First Weekend

So I got to Zurich on Wednesday, and already on Friday I had something to do. Friday I went to work with CJ for cultural awareness training. It was not so bad... really. At least the first half. The majority of the day we spent learning about the difference between the German-Swiss (who are apparently always on task) and the French-Swiss (who are not). Personally, I would have appreciated something a little more practical like how do you work the washing machine (see below), but what we did was good too I guess. The best part of the day was meeting a lot of really nice people who are in our same position. After the training we went out with everyone to a Mexican (yes, I said Mexican) restaurant for drinks and appetizers. It was really fun to have people to go out with again... especially ones who spoke English!

The rest of the weekend the weather was crappy! We were no match for the cold and rain without most of our winter clothing. CJ was looking a little chilly walking around in just his spring jacket. Also, I think he has only one sweater.

When we woke up Saturday we had to do laundry. Gone are the glorious days when I can walk into a room in our own apartment and wash a load while we go out. Here, our laundry is in the basement. I considered it a minor miracle that no one was already using it on a Saturday morning, so we paid our money (only 1 franc to wash and dry a load!) and gave it a shot. It is important to keep in mind that I cannot read German. None. Since the directions were also in French, I had a tiny hope of recognizing about half the words. It was a tough battle with the washing machine... I couldn't tell you which cycle we used. But, in the end, I got it to work!! You are probably thinking, wow, this girl is way too excited to be doing laundry. And you're right. But I guess it is the small victories for now. :)

After defeating the evil washer and dryer, we set out to explore more of Zurich. We went over to our new neighborhood in Oerlikon - Birchstrasse 145 (where we will FINALLY get to move in on November 2nd) to check out our new surroundings.

Here are a couple pictures of our new apartment building:

We are the middle set of windows. It's considered the first floor, but here, the ground floor and the first floor aren't the same. I will post pictures of the inside once we move in. Also, the best part of where we will be moving is how close it is to where CJ works (when he's in the office). This is a picture from right outside our new place, to show how close we are to PWC!

The rest of Saturday we spent walking around Oerlikon. We were very happy with the shopping center that is close by. And there are still a bunch of really cute streets with lots of shops closer to the heart of Oerlikon. We tried to make a trip to IKEA, but got lost. We may try and get there this weekend. We need to order some things for the new place, and are going to need to have them delivered.

We thought about going to Luzern on Sunday, but the weather had NOT improved. Here is what I mean:

We did walk around again a little closer to home, so I have some other pictures to share! I just love walking up and down all these old streets!!