America Meets Switzerland

Hello all! Since I last wrote, I’ve been exploring, working, and getting to know all that is around me. Two weekends ago, I went to Rapperswil, a lovely historic town by Lake Zurich, with the family I’m au pairing for. In German, the word “lake” is actually “see,” so here Lake Zurich is called Zurichsee. Zurichsee is absolutely gorgeous, with crystal clear water and swans swimming everywhere. That combined with the Alps in the background create perfection. We spent the entire afternoon enjoying the lake and sunny weather. Unfortunately, sunny, warm weather has been rare since I’ve been here, so when there’s a nice day I try to make the most of it and soak up as much sun as possible!

Hannah and I overlooking Zurich.

This past weekend, I had the chance to explore the city more and meet some new people. I’ve made connections with other au pairs in the area and have made friends from all over, such as Canada, Denmark, England, and Estonia. This is such a fun international community, and the girls are so sweet. It is wonderful to know some people my age now; it truly makes all the difference in the world. Hopefully, I’ll get to travel around with some of them!

One of my close friends from home, Hannah, passed through Zurich enroute to Tanzania, and I got to spend 2 days with her. The Bodmers were extremely kind and let Hannah stay with them and gave me the two afternoons and evenings off. I found such a wonderful family to work for and feel at home with them. Hannah brought the sunshine and some awesome weather. We took in the sights and sat by Zurichsee, the lake, much of the first day. I feel that the entire city was doing the same thing due to the brilliant change in weather! The second day, Hannah and I climbed to the top of Grossmunster, the biggest cathedral in Zurich. At the top, there is the most stunning view of the city that truly takes your breath away. The cathedral was built during the 1100s and feeling the presence of history always causes a sense of awe. Having Hannah in town was like having a piece of home with me in Europe. Slowly, though, Switzerland is beginning to feel like an extension of home, or rather a new home in itself.

View from Grossmunster.

Gruezi!

I officially arrived in Switzerland on Wednesday. The journey to my new home was a bit hectic, but I was pleased to get there in one piece. After I boarded my plane from DFW to Miami, the flight crew announced that there was a hydraulic leak and that we would have to change planes. This process was quite lengthy, and I realized I would miss my connecting flight in Miami if I didn’t figure something out, so the airline helped me come up with a plan B. I ended up making a last minute flight to Chicago so I could catch the flight to Dusseldorf, Germany, and then I could finally be on my way to Zurich. In all this, my baggage got lost because it was on the late flight to Miami. Luckily I had extra clothes in my backpack, so it ended up just fine.

                When I arrived at the airport in Zurich, I had to have a lengthy chat with the lost baggage desk. I had no way of contacting the family I’m au pairing for, the Bodmers, so I was a bit nervous we would miss each other since I was late meeting them. However, after a couple of misunderstandings, we found each other and made our way to Zumikon, a suburb of Zurich and my home for the next 14 months.

                The area around me is amazingly beautiful!! It’s truly like a fairytale, with wild flowers everywhere and quaint, Snow Whitesque houses. The family I’m with surpassed my expectations. The boys, Alec and Robin, are very sweet and warm. They try quite hard to communicate in English with me and do very well, and they are teaching me some Swiss German! Mrs. Bodmer has been showing me the ropes and introducing me to the area. I’m already beginning to feel like I’m part of the family. I have not had much of a chance to explore yet or meet other people, but I am eager to. I am beyond excited to see what develops in the near future and settle in even more in my new Swiss home.