Helping out

Some time ago I volunteered to spend a couple of hours a week for needy people in my 'hood. I had an interview with the organization, which I think is good, even though a 15 min session isn't enough to know I have no alterior motive (which of course I don't). Nevertheless, a first impression is not to be sniffed at. And the limit is set to two hours a week, something to do with insurance I think.

Today I had a first meeting with an elderly woman. I cannot say that she was especially needy, but I guess everybody can use a bit of company now and then. And she was great. Despite the quite large age difference we spoke about everything and nothing. We were sitting at her balcony, enjoying the sunshine, sipping at Prosecco and just enjoying chitchatting. Charming!

And she had a black cat. Always a plus in my book.

What is wrong with people these days?

Always a pleasure having people over for dinner who appreciate human contact.

Unexpected meeting

I had an extremely nice day yesterday. First I had an old friend over in the afternoon, and we had no shortage of things to talk about over homemade brownies and Irish coffee. No better way to spend a cold afternoon.

In the evening I had made an appointment for a guy to look at my guest room. Flatmate is leaving, he's found his own abode, and I am currently looking for a new person.

The day before yesterday a woman was here, but I got some funny vibes, so not sure about her. The guy yesterday on the other hand, omg. It was like we've known each other a long time, and we talked, talked, talked about everything and nothing. He ended up staying for six hours, we had dinner and kept on talking. The only catch is that he yesterday got a new job offer away from Zürich, otherwise he could've practically moved in directly. So let's see how it goes, if he decides to leave beautiful Zürich.

Funny that, how you with some people get along so well so quickly, and others not.

Democracy at its finest

Tonight was a great evening. I had invited a couple, quite a bit older than me, for dinner. At the same time I had talked to another friend about meeting up, and as it turned out, he could only make it today. So I decided to let them meet each other.

On one hand we had the older conservative been-together-forever couple, dressed up nicely and always behaving, on the other hand the motorbike guy clad in leather with tattooes and an attitude.

And it was a hit! At least for the guys who discussed politics, religion and who-knows-what. We, the women, were shakin' our heads and tried to butt in but to no avail. I think it's great that different generations, backgrounds and cultures can still have a nice evening together.

They kept on talking, talking, talking and when I served the dessert the mc guy was drinking out of the bowl to get the last bit of juice, to be followed by the older and more conservative guy doing just the same. This is what I like to see when I throw a dinner or party. Unruly behaviour and not being predictable.

A fab evening!

No jinx

Was visiting some friends this evening, and was proudly telling them that I'm almost Swiss. At which time one of them presented a Swiss ID. WTF!?! Here have I been telling them all about my struggles and the preposterous process I've been going through, and I haven't heard beep from them.

I tell you, some people. The reason was "we didn't wanna jinx it".

And I know, they have been here three years longer than me, but not enough years in Zürich. What I didn't know was that Zürich changed the rules from six to three years some time ago. I'm not one to read the fine print. Still twelve years in Switzerland though.

But I can still win, they started their process in February 2014 and got their ID's in October this year. One year and eight months. I started mine in September 2014 and am almost there. But considering ze Swiss admin, who can be sure?

At least we can celebrate together. If and when I get mine.

On the countryside

I was at a party last Saturday. It started with us going on horse carriages, two of them drawn by six horses, the biggest 728 kg and about 1.80 cm tall. Big, impressive, well-trained horses. And a joy to join the ride so to speak. It did help with us having wolly blankets and glühwein served.

It felt almost mystical, being in front of the wagon listening to the click-clack-click-clack from the horses hooves, driving through a misty village from dusk to total darkness. Cool. I don't think most people understood how difficult it is to be a driver under those circumstances.

Then we had a fab dinner with tablegrill, a buffet with all sorts of food from bacon, three different kinds of meat, to cheese and garnish. It tasted fantastic after being outside for hours.

And I do think my speech went down well. I cannot be sure, maybe there were just polite, but I have a good feeling and I know my birthday friend had too.

All in all it was a great evening spent with a bunch of nice people of all ages I've gotten to know quite well here in Switzerland. Makes me feel welcome being an almost-Swiss.

A German poet

I'm invited to a birthday party on Saturday. A biggie. An even number, and a dear friend of mine. So tonight I had a few glasses of wine, trying to write a poem in German. Trust me, it needs quite a few glasses.

It's not like she's not fluent in English, but being an almost Swiss, I think it's important to show that I can do it in her language.

Just to give you an example, try rhyming on "Schweizer", and all I could come up with was "Jägermeister". Which is something I'd never drink, but white wine didn't work with my rhyming skills.

But in the end, I think I got it. Well, I don't really know until I've given the speech. Which is another worry. Swiss people don't do speeches at parties. Ah well, maybe it's time they learn to deal with foreigners :)?

Just cheese everywhere

Had a nice group of friends over for dinner last night. Great to catch up, and be social over plates with raclette.

Talking about cheese, I am about to visit a neighbour who has birthday today and also loves cheese, so I prepared a little present for him.

Biker friend

Had my new biker friend over for dinner this evening. And this time he had covered his tattoos. Not in the way intended though.

And throughout the evening I realized that if I ever get in trouble somehow, and cannot deal with it myself, I will have a squad of him and his friends "taking care of business" for me. Hmm.

Tuesday dinner

We had a really nice dinner yesterday, and for once I didn't have to do a thing. Turns out flatmate can cook. A bonus I didn't count on.

So we had spaghetti carbonara and tiramisu for dessert. Yum! And I got flowers! Not from him mind you but from another guest.

But I think not to exhaust the poor guy, 'cause today he fell asleep. And it's fine, I can cook too!

Celebration

Yesterday was busy, but it ended very nicely. Some very good friends and I were celebrating for several reasons. One, that I got accepted by the canton of Zürich, and yes, another reason too :). Let me give you a hint, I feel younger and fitter than ever. Even though I may not be.

We spent the evening having first an apero, then a delicious dinner and an interesting tour in the house where we were.

The table was set with fresh flowers and as a starter we got a yummy salad, for main whisky-flambeed meat with baked tomatoes and roasted potatoes, and a sauce made from the flambe-remains. Dessert was as usual my fav, a rolled cake with raspberries and cream. And I got a bag of leftovers with me!

In the end of the evening we got a tour of the house. Of course, I've seen it before, but now a feature had been added. A specially made table to fit into the attic, surrounding the chimney, holding a miniature town including public transportation. It is funny to think that the people living there are older than me, but I gotta admit, once I got to drive the trains, I got hooked. It was fun!

But you had to drive carefully, otherwise a wagon or two would get on the lose. Just happy it doesn't happen in reality.

Recovery

Yesterday a friend of mine texted and wanted to visit spontaneously. I love this kinda stuff, which is a bit uncommon here in Switzerland, where most things have to be planned months beforehand.

But I couldn't help thinking, what have I done wrong now? It was because the same person once brought a message from another, saying that I had made an inappropriate joke. The joke was directed towards my friend, who didn't mind, she knows me, but the other person had reacted negatively.

Which I cannot take seriously, if you cannot face up to the person yourself, but have to bring an agent, you're as much of a joke as the one I made.

But I needn't worry. She just came with a bottle of bubbly, to wish me good health and happy recovery. Nice!

New friend?

Yesterday I was hanging with a new acquaintance, and I think we are as different as one can be. Different sex, nationality, religion, profession, interests, age, hair colour, and most other things I cannot think of right now. Despite that, it was a really fun afternoon, and we got on well together.

I think I might have to revise some of my prejudices.

Old friend

When in pain the best thing to do is to well...do something, so today I met up with a friend who was in town. We don't meet very often, since she's now living abroad, but it's always fun to catch up.

However, both of us aren't getting any younger, so nowadays it's a lot of catching up on diseases since last time. We had to laugh about it, what else can you do?

I have my current problems with a swollen cheek and the causes of it, and she has gotten eye problems. But I told her no worries, when she'll have her operation next year, I'll buy her a white cane.

We took a walk up the hill to the top of Zürich and had a lovely lunch at a restaurant. I do not often eat out, so I very much appreciated it. A wok with sweet/sour duck which tasted delicious. And I managed to eat half of it, on the left side, and got a doggybag with me. No point in wasting food.

A great afternoon which cheered me up, so much that I've only taken one painkiller today. I think the penicillin is starting to kick in, third day now. I only hope the swelling will go down. Now!

Telepathy?

A friend called me this evening. She's one of my best friends here in Switzerland, even though we don't see each other or talk that often. She has a busy life which I totally understand. I was there once myself.

So she called me 'cause she had a dream that I was unwell. How weird is not that? And I responded, that I thought she had read the blog. "Oh no", she replied, "I don't have time". Ah, ok, feeling that I don't write interestingly enough for even my good friends to read. A humbling experience.

But seriously, I'm not offended. Not a lot anyway :). And it was good to talk to her.

Bikes and entertainment

I have just had the most entertaining day in a very long time. My biking guests arrived late last night. It was a young woman I haven't seen since she was a little girl, and her friend, a gentle young man.

They had biked all the way from Kiel in north Germany to Zürich. Amazing. I mean, that somebody would even think about such an undertaking. I am faaaaar too comfortable for something like that.

And they didn't seem to have planned it too well, as I would find out today. But yesterday evening we had a really nice time catching up on stuff from my hometown, and how their lives look today, as well as mine, until the wee hours. I'm afraid I might have bragged a bit about my new sporty lifestyle :). I am so proud of myself I cannot shut up about it. Except I would never bike!

Then today we had breakfast at around 10 o'clock and they were planning on leaving around 12 o'clock. Ha! First they had a lengthy discussion about where to go next. Take the train from Zürich to Como, then bike on to Milan, or go directly to Milan, but they wanted to say that they biked all the way to Italy. And then which day to fly home, tomorrow, Friday or Saturday? They were like an old married couple, but with a warmth between them. "But I want to...", "No, it's better we do...." and on and on it went. Hugely entertaining, especially since I stayed very far away from having an opinion.

At the same time they spread all their stuff (now less smelly since we ran a washing machine last night) out on the floor in the living room. Good thing there is lots of space. Omg, there was a lot of it I tell you. But amazingly in the end they managed to pack all of it up, minus the tent that is now residing in my basement. Anybody in the market?

Then they went on to book the flight home, and one minute it was on Friday ("so we will stay one more day in Zürich"), and the next minute it was booked on Thursday, which is tomorrow ("so we'll have to leave today"). And then there was the issue with the bikes. The airline couldn't house two bikes so they would have to go on separate flights, or they could take a chance at check-in, but then what would happen if they were denied? Another very lengthly discussion, including numerous phone calls with the airline. I wasn't laughing out loud, but very hard on the inside. I must remember to invite more young disorganized people.

Halfway through I realized there is no way they will leave soon, so I decided to make lunch with what I had at home. No way was I leaving to go shopping, and miss the fun. I also packed them sandwiches, cookies and a chocolate bar. Nobody can say that I don't remember what it was like being young and poor. But they were so grateful, so I was just happy to help.

Anyway, after almost six hours since wake-up they left, heading for the main station in Zürich, and nobody can predict what will happen after that. However, if it's one lesson I take away from this visit, it's that everything will be fine in the end. Even if you're not very organized :).

Biking through Europe

I am in contact with a friend of my mothers. She is obviously quite old, but still fit as a fiddle in her head. We communicate by email several times a week, and share details of our lives.

Now, she has a grandchild that is a bit crazy. Currently she (the grandchild i.e.) is biking through Europe with a friend. That's why I think she's crazy. I mean, there are trains, aeroplanes and all other means of transporting yourself, but she and her friend have chosen to bike! Through Europe!

Ah well. I have offered them my guest room, a shower and a free meal, and so they are coming here in the next few days. They are now "halfway to Basel".

Sometimes I think there is still hope for the youth.

Dinner party

I had a dinner party yesterday, and even though it was planned before I became a "Zürcherin", it was good timing for a celebration.

Plus it was very nice to be surrounded by friends again. It's been a bit lonely since the op, having been more or less confined to my apartment. I really miss getting out in the forest, moving around.

It's been ups and downs since the op, one time I had a pain attack so bad I thought I was gonna faint, other times I'm almost fine. Am seeing the doc this afternoon, so let's see what the status really is after that.

Took a pic yesterday without realizing that the conversation all of a sudden had turned serious. I think it was when one friend told the others about when he got robbed on his holiday. Otherwise the evening was full of laughter and fun. A much needed break!

And we had a fabulous desserts! Homemade strawberry icecream and a raspberry cake!

Midnight call

Yesterday after having had the chat with dr Handsome I skyped a friend to ask if he would spent the night with me on Friday after the op. Yeah, yeah, in the guestroom.

Earlier this year he had a knee op and spent the night with me for the same reason. One shouldn't be alone after having had anaesthetics.

And I knew he would immediately be there for me, so I wasn't worried at all. What I didn't expect was him ringing the door at midnight, when I was deep in sleep since about an hour. He hadn't read the skype messages properly, and thought it was yesterday, and came as soon as he had finished working.

Ah well, I went back to sleep and he will be here on Friday again.

Ayatollah?

I have a friend who's originally coming from Iran, and he hasn't been back to visit for almost three decades for political reasons. Now, however, he's thinking of going back to visit his elderly mother, and I was asking whether it is safe.

Me: "I don't wanna get a telephone call from a prison in Teheran".

Him: "Don't worry, they don't have telephones in prison".

Yeah right, makes me feel a whole lot better.