Michels in Zurich

Monday, November 18, 2013

Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain

For October break this year we went to Spain. We had never been to the island of Mallorca and decided to take a beach vacation there. It was beautiful, and only a short flight away from Zurich.

We stayed near Alcudia on the northeast side of the island at the Iberostar Albufera Playa. It was a nice hotel with pools, beach access, a kids' club and nightly entertainment.

It was a bit cloudy the first two days, so we toured around the town on a 6-person bike, took the kids pony riding, and played some paddle ball.

Meredith and William dressed up on the kids' evening, and William went on stage at Mario. He even did Gangnam Style in front of the whole audience!

We then had 3 great beach days. The beach at the hotel was in a very nice inlet where there were waves, but it was shallow and you could walk out really far. The kids loved it!

We rented a car to drive to church in Palma de Mallorca on Sunday (can you believe this little car was a 7-seater?). We also visited a great beach at Alcudia Port where the kids caught little fish in nets and we played beach paddle ball!

Mallorca was a beautiful place, and so close to us! Our hotel, as it turns out, was occupied 80% by Germans, so we got to speak some German and some Spanish. We appreciated the nice weather even more since we knew it had snowed and was cold and rainy in Zurich while we were gone...

Friday, September 6, 2013

William's 7th Birthday Party

William had a sleepover for his 7th birthday with four of his friends from school: Karl, Kostya, Nate and John.

With a summer birthday, we were able to use our beautiful garden and loggia for the party as well.

Then when it was time for sleeping, we pulled all the extra mattresses into the living room. William said it was a great slumber party!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

First Day of School, 2013-14

Tuesday, August 20th, 2013, was Meredith's first day of Kindergarten (in Switzerland there are two years of kindergarten, equivalent to Early Years 1 and Kindergarten at the international school, or preschool and kindergarten in the US). She goes to a Swiss Kindergarten on a farm, at the same location as her preschool for the last 2 years. But moving to Kindergarten is a big deal! Meredith's teacher is Claudia Dubs.

The next day, Wednesday, August 21st, 2013, the rest of the kids started school back at ICS. William is in Ms. Claire Febrey's first grade class, Nathan is in Ms. Heidi Eismann's third grade class, and Elise is in eighth grade with Frau Salassa as her tutor.

Friday, May 24, 2013

New York, New York

Elise needed to go to New York for two weeks of special treatment and physical therapy for her back...so we made it into a family vacation!

I flew with Elise, Nate, Will and Meredith to New York on Sunday evening, while Dave was already in DC for the Bain Partners' meeting (unfortunately I had to miss it this year!). We stayed at the Algonquin, a great boutique hotel just a block away from Times Square. We had a suite on the top floor, which the kids loved. For breakfast, we went every day to the Red Flame Diner next door to the hotel - awesome! Even though New York is the most expensive city in the US, it's still cheaper than Switzerland...and of course the serving sizes in America are much bigger! Elise went to the clinic every day, but we met her for an hour for lunch. In the meantime, the kids and I took some tours of downtown and uptown Manhattan and walked around Times Square and midtown. We saw the Gazillion Bubbles show, which the kids loved, and we ate at Ellen's Diner where the waiters, all Broadway hopefuls, sing to you! Elise really loved that.

Ellen's Diner on Broadway

United Nations

Times Square

LDS Temple (even mentioned on the Big Bus Tour!)

Dylan's Candy Shop

Dave arrived on Thursday and we all went to see the show Cinderella on Broadway. It was excellent! The actors were so talented, the set and costumes amazing, and the choreography great. The writing was very clever - definitely not the traditional fairytale, but so much fun for kids and adults alike!

Elise finished at noon on Friday, so we went all together to the 9/11 Memorial and then on a boat tour of the harbor, including the Statue of Liberty. Saturday we went to the Empire State Building, doing the NY Skyride first (a ride like Star Tours at Disneyland), then taking the elevator up to the 89th floor observation level. After we came back down, we were taking some photos in the lobby and someone behind me asked if we wanted a photo of our family all together. I turned around and it was Emmanuelle Bouret! The Bourets are our friends from Switzerland. They're french and moved to New Jersey last summer. We met up with them in Santa Monica last Christmas (while they were there on vacation and we were visiting family), and then we ran into them in New York City! It was unbelievable!!! Clara Bouret is Elise's good friend, and they chatted as if they had never been apart. I could not get over what a coincidence it was - it was so fun to see them and catch up a bit. The grandparents were visiting from France, so that's what brought them to the Empire State Building.

NY Public Library

That afternoon we went to Central Park and took a carriage ride. The younger kids went with Dave to FAO Schwartz, and Elise and I went back to Times Square to do some shopping! The shopping is incredible in New York. There is anything and everything you could ever want there, and it's all just a few blocks away. We even got to go to Benihana that evening - which everyone found a lot of fun!

I found it funny that the kids kept saying how friendly the people in New York are. It's all relative, as people in Switzerland are very reserved and formal, so in comparison I guess it's true. I do think the fact that I was walking around midtown Manhattan with 3 little kids during the day had something to do with it - it was quite novel for people to see. I used to go to New York over 15 years ago for work and always thought it was not so nice, dangerous, etc. But it has really been cleaned up - it's beautiful (and we had nice sunny, although a bit cold, weather). The city really is nice, much safer than I remember, and friendly.

We took the subway, the bike taxi, and a yellow taxi. All through the week the boys kept seeing limos and asking if we could ride in one. Of course we said no. For our return to the airport (I returned on Sunday night with the 3 younger kids while Elise and Dave stayed for the second week) we reserved a car service from the hotel. And, guess what pulled up - a limo! Apparently they weren't sure they could fit all the carseats/ boosters in a standard car, so they sent a limo. Nate and Will had a great time trying out the soft drinks and playing with all the light, music and window controls...a fun finish to the trip.

Elise and Dave stayed another 4 days and has a nice time in the evenings - they saw Wicked on Broadway (which Elise absolutely loved, and Dave said exceeded his expectations). They ate out at Morton's and even had some extra time to shop (it's so easy to do in New York!)

Quotes from the kids!

"Living in Switzerland is like being trapped in a 5-star hotel!" - Nathan, saying that anywhere else you go would probably be worse or the same, but not better (there was also something about jumping out the window and breaking your leg, just to go to another 5-star hotel.).
"Riding the train is easy, it's making sure you're on the right train that's harder." - Meredith when she and Will made their way home from central Zurich on their own with trams, trains and transfers.
"Mom, don't panic." - Meredith, before she told me she had forgotten to take her completed homework to school...my kids know me too well!
"Man, they have a FAT goalie!" - William, as he saw the opposing unihockey team walk in. He was a big goalie, but he wasn't agile, so Will and Nate's team won. Hopp Meilen!
"What's a yardstick?" (I responded with, "a wooden stick with measurements on it.") "Oh, you mean a meterstick?" - William. Yes, he has grown up in Europe!
"I mean, Dad can keep us alive, but it's not really the same!" - William, when I told him I would be out of town a few days and Dave would have to fill out something for school.
"Do we have to go to America? They're always shooting people there! I wish our relatives lived somewhere safe like Switzerland." - Meredith. Sad, but true - this seems to be all the news we hear about the US.
"Mom, can't you make something a little more Swiss, so I know my friends will like it!" - Meredith, in response to my suggestion that we make Snickerdoodle cookies for her class treat at the end of school.
"That's really bad! You know, like how your teeth feel after a 14 hour flight." - Nathan (what other 10-year-old would use that as a definition for really bad?!)
"The zebra was legendary!" - Nathan, after eating an entree of zebra in Capetown, South Africa.
"I don't know what to ask for for Christmas...I'm provided with everything I need." - Nathan
"I hope the English-speaking country won...what was it called again?" Meredith, when I said we needed to check to see who won the US vs. Portugal game in the world cup. Uh, that English-speaking country is the USA! Good thing we're going to the US for summer vacation!
"Mom, drive as fast as you're allowed to!" - Meredith, when we were late for a birthday party. There are so many rules in Switzerland that of course Meredith wouldn't say to drive as fast as you can!
"That's just my accent." - Meredith, when I tried to help her pronounce her "R"s like rrr instead of www.
When driving from Willard, UT, to Logan, UT, to visit our friend Heidi, Nate and Will ask, "How far away does she live?" Mom answers, "About an hour." Nate and Will respond, "Is that in another country?"...(a reasonable question in Switzerland, as France, Germany, Lichtenstein and Austria are all within an hour's drive).
"I'm a selfer!" - Meredith, who wants to do things herself!
"Abra ta ga ga! Make the boys' room clean!" - Meredith, waving her princess wand to help the boys when I said their room needed to be tidy before we could go anywhere
"I'm a helper!" - Meredith
"No Mom, it's called playground judy!" - William ... I think he meant 'playground duty'
Dentist: "How often do you brush your teeth?" William: "Well, when I have a dentist's appointment, I brush them twice, but usually I just brush them once a day." (at least he's honest!)
"Mom, those aren't new shirts that Dad brings home, they're washed shirts." - William, who apparently thought Dave was doing a lot of shopping, not just picking up the dry cleaning! "I thought that too!" - Nathan!
"I just love Life! Life is so, so, so good!" - William (what a positive kid...actually, he's talking about the Life cereal Dave brought back from the US)
"When starts the party?" - Elise, reading the English writing on someone's shirt in Dubai. It's hilarious to see what is written on t-shirts, but as long as it's in English it must be cool!
"Mer, I've got a brilliant idea...it's just brilliant!" - William (love that British vocabulary!)
"Will, the US is having some issues right now!" - Nathan, in response to William saying he wanted to move back to the US (Nathan is quite informed about the economic situation and political gridlock, isn't he!)
"Daisy Duke Bikinis on Top" - William, reciting the words from the song, "California Gurls" which he learned when he did the Beach Party kids' show in Austria
"I want a 'bit-a-bit' more" - Meredith
"It's just like in America. They have all these really nice people around there." - Nathan, after I asked him how he liked his visit to a new dentist (an American).
"What's a dollar?" - William, who knows all about Swiss Francs, but didn't know what I meant when I said the word 'dollar'.
"What's so special about the 4th of July?" - Nathan, when I mentioned while we were on vacation in Austria that it was the 4th of July. I guess we still need to teach some American history!
What year is your birthday? "...every year!" - Nathan (of course, it's so simple!)
"So it turns out that nobody else eats the stem of a strawberry," - Elise (what? you eat the stem of the strawberry?)
"I want to pound it!" - Meredith, saying she wants to hit knuckles when saying goodnight
"Now that's how you do a proper trade." - Nathan, coaching Meredith on how to trade a lick of his lollipop for some of her candy
"Tschüss, ciao, ciao!" - Meredith, saying goodbye in a combination of German and Italian (it's common in Switzerland to mix German and either French or Italian)
"Where is my Lisie? Where is my guys? Where is my daddy?" - Meredith ("my guys" meaning Nathan and Will)
"Shh, baby sleeping!" - Meredith, putting her finger up to her mouth so we'll all be quiet for her baby dolls.
"See, I write things on my hand so I remember to do them...oh, no! I forgot to do that!" - Elise, as she confidently explained her system for staying organized, then turned her hand over to discover it hadn't really worked!
"Too tight!" - Meredith, referring to the seat belt even when it's barely fastened, her jeans, and almost all of her clothing when we put it on her, because she's quite chubby!
"You can move your porn first!" - Nathan, who just learned how to play chess from a British babysitter
"Can someone help me with the cutlery?" - William, loading the dishwasher with his proper British English
"Go make yourself a dang quesadilla!" - Elise (from Napoleon Dynamite)
"I really want to go to Greece!" - Elise ..."I'm dying to go to Canada!" - Nathan (huh?)
"Mom, spell, 'I cup...get it, I-C-U-P!'" - Nathan who is loving his newfound reading and spelling skills!
"Mom, how do you spell, 'Dear Mrs. Lillywhite, you are so beautiful'...?" - William who is always making gifts for people (writing a card for his teacher at school)
"Dad, can you teach me how to play Cricket?" - Nathan (...uh, that's not something Dave learned growing up in LA!)
"Jesus is in charge of the whole world, and he told me when I was in heaven that I can watch TV on a school night." - William, trying again after he had already told me that his teacher said he could watch TV, and I said his teacher was in charge at school but I am in charge at home...
"We're just HANGING OUT!" - William, in response to my asking what the kids were doing when they were supposed to be doing their chores.
"We have snacks in my class at church, except on Quick Sundays, then we don't have snacks, but on Long Sundays we have snacks." - William
"SmartCars rock!" - Elise
"That mom and her son are running because they're Swiss and they don't want to be late. If they were American they would be walking because they're fat and they don't care if they're late!" - Elise
"People say USA...'sucks'" - Nathan, referring to the US soccer team playing in the world cup. I asked him who said that (before telling him that's not a nice word), and he said, "The Swiss kids say that!" World Cup is huge here, and it's so much fun being at the International school where so many countries are represented.
"Mom, I like the breakfast in the restaurants...in the fancy ones." - Nathan as he sat at the kitchen table with a box of cereal and milk, thinking about the great breakfast buffets included at the hotels when we're on vacation
"A blackberry is not a food, it's a type of phone!" - William, who really believes this
"British speak proper English. We speak American English," - Nathan (obviously too heavily influenced by his British teachers and friends!)
"It's a manwo!" - Elise referring to someone she wasn't sure was a man or a woman...
"Dad, you've got to deal with this guy." - Nathan, referring to William when he is misbehaving
"My Pet Rat told me that..." - William, whose imaginary pet rat lives in a hotel in London, speaks German and English, and does many other things
"Let's do that straightaway!" - Nathan, who has added many British English expressions to his vocabulary
"Where are we going?...Is that in a different country?" - William and Nathan, as they realize how quickly one can be in a different country when you live in Switzerland!
"Can we pleeease play Ruckus?!" - Elise, talking abut a very fun and addictive card game we recieved for Christmas from Grandma and Grandpa Francis
"I prefer a different shirt!" - William, who wants to decide everything himself (and such proper vocabulary!)
"You hate Star Wars compared to me..." - Nathan and William (who love Star Wars, but also use this saying about anything they really love)
"Dad, do you want to hear me count from 40 to 100?" - Nathan (who thinks the 20s and 30s are hard)
"What do you do at work, Dad - play some games, and if you win you get some money?" - Nathan
"I'm the only kid in my class who knew how to do jumping jacks...because Elise taught me!" - Nathan
"eine kleine Puppe!" - nearly every Swiss woman who sees Meredith (means "a little doll" in German)
"Oh, there's that place with the W. What's it called?...that has really good food!" - Nathan (talking about McDonalds - you don't see them around very often, but Nathan has been there a couple of times)
"Otherwise, I'm going to have to tell the Bademeister" - Mom (when the kids misbehave...Bademeister means the pool superintendent, but it's just such an ominous sounding word!)
"This is just like a Disneyland ride, but the real thing!" - Elise (talking about our ride up the world's steepest cog railway to Mount Pilatus near Luzern)
"Dienstag!" - William (means "Tuesday" in German, but William uses it as an expletive)
"Nathan, when I hit you, you need to hold on tight to your water so it doesn't spill!" - William
"Mom, this chocolate makes me almost want to cry, it's so good!" - Nathan
"I got 74 out of 80 on the test…and all 8 of the questions I missed were subtraction!" - Nathan
"Hey, that's my jewelry box!" - Meredith, when she saw Elise opening her birthday present from William

Things that seemed strange when we first arrived in Switzerland, but are quickly becoming normal...

You have to pay for the ketchup at informal restaurants! (20-50 Rappen for each little packet)
Grocery stores close at 6:30 or 7:00pm during the week, 4:00 on Saturday, and are closed all day on Sunday.
Banks, government offices, and nearly all stores close each day from 12-2 for lunch.
The mailmen drive motorcycles!
You don't write checks for anything - everything is done through electronic bank transfer
Accessing your bank account online requires a user ID#, Pin#, and from a SecureID digital device a number that changes every few seconds (remember Mission Impossible?)
Buying tickets for the train is on an honor system (you don't have to go through a gate or insert your ticket), yet people run to the ticket machine to buy a ticket before boarding
Trains arrive and leave exactly on time
Kindergarten children walk to school on their own wearing orange and yellow vests
Most radio stations play American 70's music (picture driving through the green hills from Zurich to Luzern listening to "Staying Alive")
The voice on our SUV's navigation system is a British male
Traffic lights turn from green to yellow to red, and from red to yellow to green
You get a speeding ticket for 5 miles over the speed limit - there are traffic cameras and you receive the ticket in the mail two weeks after you were photographed speeding (if you see a "flash", you know you've been caught)
You need 2 sets of tires for your car - summer tires and winter tires. And everyone changes their tires in October and April.
Garbage must be sorted and put in a special bag purchased in your own village, and each 35 liter bag must have a sticker on it that costs SFr 1.80
You have to put a SFr 2 coin in the grocery cart to unlock it from the rest of the carts (then you get the coin back when you lock it back into the stack of carts after shopping)
Eggs are not refrigerated in the grocery store
Milk is not refrigerated in the grocery store
When buying produce in the grocery store, you put it on the scale and punch in the code for the product (#1 for bananas), then out comes a sticker with the price
You bag your own groceries in your own bag (or buy one at the store)