Not too much news to report, but I thought I'd give a quick little update on life here this past week... So I started my new French class last Wednesday, and I am quite excited about it. I changed classes 3 times, so I am glad to be able to now settle in and get to know the other people in the class and my new teacher. It is a preparation course for a proficiency test that I will take next summer, so it is fairly difficult and I have plenty of homework (just as I was getting used to not having any!). But it is great. There are only 5 other girls/women in the class, so we already know each other pretty well. I also went to a new basketball "practice" on Monday that was great. I say "practice" because there is no coach and it is just a group of people who get together to play once a week. But it was great. It was a little easier on my body than the more intense practices I went to before with the other team. I will try yet another practice next week and then figure out which team I will be playing with for the remainder of the year. It is rather convenient that most of the basketball words (like "shoot", "defense", "lay up", etc...) are the same in French! That makes it a whole lot easier.
So the weather has finally turned cold! I have to say that I was glad to wake up on Saturday morning and find that it was pouring. Kind of odd, I know.... But I enjoy being able to wear jackets and scarves and not have to worry about getting hot and sweaty all the time. It is really windy and cold in the mornings, and warms up just a bit in the afternoon. Perfect! It is especially good for biking and going to the park with the boys. And I just finished knitting my first beret the other day, so I will be sporting that quite often to keep my head nice and warm. It was a wee bit difficult and is rather large for my head, but I am happy to be done with it just the same.
This afternoon, I went with my friend Halley to a magnificent little chocolate factory nearby. I took the train and met up with her, and then we drove through the Swiss countryside and saw lots and lots of cows wearing bells and eating grass. What a typical Swiss experience... She surprised me with the destination (and I just LOVE surprises) and then we wound up in this cute little village that is the home to one of the most amazing chocolate producers ever! It is called Camille Bloch, and is just superb. They sell chocolate at the factory for significantly reduced prices, so that was an added bonus. So needless to say, I am well equipped with chocolate... for the time being.
This weekend marks the beginning of some serious travel. I purchased a Eurail pass for the next couple months, so I am kicking things off with a trip up to Bremen, Germany to visit my friend and fellow au pair. I am real excited about that! I will take a night train up on Friday and then come home Sunday afternoon. I have several other weekend excursions planned with some other au pair girls here, and then a week of vacation in October. So much to see!
Well, I must be getting some rest. I have a full day of work tomorrow and a big weekend of travel ahead of me!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
The Last Several Weeks
Wow! I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted a new update! It has been quite a wonderful month, so there is plenty to say...
So last time I posted was after getting home from Zermatt where I had a fabulous vacation. Since then, I have settled into the working routine and life here in Neuchatel. Things are great here! My time with the boys is really fun and keeps me plenty active. We go to one of a hundred playgrounds or to the lake when it's nice outside (which is has been everyday for the past several weeks). When it's rainy, we can go to the cute little children's library or to one of several indoor playgrounds. So there is plenty to do here in town. We do lots of reading and playing with playdough. I have definitely learned the French names for literally ALL animals, because we play with plastic ones all the time!
My French is improving, but it's still rather tiring. I started a class a couple of weeks ago that had only au pairs in it, but it wasn't a very good fit for me. So I will start my new French class next week. Hopefully that will help things progress even more quickly. But I find it easier to get by at the store/library/bank all the time, so that's an encouragement!
Over the past couple weeks, I have been talking a lot with other au pairs around the area. I have met 2 really great Christian girls nearby and getting together with them is so wonderful. I finally have coffee and travel buddies! I met up with one (Halley) in the town of Bienne, and we spent the day roaming around by the lake and around the music festival. We also went to a BBQ and had a fun movie night. I met up with the other girl (Heidi) in Bern and had a great time chatting and walking around the beautiful downtown. There are some really gorgeous old towns nearby!
I am beginning to work on travel plans for the next year, so that is quite exciting. My list of places to visit gets longer and longer every single day. But it's so neat to meet people from all over Europe and hear about all the different cultures. I have talked with girls from Finland, Sweden, Greece, Italy, Germany and Slovakia so far, so I have had some really interesting conversations!
Aside from visiting other Swiss villages and meeting new people, I have also started playing basketball with a team here in Neuchatel. The first practice was a bit of a shock to my body. I didn't realize that nearly 6 months had passed since I played, so it was a little harder than I thought it would be! But the girls on the team are extremely nice and welcoming, and helpful when I don't understand the drills. My body can only handle about 2 or 3 practices a week, so that keeps me occupied on several weeknights. I also have a fantastic English speaking small group every other week that I always look forward to. I am contemplating participating in the church's choir that practices every week and will give performances in the Spring. But we'll see about that.... Though my weeknights and weekends seem to stay plenty busy, I am still able to spend plenty of time reading and relaxing. I started knitting my first baby cardigan and am working on making lots and lots of hats for the winter. So that's another great hobby that I seem to have plenty of time for!
Well, life here in Neuchatel is pretty great! I am enjoying the food, the scenery, the family and having plenty of time to explore and relax by myself. I will try to post pictures of all my recent activity, but the blog was acting up last time, so we'll see if it works...
So last time I posted was after getting home from Zermatt where I had a fabulous vacation. Since then, I have settled into the working routine and life here in Neuchatel. Things are great here! My time with the boys is really fun and keeps me plenty active. We go to one of a hundred playgrounds or to the lake when it's nice outside (which is has been everyday for the past several weeks). When it's rainy, we can go to the cute little children's library or to one of several indoor playgrounds. So there is plenty to do here in town. We do lots of reading and playing with playdough. I have definitely learned the French names for literally ALL animals, because we play with plastic ones all the time!
My French is improving, but it's still rather tiring. I started a class a couple of weeks ago that had only au pairs in it, but it wasn't a very good fit for me. So I will start my new French class next week. Hopefully that will help things progress even more quickly. But I find it easier to get by at the store/library/bank all the time, so that's an encouragement!
Over the past couple weeks, I have been talking a lot with other au pairs around the area. I have met 2 really great Christian girls nearby and getting together with them is so wonderful. I finally have coffee and travel buddies! I met up with one (Halley) in the town of Bienne, and we spent the day roaming around by the lake and around the music festival. We also went to a BBQ and had a fun movie night. I met up with the other girl (Heidi) in Bern and had a great time chatting and walking around the beautiful downtown. There are some really gorgeous old towns nearby!
I am beginning to work on travel plans for the next year, so that is quite exciting. My list of places to visit gets longer and longer every single day. But it's so neat to meet people from all over Europe and hear about all the different cultures. I have talked with girls from Finland, Sweden, Greece, Italy, Germany and Slovakia so far, so I have had some really interesting conversations!
Aside from visiting other Swiss villages and meeting new people, I have also started playing basketball with a team here in Neuchatel. The first practice was a bit of a shock to my body. I didn't realize that nearly 6 months had passed since I played, so it was a little harder than I thought it would be! But the girls on the team are extremely nice and welcoming, and helpful when I don't understand the drills. My body can only handle about 2 or 3 practices a week, so that keeps me occupied on several weeknights. I also have a fantastic English speaking small group every other week that I always look forward to. I am contemplating participating in the church's choir that practices every week and will give performances in the Spring. But we'll see about that.... Though my weeknights and weekends seem to stay plenty busy, I am still able to spend plenty of time reading and relaxing. I started knitting my first baby cardigan and am working on making lots and lots of hats for the winter. So that's another great hobby that I seem to have plenty of time for!
Well, life here in Neuchatel is pretty great! I am enjoying the food, the scenery, the family and having plenty of time to explore and relax by myself. I will try to post pictures of all my recent activity, but the blog was acting up last time, so we'll see if it works...
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