THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD

Our first weekend in Switzerland, we decided to take a crack at figuring out the train system.  We walked to the local train station, (along our vineyard-lined walking trail paralleling Lake Zurich) and figured out how to buy tickets (a small victory amidst our jet-lagged, chaotic first days)!   We sat on the top of the double decker train and enjoyed the scenic ride into downtown Zurich.  After a day of walking through the city (packed with people, with a great urban vibe), hitting the Apple Store, grabbing lunch, and bumming around the city more, we came back home.  While tucking the boys in at night, I asked them what their favorite part of the day was.  Their answer:  swinging on the swings…the ones that are in our backyard.  It never fails that they always enjoy the simple little ordinary pleasures in life. Swinging in the back yard over hanging out in the city, and riding on the train, and seeing the views, and eating Swiss sausages for lunch!  I asked them what their least favorite part of the day was.  Their answer:  walking through the "smokey city", and having to go shopping at the Apple store.  Kids crack me up!  This European adventure will definitely be experienced with two totally different perspectives:  parents vs. kids.  I wish they could blog their thoughts and feelings, I have a hunch it would be much more humorous to read!

A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES BEGINS WITH ONE STEP

OK, if you take one step forward and two steps back, how many miles does that journey become?  I have full confidence that this time will be some of the most treasured in our lives, but without getting too down and dirty, this transition has been extremely challenging.  There is no way to communicate the daily struggles that come with figuring out a new way of life in a new language with little people who have many many needs of their own!  Life with kids is SO CONVENIENT in America.  LIfe is SO NOT in Europe, but we will acclimate!  It will just take time to get used to planning for: lots of stairs, heavy metal doors, swiss german, coats, boots, hats, mittens, swiss german, limited business hours, noise restrictions, swiss-german, new classrooms/teachers and schedules, the time change, and for the moment life without any friends, oh, and did I mention swiss-german?  The following experience is just a glimpse at one example of what is currently making my days harder.  On the way home from the daily trip to the grocery store, (while lugging Levi in the car seat carrier, a couple of heavy bags of groceries, straining to holding Isaac's hand, and attempting to read signs in German), we are walking up our second flight of stairs when I hear, "Mom, I have to go potty".  Now envision the awkward turn around with all gear/kids/cargo in the stairwell, to go back down, through heavy metal doors, undressing Isaac with one arm and assisting him with "the mission", while holding Levi in the other, and then, getting Isaac put back together (with the one handed-button-someone-else's pants trick), wash hands (again with the one-arm lift to the sink assist), go back through heavy metal doors and back up the stairs to continue on the journey…  Once in the parking lot with the kids and groceries loaded, I realize I have to pay for parking.  But, the ticket validator only takes coins-of which I have none-so I break out of the garage by driving out the in door.  Add in a blow out diaper from Levi within the next 10 minutes and some non-stop commentary by the "very articulate and never at a loss for words"  Luke Courts, and you get the picture.  All of this just gets us out of the grocery store.  Repeat the carseat/heavy metal doors/and stairs with the grocery and kid lugging to get out of our parking garage at home and into our apartment.  Looks like these steps are going to be baby steps…start your pedometers!  

PLEASE HOLD ON, THIS TRAIN IS DEPARTING

As we prepared to leave Atlanta, we were filled with enthusiasm for what is to come, and felt like if we could just get ourselves pulled together, packed up, and survive the flight we would be alright.  The task of getting out of town seemed stressful, but how shortsighted were we?  Doing all of the packing on the English side of things was the easy part!  Arriving to an empty apartment (with the exception of a few very basic pieces of rental furniture), totally jet-lagging with three little boys in tow is when the fun really started.  The flight was easy-peasy, the challenge started at touchdown in Switzerland.  We dumped our luggage off-all 18 pieces-at our new home, gave the boys a quick run-through tour, and headed straight to the registration office…for what has become one mother of a wild goose chase.  It turns out getting registered is quite a lengthy and complicated process that will take weeks, although Switzerland requires that it be done in 8 days. (more about this registration nightmare in a later post)  We then have to hit the grocery store (a Swiss adventure in it's own right), figure out how to work our kitchen appliances (the oven is programmed to Russian), drive our way across town (with I'm guessing a 30% understanding of traffic signs) to find IKEA and start our multi-step furniture buying, transporting, assembling routine.  Pant, pant, pant.  What a lot to figure out and coordinate...and all in German while trying to stay awake!  At each of the aforementioned checkpoints we were carrying no fewer than two totally zonked-out kids.
After a couple weeks of being here, we continue to ascend higher on the learning curve everyday, each of us finding a way to tackle our unique personal challenge. (Levi: sleeping by himself and through the night, Isaac: figuring out why none of the kids in the neighborhood listen to him, Luke: following along in his local German speaking classroom, Chris and Jodi: too many to list within these parenthesis).  

Please stay tuned, and I will do my best to journal our experiences.  This blog, as this transition, is definitely a work in progress.