Some Things I've Noticed...

There is a Starbucks in the next city, and the hot chocolate with whip cream is still my favorite drink. However, when I am sitting at a table for four by myself, reading, it is very likely that three other people I don't know will sit down at the same table.

Everyone rides the trains here, including famous people, so I always keep an eye out for Rodger Federer.

Swiss people eat an average of 12 kg or about 25lbs of chocolate a year, but I am going to average way more than that this year. :)

Everyone's yards are immaculate, and they actually do the yardwork themselves.


Funny things people have said to me....

Frani: "Carolyn you left your radio walking." At first I didn't understand until I realized that if it had been going a little faster, I would have left it running. :)

Rachel: She is a native Swiss-German speaker, and we were having a deep conversation about marriage. She couldn't remember the word she needed to use in English, so she asked me, "Having one husband is monotony, right?"

Mauro: He was talking about ice hockey and said, "Are you any good at walking on ice?" I told I was not great at ice-skating, but that walking on water wasn't even a problem for me...

The key to the Puzzle...

There is something so great about sharing new life with old friends. Who I am spans across time, oceans, and borders, and the person I am is even more apparent when I am without the friends and family who have shaped my life. However, when the two different locations are connected by a common denominator, my life seems to be completed like a puzzle. There is no way to explain experiences, describe settings, or give details about my life here, which makes it extrememly difficult to share life with you despite my best intentions. The only hope is for a few pieces of my life here to make connections with you at home.

Last weekend one piece of the puzzle was connected when a good friend of mine, Drew, came down from Germany to visit. We did everything that I typically do on the weekend and during the weekdays; Drew got to experience my life, while reminding me about how life used to be. Although my life is far from complete, one piece has been put in to connect the old to the new.

(If any more pieces want to come help finish the puzzle, I have the perfect place for you.)

Skipping Stones and Broken Bones

Ben and I went for a long hike the other day in the Rigi, which is a mountain that supposedly looks out over all of Switzerland and some of Germany. (Although I can't vouge for that because all I could see was fog.) Despite the cloudy weather, the hike was "Shun" or beautiful. We took the cable car to the top, like all good Swiss people do, then hiked down. On the way down we found caves that we could explore, an old goat transporter, and a 200m waterfall. We also stopped for awhile near the river, and I partook in one of my favorite activities, skipping stones. (I think I could stand at the river for hours doing that, but maybe I am just a nerd.) Then, as we finished our hike, I was walking up the make-shift stairs as Ben told me his Grandfather used to do the same hike, but there were never bridges or stairs over the river canyon. It used to just be two ladders on each side, so everyone had to climb down, walk across the river (or Fjord it of course), and climb back up the other side. I just thanked God for the invention of bridges as I looked at how far it was to the bottom of the canyon.



P.S. We finally won a soccer game, and you are never going to believe this: I scored, but I did not do it with my forehead. (I scored a P.K.) Now, I know exactly what you are thinking, "Why in the heck is Nason taking P.K.'s?" That is what I was thinking as I walked up to the line when the coach called my name, but then I just thought to myself, "Just shoot it like Shannon Lovejoy does, and you will be fine." Gosh, it felt good to win, and now I know why winning tastes so much sweeter when you have been pushed down a few times.

Die Kinder

Well, I am falling in love, and all it took was a couple of weeks. The first few weeks were extremely difficult because I did not know what my role as a nanny should look like...should I try to play the role of a parent, should I be a friend, should I be the cool-fun one that everyone loves all the time? I finally decided on the older sister role; I have always wanted younger siblings (especially brothers), and I figured this is the best way to lead the kids while still having fun with them.

The three kids here took awhile to warm up to me, and for awhile I thought they never would. There were several days when I struggled to see my purpose here, and I questioned God's reasons for bringing me to a place where I had no chance of making a difference. He quickly reminded me my only purpose for being here is to love these children because they need it desperately. Just as quickly I have begun to see the kind of love that God must have for me.

Frani only talks to me when she wants something...yet I still have a heart for her, and I am constantly pursuing her. (I imagine this is what God must feel like when I pray to him only when I want something.)

Ben has an extremely unpredictable behavior, and is usually angry for no reason...yet even when he is cussing at me, I love him and think he is great. This is the kind of love God has for all of us because we are constantly cursing him when he only wants to show us love.

Josh is somewhat fickle...for example: this morning we were walking to the school house, and he gave me a big hug before he went to class. Then, the moment he got home he told me we weren't friends anymore. Clearly this is an example of my fickle relationship with Christ.

I am just amazed that through all of this I absolutely love these kids; they make me laugh, they teach me German, we just hang out together, and we are starting to become like family. (I just hope I really am like the cool-fun older sister in their eyes, and maybe they will be able to see God in me.)

The other day someone at church told me that if you want to hear God laugh, tell him the plans you have for your life. I think God is probably getting a kick out of my life right now because I never would have imagined I would be spending so much time with kids; I am a full-time nanny, I coach a little girls soccer team (that plays in the boys league), I am a youth group leader at the church I go to in Zurich, ha, and I am even taking German classes with a group of mothers, so there are kids at the classes every week. I don't know what God is up to, but I am enjoying hanging out with kids so much...they are great!

The Hike

Last saturday I had the greatest idea...I was going to hike to the top of Mount Pilatus, which overlooks Lake Lucern. The website I was getting directions from said the hike to the top was only about two hours, but that most people took the gondola to the top. Being the competitive person I was I scoffed at the gondola as I walked past, and I started my hike to the top.

An hour and a half in, I was only about a third of the way up the mountain, and I thought, "Gosh, I must be really out of shape." Finally, I walked by a group of four Swiss people who asked me if I was going to the top. I answered of course, wondering why anyone would ask such a silly question...Who wouldn't be going to the top? Then, I asked how much long it would take, and the kind Swiss man said it usually takes about five hours. I laughed at myself for thinking I could climb to the top in just two hours, and was a little discouraged since I had to be at a bbq at 6:00pm. Since I had already passed the gondola, I was worried that I would not make it to the top. Luckily for me, the gondola had several places where I could board on the mountain.

Once I finally made it to the top, the view of the Alps was breath-taking. I had to keep looking down because I was so overwhelmed by the beauty. I was looking out, and I realized that yes I can hike this mountain...it may take a long time, and I will probably get there a different way than I planned. However, there is unimaginable beauty at the top.

I hope to do the same hike in the Spring, but actually start earlier so I can hike the entire mountain.

What does it mean to be a servant?

Learning the meaning of being a servant is not easy. There are tasks to be done everyday that are a part of a servant's job. Cleaning, cooking, and care-taking are just a few of what servanthood is composed of...then, there are the other tasks that are asked of you daily. The tasks are not noble. In fact, the only reason you are being asked to do anything is because no one else will. You are serving others; taking care of their needs and wants, ignoring your own. A servant takes all of the tasks and tries to do them joyfully, and also tries to complete the tasks beyond the expectations of the one asking. The hardest part is that there is more than one asking.

Looking at my life now, I wonder if I am really serving others. Let alone my life before now; I am not yet humble enough to truly be a servant to others. The hardest question to ask one's self is...Are you God's servant unless you know what it means to be a servant?

If God has given me daily tasks and asks me to do other tasks as well, even if those tasks are not noble, would I complete them joyfully and humbly? Would I even complete the tasks at all? Until I can answer these questions with confidence, I will try to learn what it means to be a servant.

Feierabend!

Pronounced (fire-a-bin). It means freedom from work. Rich, says it everyday when I am finished with the kids. He says, "Feierabend. You may go."

To Rich, freedom is being away from his kids. For him, feierabend translates to isolation, and he creates this for himself every night when he goes to his apartment after the kids are asleep.

Whenever I hear him say this I think of the night we went to Feierabend in Seattle, and we shared Das Boot. For me, freedom is not living in isolation, but living in community. It is sharing life and joy with those around you; it is sitting around a table, laughing, and passing a two-liter boot for everyone to drink from. (Okay, I would never do that with the kids.) However, I find freedom in sharing life with them.

Now that my home is in Rupperswil, I am away from the greatest friends on earth. I am trying to build a community here, but children can be fickle when you do not allow them to have candy all the time. I have to continually remind myself that I was in a similar place of trying to build a community when I went to Seattle, but how God blessed me there! Feierabend, I will find you again.

My new home in Switzerland is the greatest mix I could think of between Colorado and Seattle. There are mountains just about half an hour away, woods practically in my backyard, raspberries actually in my backyard, and the greenest rolling hills I have ever seen. I live in a third-story room, and I have a cute bathroom downstairs all to myself. It is beautiful here, and the people are absolutely wonderful. They are all so kind, and my favorite part about this culture is that every time they are somewhere they know people they individually shake hands with each person. (The extrovert in me loves it!)

However, I have a lot of other things I am still getting used to. I wake the kids up every morning, and I get them ready for school. Then, I do all the cleaning around the house, and make lunch for the kids when they come home. Finally, I help the kids with their homework, make dinner, and if I am lucky I have a few hours to myself before I go to sleep. I never thought I'd be a housewife, but here I am doing exactly that. I am really trying to be positive about my situation, and serve with a joyful heart. I love everything I am doing, but the kids are a lot to handle. Their parents have not really taught them much about patience, listening to authority, loving each other, or taking no for an answer. For example the other day, the youngest got mad at me because I wouldn't do his homework for him. I didn't really understand why he was mad about that, but then his mother came home and did the entire worksheet for him. I couldn't believe it because I believe it is necessary for the children to learn how to do things themselves. I know it will be a lot of work for me, but I want to help these children learn how to be kind, patient, loving, smart, and thoughtful.

Things are already starting to get better as I am learning how to have a relationship with each child, and I am getting to know them better. I look forward to a time when I know them well, and they know me well.

Last night was my first soccer practice, and I was pleasantly surprised by the team. Although the level of soccer is not as high as SPU or Princess Danny :), I am thankful to just be able to play soccer. I am already planning to go with a few girls on the team to Arau, a nearby town, tonight. Then, one of them has already offered to drive me to our first game on Sunday. Things with soccer are much different in Switzerland. The teams here actually use their locker rooms to shower after each practice, but since I did not know that I went home on the train in my soccer stuff. I got a few funny looks, and I am sure people thought I was incredibly dirty.

Sunday is our first game, and I am very excited to play...the coach is playing me at forward! Wahoo...

SPU is small...

But it makes the world seem not as big.

I was standing in London Heathrow Airport trying to figure out where my gate was, and I look over to see Jacob Burningham from school standing ten feet away. I did a double take just to make sure I would not walk up to some random person and call him Jacob. It was great to see a familiar face, and I got to talk with him about his summer studying in London. I was so glad to be reminded that this really is a small world.

I arrived safely in Zurich, and the soccer coaches met me at the airport. They were very friendly, and we packed the three of us and my two suitcases and skis into their tiny car. Then, we went to my new home, which is a cute yellow house. I have a dog named Pauly, and I will meet the kids today.

Adventure...here I come

Sometimes when adventure is staring you in the face, and it is difficult to accept the challenge. I am leaving to go to Switzerland for an entire year, and I do not really know what to expect. Although I am hesitant about what is in store for me this year, I know that I will have two familiar things in my life; God and soccer. (Which is actually pretty great since those are two of my greatest passions.)

During the next year, my hope is that I would take advantage of this opportunity. It is also a hope of mine to allow myself to be used to serve others, especially the family and kids I will be nannying. I am looking forward to traveling to new places, meeting interesting people, hanging out with kids and being one myself for several hours a day, and playing soccer. I am so excited to encounter the Swiss Alps, and even more excited for the other mountains I will climb during my time in Rupperswil, Switzerland.