I don’t feel like narrating much this time. These are just some pictures from 3 separate days of walking. The top most was the best, weather wise. The other two days were gloomy. Zürich is a very lovely city.
Tag: Zurich
The month of May is going to be really busy. German class has started again, but this time it’s intensive. The worst part is getting up early. Every night I have Spätzli to tend to, and by the time I get to bed, it’s nearly 1am. It’s a real struggle to not have dark puffy eyes every morning. Why couldn’t they have afternoon intensive classes as well? I would pounce on those in a heartbeat.
I ended up taking a Perlsacktier friend to class with me one day. His name is Herzig, the Swiss word for “cute” and “hearty”! He is a raccoon with purple stripes.
The entire week since class started, Michael was away at a conference in Paris. I was so lonely, and I must say that I hardly looked after myself when it came to meals. I was so relieved when he returned. We had a fun time out on Saturday. The above photo was taken at our bus stop in Affoltern. The tree is so beautiful with its pink flowers. So many other trees had red leaves; they reminded me of autumn.
I took another Perlsacktier out with us, this one called Hubert, the spotted goat. We found a new large white Furby plush at Manor. It’s surprising how much cheaper some toys are at Manor (department store) compared to Franz Carl Weber (specialist toy store). I couldn’t resist.
Finally, we had a short break sitting on a bench and watching people go by. Later that day, we watched Iron Man at Kitag (cinema). Yes, we love action movies. They are worth the money spent, if only for their loud sounds and visual effects.
Now to study for Monday’s German test. Argh!
I’ve finally allowed myself to accept the Swiss-style of ‘high’ German. It means no “ß” in the alphabet, and the inclusion of certain words like “Velo” for bicycle, “Grüezi” for greetings. My school of choice is the Migros Klubschule in my old area of Oerlikon. It’s just a short bus ride away from Affoltern. I won’t lie, I picked this school because we cannot afford the more expensive and prestigious one in the city centre, but it still had good reviews and the location is ideal.
As it turns out, the Klubschule isn’t that bad. I started off with an interview and a short multiple choice placement test, and I qualified for the second part out of three for the A1 level. I still wanted to start at the very beginning, just to get my bearings and ease into the new bi-weekly schedule that I would have to endure for the next 6 months. It’s a good thing too, because I have forgotten a lot of the articles for even the most basic vocabulary.
These are the books I will be using. I already have the German German version. This is the Swiss version. The main difference is the exclusion of the “ß” from words, replaced by “ss”, and the images are now of Swiss locations and brands. Other than these changes, the class is very much standard German, including pronunciations.
First exercise in class: Make a poster with things that you like. We were given some material to cut up. I was lucky to find the two most amazing pictures (to me) to cut out and paste. I love gardens, plants, and collecting toys. I do like cheese too, but I only used that picture because I thought two wouldn’t be enough. Everyone asked me about the toys, whether I made toys. My grammar and vocabulary being so elementary, I could not write down that collected toys.
The class is rather big, about 14 people, but things still move along nicely. My teacher is very good at explaining things and is very friendly. Almost everyone in the class can already speak English. Communicating with others is easier with a fall-back language, though this isn’t really ideal for practising German, is it? 😀
Melbourne city in summer
Bubble tea and shopping in Melbourne
Flight to Zurich — First Swiss chocolate
Snowy arrival, view from ground floor apartment
Gifts from Juanita Tortilla! — My most guilty pleasure (shopping)
Thanks for looking! 😀 Hope you had a good week too.
Time is whizzing by… I fly on the 20th, from Melbourne, AU to Zurich, CH.
I’m not properly packed yet, but I tossed a lot of things inside the suitcase already. I chose the lightest and largest suitcase I could find. Let’s hope it doesn’t break as soon as I arrive. I also bought a new toiletry bag that’s purple/silver and very light, too. I’m obsessed with weight. When one is migrating across continents by economy class, there’s a desperation to keep unnecessary weight to a minimum.
These are some clothes I planned to pack. This isn’t everything yet, there’s still another pile of clothing to gather, and lots of underwear. I will probably go over my 20kg weight limit, but I think around 22kg is still acceptable without having to pay for it.
This hand luggage is all packed. I carefully weighed it so I stay under 7kg. I’ll hand carry a heavier coat and my handbag. Thank goodness women are allowed a separate handbag. I ought to take advantage of this and carry the largest hobo bag or something HUGE, but I think my normal-sized 30 cm x 20 cm bag is fine and can still leave me enough leg room while it sits under the seat.
Now… I’m considering doing a bit of shopping at Singapore Airport, while in transit. What to buy though? Everything duty free is still rather pricey for a poor shopoholic like myself. Best to just sit quietly with some food and read my ebook.
Soon, I’ll be moving back to Zurich, this time for a longer period of time, and with a spouse. We’ll also be moving from the suburb Oerlikon, to Affoltern! Michael was successful with his flat application–he has the gift. Let me share some photos with you. Please excuse the quality though.
Screenshot from Google Maps. Our place is the ground floor apartment, with four windows facing the street. A pedestrian crossing is just outside the apartment, which is always convenient.
Living room. We’ll need good curtains. I’m excited about this place because it’s so much bigger than Michael’s current flat, and it has several advantages too! Like no balconies. I don’t spend time on them, so why have wasted space?
This would be another one of those advantages, my own washing machine and dryer!! This is the absolute holy grail of apartments, to me, that is. I disliked sharing washing machines and sticking to a schedule. I had to run up and down like a maniac to get all our week’s washing done. No more, no more… 🙂
Doppellavabo. Sweet. No fighting for space. I get the sink in the corner, so I can take my time! I dare say this will be our apartment for several years to come.
The only room that has windows that face the backyard. It’s on the small side, but we’ll use this as our bedroom. I can’t stand noises such as speech and music while I’m trying to sleep, so this room should be ok.
Backyard, and view of the building with other apartments. I shall never step into the yard, because of all the prying eyes.
This supermarket is just 3 minutes away, by foot. The bus stop is 2 minutes away, and train station 5 minutes. It’s a really great location, since we won’t have a car.
Well, thanks for joining me on this tour. When I finally get there, in January, I shall have some photos to share, and even more of my sacred crafting and hobby space. Yay!
I’ve just about packed up half of my belongings in Zürich. I’ve sent out one tiny, but 14.05kg, box with books and clay, and another 14.7kg box is going out the door today. This HUGE box contains clothes, stuffed toys and craft things. We actually got the box from the hardware store, free!
We also bought a scale just to weigh my boxes. Anything from 15-20kg gets charged at CHF185… while just under 15kg is CHF154. This is economy mail, of course… My first box is still hanging around in Switzerland because of it being economy parcel, although I sent it last week.