The Stressful Kiss

Kissing is a big thing in Switzerland.  Actually, it is in Europe in general. Some places two kisses are customary, but here it is three.   

In Canada we hug, shake hands or do nothing.  A kiss is for family or lovers.  So for me, this kissing thing was at first extraordinarily uncomfortable.  However, as the adage goes "when in Rome" I went with the customary three kiss greeting hello and the three kiss good bye.  In fact, it is now so completely reflexive that if someone hugs me I get a bit thrown off.  

Today however, I found myself once again in the to kiss or not to kiss predicament.  I was at the train station with two male colleagues. All was normal until one had to leave to catch his train.  Normally in business environments we shake hands. Kiss greetings and farewells are for out of office activities with friends and acquaintances.  Normally.  Anyway, the two guys shook hands, and when it came to me it got awkward.   This fellow is both a collegue and a friend.  We were out of the office.  The handshake seemed too impersonal.  A three kiss farewell seemed wrong in front of the other colleague.  To me.  I think not to anyone else there.  

In the end, I shook his hand.  It felt completely strange.  He laughed at my uncertainty and the handshake.   "We could just hug" he offered.  

...and that was about when I said "see you Monday" and left.  Who knew kissing could be so stressful?

That Restless Feeling...

Farewell to a Season

I have had a great summer.  Long afternoons spent lakeside, swimming and chatting with the girls.  Alfresco evenings absorbing the romance of candle light, dark summer night skies and the lingering heat of the day.  Time spent with family, enjoying the hugs, warmth and the comfort of unconditional love.

Ah, yes...it has been a wonderful summer.  

In amongst the hustle and bustle of summer I have met more wonderful, special people.  It has indeed been a busy summer.  But as the evening air carries the unmistakable chill of a pending autumn I find as much as I have enjoyed the summer immensely I am also glad it is coming to a close.  Fall to me is about family, friends and love.  

I had a long chat with my best friend last night, and during that call I was lamenting as to the fact that a regular social activity I participated in no longer held the same appeal to me as it had once.  We talked about our desire to be out more in nature and to take in more of the abundant culture this amazing city has to offer.  In her infinite wisdom she also pointed out that perhaps I longing to deepen the bond and quality of my relationships. 

This conversation also took place while I had a horrible flu.  I received calls and texts from friends that offered to being me soup and whatever my heart desired.  My gal pal ready to wrap up her already long work day at my bedside.

So as I bid farewell to a summer laden with wonderful memories and countless friendships, I am also embracing fall.  As much fun as it all was - it is time for a change. 

Laughter in Learning

Today I enjoyed a wonderful long lazy brunch with a number of friends.  We drank too much coffee, shared stories of our weekend and talked of everything and nothing all at once.  The language we favoured was English although German was also used in an effort to make sure that I finally master this seemingly impossible and daunting task. But what I adore most about these times is the conversation.  Direct translations from other languages make it interesting.  We are hilarious without even trying to be so.  Inevitably we end up in fits of laughter while someone looks confused as to why everyone just found what they said to be so amusing.  It is as close to childlike innocence as an adult can get.  

When you think about it - it is sort of ironic.  We strive to make certain that we are understood, but it was the countless innocent linguistic missteps that made the day so enjoyable that none of us wanted it to end.

So, that is it - I am going to blunder through this language and accept that I shall make countless errors and at times be completely misunderstood.  The laughter and the long forgotten innocence of learning is well worth the effort...

(Serious respect for whomever edited this video.  I don't care of you like Maroon 5 or not, it is worth a quick view.)

Home

My friends and I often discuss the concept of "home".  As time passes, and experiences culminate, so does that idealism of "home".  It becomes more about where you feel that familiar tug and warmth we equate with home.  

Last night, under the glow of a spectacular full moon, a lakeside view I have come to love and laughing until it hurt with some incredibly special people I came to realize that although I no longer know where home is - in that particular moment I knew exactly where I belong...

Warm & Fuzzy

I feel all warm and fuzzy inside tonight. 

Perhaps it is because I am reflecting on the Friday evening BBQ and the wonderful people and rapid fire banter, or maybe the memory of the Saturday afternoon spent at the lake with a fav gal pal and getting trapped in a fountain and laughing until it hurt, or perhaps it was the hot Saturday evening spent dancing the night away, or the the Sunday evening spent chatting and sipping an apero with the girls. 

There was also the unavoidable and awkward conversation while swimming in the middle of the lake with someone I normally avoid and the irony of it all making us both laugh and give in to fate.  

And then there is the gratitude I feel for the special friend who came back into my life after nearly a years absence. 

July has truly been one of the most interesting, fun, wonderful months that I have ever experienced.  That said, it hasn't been an easy one, its been a loaded with stress, work, and difficult decisions. As much as I have gained, I have also lost.  But in this loss I am warmed by the experience of it all.  

Yeah, as I look around, I have to admit, it is a darn good life.  

Same Time Next Year?

The arrival of June marks my one year anniversary with a Swiss postal code.  I can hardly believe that much time has past since I arrived.  It is also somewhat unfathomable that I have been out of Canada for three years.

But I have.  

I adore my time on my trips back home.  Seeing my family is a huge part of it, but so is life there.  I love going into the grocery stores stocked full of familiar foods that I cannot find in my adopted home.  I can go shopping and ask complicated questions - something my limited German vocabulary will not allow me to do.  Conversation is easy, people get it when I say something cliche and truly Canadian.  My jokes are funny...

But it is not all so easy.  Over the three years friendships have become increasingly awkward due to the strain of my absence and you can see how people have moved on and filled the spots that you once claimed.  The landscape is dynamic.  People grow older.  

And it isn't just them, it is me too.  The structure of society over here has worn off me.  For instance, I am acutely aware of time and do my best to make sure I am not late - and feel completely uncomfortable if I have a sip of wine without first raising my glass and clinking them together.  Walking everywhere in all elements is not something I even pause to ponder, I just do it.  What I spend money on is completely different.

However, as increasingly integrated as I become, I will always be different.    But somehow that is okay.  It just so happens that I feel a bit different everywhere I go now.  An odd statement I know.   Before my comfort was defined by what was familiar.  Home was the place I felt most comfortable - where I knew what to do, when to do it and had people to do it all with - I was shaped by that life.  Living elsewhere has taken that away, there is nothing and no one to hide behind.  It is just me.  

On the eve of my one year anniversary with a Swiss postal code, I have to admit, I am not exactly sure where home is anymore.  In many ways I would like to stop and settle in here.  I love Switzerland.  But that is not a decision that is solely up to me.  My mother always said that it would be love that would see me settle down somewhere, and although I think she meant it would be a man, I think she is half right. I love my life here.  But then, let us see what I write this time next year... :)

ps.  This blog was about the steps/processes involved in securing the necessary approvals for a permit renewal for residency . Nothing more, nothing less ;)