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.)