The flight: It was much more manageable than I expected. From Raleigh to NYC, it was only 1 hour. So easy and a pleasant surprise because we thought it would be almost 2 hours. Our layover was about 3 hours and went by quickly. The toughest thing was carrying 8 carry ons, 2 strollers, 1 car seat, and the two babies. The flight from NYC to Zurich was about 8 hours. By that time, Maddie had only slept 30 minutes all day when in the car to the airport. The plane was nice with more space and individual screens for each seat. We got served a hot dinner and the plane had a ton of empty seats which allowed us to spread out. Once all the lights were turned off, we were able to put Maddie to sleep. I had little patience and too much exhaustion but my better half held her for almost the entire 4 hours that she slept. Such a great daddy. Even once the lights were turned back on and we were beginning our descent, she stayed asleep sprawled out on the seats. Carter is easy still like a newborn. He just ate and slept the entire time. We were all ticketed passengers so even he had his own seat. It was nice to actually bring his car seat and let him sleep in it.
The first few days...
Day 1: We arrived in the morning. Because we had so many bags, we required 2 taxis to get to our temporary apartment. Well, you can only carry so much. We took as much as we could carry and went over to the taxi line. Bryce went back to get the rest of the baggage in baggage claim and couldn't go back so he had to go all the way back to security to enter that part of the airport again. Well, there was construction so he had to find his way around it. It was awhile before we actually got to our apartment. We were so exhausted by the time we got there but it was barely noon. So we all headed to the grocery store. That in itself was an experience. We came back and tried our best to stay awake and do some unpacking. Thankfully we were all able to get a short nap in. Then more unpacking, dinner, and early bedtime. It was a long night.
Something else that I noticed were new smells. Right when we walked out of the airport, it actually took me back to Venezuela, with new smells. Maybe the USA has a distinct smell in the air? One of those smells is smoke because tons of people smoke here. That will be something to get used to.
Day 2: We spent half of the day with our relocation agent registering at the local immigration office. Not only do you need to get a Swiss visa, but you also have to register locally and nationally once you are here. Not fun or easy with a screaming, wild, running around toddler in a quiet office setting. We did the local registration today and will have to go to the Zurich city center to register at the national level with finger prints and all. Then we drove to the airport and signed up for our Swiss bank acount at UBS. This wasn't fun or easy with a toddler either, but hey, at least they kindly brought us espresso and a little square of white chocolate while we waited. After that, Bryce went to pick up our temporary rental car that we'll have for 6-8 weeks until we get our permanent car. Luckily it's automatic!!! Such a blessing! It was supposed to be manual and most cars here are manual. It's also the exact car that we will most likely get: a VW Touran. I haven't driven it yet, but I love the space. It's a cross between a minivan and a station wagon. Sounds cool, right? But really, I like it and I'm not crazy about minivans. When he got back, I went back to the grocery store with Madison to get things that we forgot yesterday like dish soap and a dish brush so we could actually wash dishes. That evening, we went for a short run in the rain with the double BOB stroller. We got some interesting looks, I think for the size of the stroller. It was really fun to run around and see more of the town we're living in. It was my 4th time running since almost 10 months ago. It feels so good to be running again, especially since we've been able to go together these last few times. Soon, I'll probably be on my own with the space ship of a stroller and both kids.
The grocery store is a completely different experience so I'll save that for it's own entire blog post.
Day 3: We met with the relocation agent again. We got to see 5 apartments in Bulach. Right now we are in Kloten, a suburb 5 min from the Zurich airport. We will soon live in Bulach, about 10 min away from the airport, where Bryce's office is located. It's a smaller town a little further from the city of Zurich and a little closer to the German border. By the end of the day, we sent in an application for our favorite one. I am so excited! I really hope we get it. Apartments are competitive here and it's difficult to find exactly what you're looking for. But this one was perfect for us-3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a washer/dryer in the unit (this is not so common), an outdoor space, a lift to make getting around the building easy with a stroller, and a decent size fridge/freezer. It totally felt like House Hunting International on HGTV. We should hear back by early next week.
The weather has been a lot like Portland this past week. One day we were in Raleigh, NC with 90 degree weather and humidity, the next, we arrived in Zurich to high 50s and rain. It's been like that all week. Next week should warm up with some sun. (funny thing is, Portland has been hot and sunny and probably beautiful!)
One thing is for sure, these last few days we've felt like idiots most of the time. We don't know how to do most basic things or it takes us 15 minutes to figure it out such as turn on the oven, the toaster, the dishwasher, the washer/dryer, the steamer (there's no microwave but there's a steamer?). We don't speak the language so we are constantly asking "English?" or saying "I'm sorry, I don't understand." Or we stand in front of the yogurt/milk/cheese/meat/cereal, really anywhere, in the grocery store and wonder what we should get or what anything means. We really don't understand how the trash works around here. I haven't even tried the bus or train station yet.
I'll share more about our temporary apartment tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment