Things that Run Through My Head

Tulips, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Fasnacht, Bratty Boys, Slow Government Agencies, Orchids, Runaway Dogs, New Neighbors, Incomplete German Phrases, to name a few, are the things that run through my head these days.  Let me start at the beginning of the list.

Tulips and Orchids: I bought some beautiful pink tulips with white edges around the petals.  Easter is coming soon and so the stores are filled to the brim with flowers, easter bunnies and chocolate.  As if we haven't already indulged in enough chocolate as it is!  Kim wanted in on the flower extravaganza too, so i bought her a little baby orchid.  The flowers here are beautiful and I couldn't resist the pull of having something so cheerful on my dining room table especially after the recent world events. 

Earthquakes and Tsunamis:  my heart aches for the people in Japan.  It aches even more when I know that the events are what the earth needs to "reboot".  My prayer is that the people in the world find something deeper within themselves that allows for a sense of peace and understanding. 

Fasnacht:  this is the Swiss version of Mardi Gras albeit a VERY watered down version!  We went to a parade with the kids and friends.  The basic idea is that each group dresses up according to some theme.  There was everything from vampires to Elvis and Marilyn Monroe.  It was fun for the kids as they got a bunch of candy out of the deal.

Bratty Boys: I had to intervene at school for Kim on Friday.  She had been complaining about some boys in her first grade class teasing her.  By Friday she reported that they were kicking and punching her.  I still don't know what the boys' problem was but the teacher and principle intervened and the boys apologized to Kim.  When I asked her if the boys seemed genuine she said in a very serious tone, "Oh yes!". I thought that was pretty cute!  So hopefully the crisis has been cleared and school will become and fun place for her. Both kids seem to like their teachers, although Ross isn't really excited about having a male teacher. HAHA!

Slow Government Agencies:  so Duke and both of the kids have their residence permits and I am STILL waiting for mine.  The issue with this is that I can't leav ethe country until I receive it.  I REALLY hope it didn't get lost in the mail due to our move.  The last thing I want to have to do is go and track it down with the government and language barriers.  ( I shouldn't complain too loudly.  Everyone here seems to speak English.  It would be just my luck that the person I need to talk wouldn't speak English at all!)

Runaway Dogs and New Neighbors: yesterday the doorbell rang in the late afternoon.  It was our neighbor from right next to us.  She had come by to introduce herself.   I invited her in and we had a nice glass of wine together.  (She is from Norway and her husband is from El Salvador.)  In the chaos of her kids and my kids going in and out, Rustle got out again.  I didn't know it until the doorbell rang again and it was a young man with Rustle in a leash!  He said that Rustle had gotten into their house! I thanked him for bringing him back and apologized profusely for Rustle's bad behavior.  Five minutes later, the doorbell rang again.  It was the lady from the house that Rustle had infiltrated!  She was very nice and just wanted to know if Rustle had been "fixed" as their dog had just had puppies.  They really wanted to keep her from getting pregnant again so that they could get her spade!

Incomplete German Phrases:  of course during all of this, I was cursing my lack of vocabulary in German.  (luckily, she spoke English as well.)  My next project is to get into a German class!  All I have for German right now are incomplete sentences that are SO incomplete that they are merely incomplete phrases! Argh!

There isn't much else to report, or maybe there is and I just can't think of it all right now.  Settling into a new country has it's challenges, one of them being the inability to keep track of time and events. So much seems to happen, yet it feels like nothing is happening.  The linear time line seems to be getting more fuzzy each day.  Maybe it's just because I'm getting older. Haha!