Culture shock

Honestly, I didn't expect the culture shock to be noticeable. But it has been and it's only been a day.

We arrived late Saturday night. Marion and Betti were angels on both plane rides, I couldn't have asked for better.

Yesterday we went to our favorite farmer's market. There were a ton of people. And yet people were respecting each others personal space and saying excuse me. My experience in Switzerland has been the opposite. Fo example, on our way back from Rhine Falls, a woman chose to stand right next to my stroller on a fairly open train platform. I'll never undersyand why Swiss do that. I will say though that people in Switzerland often help me and my stroller onto buses and trains. So please don't yell at me :-)

On the way to the market I marveled at the houses and the land each one had. The difference in how Americans and Europeans live didn't really strike me until yesterday. I mean, I have thought about it. Europeans make do with less space and less land. They are so efficient. Being back and seeing all of these houses really put it into perspective for me.

Brian marveled at the difference in cars. We pulled up to a traffic light and looked around us. Two F150 pick-ups, one Suburban, one large SUV, one midsive SUV, two crossovers. And one large sedan. All of this next to a gas station selling 87 octane for $2.37/gallon. When we left Switzerland the cheapest gas available was 95 octane at around 1.48CHF/liter ($5.16/gallon).

Then we went to Target. Cheap shopping on a Sunday. I bought a packet of 300 stickers for a dollar. A dollar!!!! I love me some cheap shopping.

Next we went to the pool. We had a great time. Marion loves being in the water no matter what country we are in. I didn't even notice the lifeguards at first. It was weird to see them watching over the water instead of just a flotation device hanging on a wall near the pool.

Later Brian and I went to a grocery store, Wegmans. On a Sunday!!!! Wegmans' tend to be very very large. I needed to pick up some pink lemonade mix for my parents. I walked into the aisle and saw 30 kinds of drink mixes. I stood there for a moment, completely overwhelmed by the selection and possibilities. I found the pink lemonade and made my way to the cashier who bagged my groceries in a plastic bag. I looked around- no one was using reusable bags. They were selling them, but they were so tiny compared to the ones in Switzerland. I left the store in a quiet state of shock. Too much, just too. much. stuff!

By the end of the day Brian and I were exhausted from the time difference and struck by the differences and how noticeable they were. I wonder what else is here to surprise us and if we'll experience reverse culture shock when we go back to Switzerland in 2.5 weeks...

Stroller Search 2008 has come to an end

Today my friend Katie and I had plans to go into Zurich. She has been here for a year and was going to show me the town. But we woke up to clouds and, unsure about the weather, we changed our plans.

We decided to go shopping instead. And, since she knows I yearn for a stroller that can handle the gravel pathways of Switzerland, she decided to show me Babyhaus. They have a large selection of strollers available to see, try, etc. Extra bonus: it is located in Dietlikon, right down the street from Ikea.

We arrived and headed straight for the second floor. And my goodness was Katie right. Half of the showroom floor was dedicated to strollers. They were everywhere: Bugaboos, Maclarens, Baby Joggers, among others. It was packed with merchandise. Perfect to try something out before you buy.

There was a particular stroller brand I've been eyeing so we headed straight for them, the Phil and Ted's buggies. Babyhaus had two out of the three Phil and Ted's buggies I've been considering: the Sport and Vibe. Another model, the Dash, is a recent addition to the line.

I tried out the Sport and it pretty much fulfilled my expectations: large tires, smaller footprint, felt smooth pushing it. Then we tried the foot brake. Man was that a pain. Not so bad to get the brake down with one foot, but I had to use two hands to get that sucker off.

But, like I mentioned, I've been eyeing these strollers for awhile. So, I know that the Dash version is basically a luxury version of the Sport model. Meaning, it has a hand brake instead of the annoying foot brake among other upgrades.

So that was that. I left the store determined I needed the Dash. And, when I got home, I ordered one. Isn't it pretty?

After Babyhaus, we headed over to Ikea. There, as usual, I bought things that were not on my list when I went into the store but, when inside, I decided I needed. Typical.

After Ikea and lunch in their packed restaurant (obviously you don't beat the crowds at 11:30 am, note to self), we headed home for naps.

And now I wait for my stroller. I can't wait!

The diapers are too small

Off to find a bigger size. And to sell the 115 diapers that are left over.

A Sunday spent recovering from Saturday

Saturday was a busy day. Marion, Brian, and I ran to Ikea to get some things. Seriously, our house looks like an Ikea ad. I love it.

After Ikea, we ran to Toys R Us. Marion went nuts, yelling "Toys! Toys! Toys!" So yea, I'm pretty sure she knew why we were there.

We threw her off by going to the baby section first though. Needed to get some diapers and wipes. But then Pampers through me off by having different sizing here. Pampers Cruisers size 5 diapers covered 24-45 lbs??? Huh? Then they had Jumbo plastered across the front of the box. I couldn't figure out what "Jumbo" meant. Surely it couldn't mean the quantity, there were only 58!

We finally decided on the Pampers Baby Dry diapers because the boxes were bigger. I think the box contained 120, more our speed. But then we had to decide on size. Size 4 or 4+? Huh?????? Thoroughly confused at this point I just grabbed the 4+ and hoped for the best.

After the brain busting activity of picking out diapers, we headed over to the playhouses to solve a little problem we've been having. The one where Marion runs away from me cleaning and then hurts herself.

So I wondered what if we had a playhouse for her on our patio where she could go and play while I vacuum? Cheaper than getting a cleaning service. Well, we picked one out and brought it home. I'll let you know how it works out.

Once we had the playhouse, we figured we also needed to get her some play dishes. Because what is the point of a playhouse if you don't have anything to use in it?

We selected a dish set and then saw the play cleaning set at the end of the aisle. Toy broom, dust pan set, and swiffer. Score! Marion got one of those too.

Brian got in line to purchase our loot. Marion and I decided to check out the sporting goods store upstairs to see if we could find a softball glove for me.

Why do I need a softball glove you ask? Well, because Brian and I joined a softball team and, although we haven't been to a game or practice yet, we hope to before the season is over.

Oh, you mean you thought I had a softball glove and want to know why I need a new one? Well, that would be because Brian misplaced the softball glove that I have used for 15 years. I'm still in mourning over it. We are still trying to track it down.

Anyhow, I had a hell of a time trying to track down these softball/baseball gloves in this store. They had a lot of football (soccer) stuff and athletic clothing. But the softball stuff, not so much. We walked around the store twice before I found three small shelves with gloves. I saw Wilson's and Rawlings' and I thought, sadly, that I was going to be able to find a glove that I would have to work in and get used to again. Like I said, I'm still in mourning over my old glove.

However, as luck would have it, all of the gloves that would have fit were left handed gloves. I couldn't believe it. Usually the left handed gloves are hard to find. But here, they were the norm. Very odd. Then I noticed an Oklahoma hat on the shelf behind me. I thought I had stepped onto another planet so I grabbed Marion and headed to the car to meet Brian.

On our way to our car, I noticed people were in line paying for parking at a self pay kiosk. I hadn't noticed this when we came in so I waited in line to pay. When I got to the front of the line I noticed everything was in German. Great. But the instructions did have numbers next to them so, assuming that was a sequence, I followed it as best I could.

I don't think I did it right. Everyone else walked away from the machine with a ticket. I tried twice (wasting 4 CHF) and couldn't get a damn ticket out of that machine. But there wasn't a parking ticket on our car when we left and no one followed us out yelling in German so I think we are alright.

After we loaded the car up with everything we had purchased, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at a pizzeria above the Toys R Us and headed home.

Following Marion's nap, Brian and I started putting everything we had purchased together. Then Marion and I played on Brian's and my bed while Brian put the finishing touches on the wardrobe in our room.

Marion and I were rough housing and having fun. I would throw her on the bed, pile pillows on top of her, and tickle her. She'd giggle, tell me to stop, then stand up and ask for more.

Since it was getting close to bed time, I tried to calm her down after getting her fired up (poor timing on my part). So I laid down on the pillows and tried to get her to do the same.

Well, she didn't get the memo. She threw herself backwards onto the pillows with all of her might, hitting the bridge of my nose with her head.

Oh my god it hurt. I immediately saw stars and thought she had broken my nose. I got woozy and held my head as I rushed to the bathroom to sit down.

Brian and Marion were completely confused. Brian didn't know what had happened and Marion thought we were still playing. And I was trying not to pass out.

So there I was, lying on the bathroom floor, with Marion sitting next to me asking, "Mommy, where boo boo?" Then she plopped on my belly, jumping up and down.

Finally I felt OK enough to stand up. But once I did, I was nauseas and dizzy again and had a horrible headache. I spent the rest of the night on the couch and went to bed early.

Today I woke up feeling the same. Brian called me a sissy and then questioned me to see if I had a concussion. He concluded that I do not have one. We also decided that my nose is not broken since it is not crooked and I am not bruised at all.

However, I am a bit swollen and my entire nose area is sore. And I continue to be dizzy when I stand up or exert myself too much. So I've spent the rest of the day resting or laying down. Doubt we will do much today.

Brian's been spending his Father's Day taking care of Marion and the house. Happy Father's Day Brian! And Happy Father's Day to Hoppy and Opa and all the rest of the fathers out there!