4 weeks in

Today is August 7th.  We got on a plane in Raleigh headed for Zurich on July 7th.  Different people have asked me how we are doing overall.  Here are a bunch of random tidbits about what's been going on and how we have been these last few weeks.

Biggest news to be excited about:  We got the apartment that we wanted!!  The second day we were here, our relocation agent took us apartment hunting.  Yes, it did feel a lot like House Hunters International.  We saw 5 apartments in Bulach.  Our wish list was: 2 bathroom, 3 bedroom and in walking distance to his office.  Three out of the five apartments had shared washer/dryers in the basement.  Big bummer.  After discussion that evening, Bryce and I decided that it was a must to have a washer/dryer in the apartment.  With two little ones, a lot of laundry, and an odd napping schedule for them, we needed it within an arm's reach.  The truth is, we could share it.  It would be hard, but we could do it.  When you share a washer/dryer, there's often a written schedule where you write in what time slot you want for the week.  Let's just say, I pictured myself with Maddie on a leash or strapped in the stroller, laundry basket in hand, and Carter on my back in the Ergo carrier, both kids crying, and me trying to rush through doing laundry during my allotted time.  I am so thankful that we applied and got a signed lease with an apartment that has a washer/dryer!!!  Praise the Lord!  We have prayed and prayed for months about our transition to living here, feeling settled, the kids to be comfortable, and overall adjustment.  Signing this apartment contract was a huge answer to prayer and one big step in feeling settled.  [PRAYER ANSWERED] We get the keys on August 11th and will move in that weekend.  I will have to share more about the apartment later.  I will say, it seems perfect for us.

Weather and a little battle: No one really has air conditioning here.  There's not a huge need for it since it cools down significantly at night.  Most places have big windows that open wide and most people take advantage of them.  The weather has been really strange for July, about 3 days a week, it's overcast and/or rainy with temps in the high 60s/low 70s.  The other days it is typical summer weather in the low 80s and sunny.  We had the windows open all the time during our first couple weeks.  One battle that I had were the mosquitos.  I am one of those people that gets bit every time.  Bryce hardly ever gets mosquito bites.  Well, I was getting bites all over my legs to the point where I started where bug spray to bed (after I took my nightly shower, I would douse myself in it).  Then I started noticing poor Carter had little red bumps on his head (I found 7 at one point!).  I started chasing to kill about one mosquito per day that was flying around in our apartment.  I put two and two together and realized that his head was the only thing not swaddled and covered at night.  Poor thing!  So then we put his rock n play in the pack n play with a blanket over it to keep them away.  Bryce bought fans to keep air moving.  We started keeping the windows shut during the day and the blinds down with the windows open at night.  I'm glad to say that I haven't killed a mosquito in over a week.  As far as the weather, someone at work told Bryce that all this rain in July is very unusual, as in, they haven't had this much rain in July for 50 years.

Doctor: Carter missed his 8 week and 12 week pediatrician well-visits.  Thankfully, he seems to be perfectly healthy.  I had been researching threads on pediatricians on this website called "englishforum" for Switzerland.  I was certain that I would only find an English speaking pediatrician in downtown Zurich which would be almost a 30 minute drive with difficult parking situations in the city.  It turns out, I found one that speaks English (including all the receptionists) in Kloten.  I can literally walk there from here.  Once we move, it will be an 8 minute drive.  [PRAYER ANSWERED!] I haven't actually scheduled any appointments for the kids yet because we haven't finalized our health insurance yet.  Both kids will have well visits in the next few weeks and hopefully they will have good experiences there.

Sleep Saga:  This is apparently a never ending battle.  It took 3 weeks for all four of us to fully adjust.  It was about 4 weeks of both kids waking up at least three times each (at different times during the night).  It was horrible for the first couple weeks here.  Last week, I was certain that we were in the clear which means Bryce and I could catch up on lost sleep.  Madison was sleeping all night and taking her usual 1 hour 15 minute naps.  Carter was waking up once and taking 3 pretty regular naps a day.  Then it happened this past Saturday.  She learned how to crawl out of the Ikea crib that we bought after a week living here.  The crib that we bought in desperation hoping that she would give us a few more months of no climbing out.  I should've known better.  This girl, who back in early April, climbed out of her even-higher-off-the-ground crib back in Oregon.  This means we are being greeted after 40 minute naps and as early as 6am.  It is such an unusual feeling to open your eyes in the dark of the morning with a little person quietly standing 2 feet from your face just staring at you.  Carter is back to waking up 3-4 times a night.  Sigh.  Why do I hang on to the idea that I will actually get decent sleep as a parent to two babies?  I need to let go of that hope and just accept it.  These last few weeks are the first time I have started really drinking coffee.  Three cups a day, although small, seem to get me through until 8pm.  Then it's selfishness that keeps me up later, checking social media and watching an episode of some silly show like The Bachelorette.

Speaking of coffee:  In our temporary apartment, there's a Nespresso machine.  It came with 12 little things (like the Keurig) to make your espresso with cream.  We missed our normal sized cups of coffee.  After a week, we bought a french press at Ikea.  But after one cup, the coffee was warm, not hot.  We don't have a microwave and you know we weren't going to pour a cup of coffee into a pot and reheat on the stovetop.  We weren't that desperate.  Two weeks into living here, Bryce came home with a grand surprise: a coffee pot!  Just a typical, keep the pot warm, drip coffee machine like almost every American home has on the counter.  You better believe that the next morning, a cup of coffee seemed like such a treat as we slowly sipped hot drip coffee with a little milk and sugar in it.  Yum.  It's the little things.

Driving: In Switzerland, you drive on the same side as in the USA.  The signs are different and we don't quite understand what all of them mean.  Speed is measured in kilometers so we're getting used to that.  We have a rental car now and should receive a leased car in the next few weeks which will be more permanent.  Our rental car and the leased car will be the same thing (or so they tell us): a VW Touran.  It's basically a mini Minivan.  I'm not a big fan of minivans, but I love this car.  It's small but has plenty of space.  Thankfully it's automatic.  It has a fold out 3rd row seat so a 7 seater car.  The two carseats fit in the middle row with space for me to sit in between when necessary.  Our double BOB running stroller fits in the back.  It gets 51.3 MPG!  Now that is awesome.  We have filled up once since living here and we've driven every day (Bryce to work plus weekend trips).  I think I like it-dare I say-better than our Toyota Four runner.  Check it out.

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Paper work: It's been a journey getting adjusted as far as paper work goes.  The first day, we went to the city office for our living permits and to register (just for living here).  The next week, we had an appointment at Zurich city office to get finger prints and register at the national level.  We finally got all four of our living permits (Swiss ID cards) in the mail a few days ago.  The first week we were here, we spent an hour at USB bank signing up for Swiss bank accounts.  Until this week, we were using all cash.  Now we have Swiss credit/debit cards.  We applied for the apartment which wasn't complicated, but it was a couple times back and forth signing papers and getting the official signed contract back.  Bryce is currently working on finalizing our Swiss health insurance and liability insurance for renting.  All the insurance is privatized here which is quite different than the way it works in the USA.  The liability insurance is necessary for renting, especially because the key system is very expensive.  For our apartment, we will have 5 keys (the same key) which will work our mail box, the door to our apartment, as well as the apartment building door.  If we lose one of those keys, it can cost around 5,000 CHF (more than $5,000 US dollars) to replace.  Some of the paper work takes longer, for example, some documents are printed in German, which means our handy Google Chrome can't translate it.  So...yeah.  Our relocation agent has helped us some, and besides that, I have typed some into Google Translate.

Furniture: Some of you know, we didn't choose to move any furniture here.  We moved here with bags that came on a plane with us.  Bryce was able to take a few big bags on two previous trips here before we actually moved here, but they were mostly toys and a few winter clothes.  Anyways, we are about to move in to our new place which is completely unfurnished.  We have been shopping around looking for furniture basics.  We've had a pretty hard time finding things we would like, but I think we are getting there.  Right now, we are trying to figure out logistics of delivery in the easiest way possible.  I really wish we had a babysitter or family here to help us move in!  Oh well.  Maybe Maddie can help assemble things.  She loves "helping" Bryce with tools.

Looking forward to seeing how God answers other prayers that we've had as we adjust to this new way of life.

More updates to come tomorrow...