could "settle in". I know he makes this trip all the time, but COME ON - this time it is a little different. It isn't just a trip. This time we are MOVING to a country I haven't been to in 10 years and my husband can't take a vacation day? REALLY? Oh well. I'll let you guys know how that goes - I can be very persausive:)
See you on the flip side. Hopefully we will have internet access in our apartment ASAP (we are supposed to) so I can tell you all about the trip. But until then - I will write in the journal Jo Jo gave me and then transfer it here!
love you all,
Mandy
Thursday, April 30, 2009
PAAARTAAAAY
We have the best friends. Thank you Walkers, Chamberlins, Whitneys, and Galeckes:) for throwing us a Bon Voyage shindig. We had so much fun seeing everyone ONE last time before we leave. I love Humble Pie and the weather was beautiful! The Swiss Flag made of cupcakes was priceless! THANK YOU!
Mandy and Nate
Mandy and Nate
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Yes – I AM going on a Girl’s Trip
What? Do you think it is a bad idea that I am leaving for a 6 day Girl’s Trip 1 week before I move to another country? Fortunately/Unfotunately the trip was planned 8 months ago. Fortunately b/c I get to see all of my girls before I move to Switzerland. Unfortunately b/c I only have 11 days left before we move and 6 of those days will be spent in Ft. Lauderdale drunk! I was a little stressed yesterday with all the stuff that needs to get done before I leave. The short list is:
1. Hire New Employee for Swagger
2. Order all new items for May
3. Teach Heather everything there is to know about Swagger
4. Plan all the details for the LLS fundraiser on May 2 (the day before we leave!)
Written down this doesn’t really seem that big of a deal – but all my wonderful customers keep coming into the store to talk to me so I haven’t really gotten that much done at work! So actually the girls trip is a nice break – once I landed in FL I had an overwhelming since of calm. I could actually hear myself think! It has been wonderful being “away from it all” today- I have gotten some work done that I have been putting off and am ready to unwind with my friends! See you all when I get back to Raleigh!
1. Hire New Employee for Swagger
2. Order all new items for May
3. Teach Heather everything there is to know about Swagger
4. Plan all the details for the LLS fundraiser on May 2 (the day before we leave!)
Written down this doesn’t really seem that big of a deal – but all my wonderful customers keep coming into the store to talk to me so I haven’t really gotten that much done at work! So actually the girls trip is a nice break – once I landed in FL I had an overwhelming since of calm. I could actually hear myself think! It has been wonderful being “away from it all” today- I have gotten some work done that I have been putting off and am ready to unwind with my friends! See you all when I get back to Raleigh!
Monday, April 20, 2009
500 POUNDS
NO– not my current weight from eating from all the stress of moving over seas – the weight of how much we can ship over to Switzerland! To which I said – WHAT? I thought we could take 2 cubic meters (1 cubic meter each) and I thought we had done a pretty good job of narrowing down to those parameters. BUT I found out about the weight THIS morning as the movers were arriving! I knew this would be a problem – I mean – HELLO – my bag when I traveled to Australia for 3 weeks was 52 lbs AND I had a carry on! How can I only take 250 lbs for 1 YEAR!!! NOT. HAPPENING.
Of course I was right – the movers came to me before they even got to our closet and told me we had already reached our limit. I think Nathan made some bad choicesJ However, in his defense, he only knew about the 2 cubic meters not the 500lbs – his choices were small but heavyJ! Either way, I talked to the movers and they estimated an additional 200 lbs of clothes so I called the relocation company and they estimated an additional cost of $1500 – which Nathan had already okayed up to $2000 so we got to bring our clothes- YIPPEE!:)
Of course I was right – the movers came to me before they even got to our closet and told me we had already reached our limit. I think Nathan made some bad choicesJ However, in his defense, he only knew about the 2 cubic meters not the 500lbs – his choices were small but heavyJ! Either way, I talked to the movers and they estimated an additional 200 lbs of clothes so I called the relocation company and they estimated an additional cost of $1500 – which Nathan had already okayed up to $2000 so we got to bring our clothes- YIPPEE!:)
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