Yesterday we had to take the train from Zurich to Lausanne because this is where Jared's work is located. It is a 2 hour train ride and it turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. We were traveling with 6 bags plus our cats and making sure we got ourselves plus all of our bags on the train proved to be quite a challenge! It was supposed to be a direct ride with no connecting trains but of course, the train we were on breaks down and so we had to transport ourselves and all of our belongings to another train....in FOUR MINUTES...I don't know how we did it, but we did. But it didn't stop there....we then had to get yet ANOTHER connecting train to Lausanne which meant...you guessed it...we had to make another transition with all of our bags before finally arriving in Lausanne. Getting on and off of those trains with very little time to do it was exhausting not to mention a bit scary. There was a moment or two where Jared barely got on the train before the doors closed because there are no ramps and he had to hand me each bag before getting on himself. It was insane. If we didn't have our bags we wouldn't have had nearly the amount of struggle. But hey, we did it! And I hope to never do that again! Our cats are probably wondering what the heck we are trying to do! They've been so good through everything. Very laid back and well-behaved. I couldn't be more proud of them! They've been through a lot and seem to be coping with the temporary chaos very well.
All of our hotels have been very nice. (we've had to move 3 times because they were booked after our first night - even though we had booked them early online. We are settled here at our final hotel before moving to our apartment. And the view is fantastic!
We have had to ask the hotel receptionists to translate for us when calling the apartment agency because apparently only one person there speaks both English and French and they have been out of the office the last few days. Still haven't got that squared away but we were assured today that the apartment is guaranteed to us we just have to sign papers and get the process going. We are ready to start the process...we are now at the mercy of this agency getting on it and finding someone we can actually speak to. Very frustrating! Knowing French would really come in handy right now. I keep speaking Spanish to them as kind of an instinct since that is my only second language and keep having to catch myself. I feel silly everytime I catch myself speaking Spanish.
What I've learned so far is that moving to a foreign country and not knowing the language is not for the weak or faint of heart. It is challenging, frustrating and can be discouraging. But Jared and I have each other and I know that we are going to grow tremendously through this experience. Once we are settled in our apartment I will be able to relax more and really be able to take in everything this great country has to offer. All of the people we have interacted with have been so kind and understanding - we are both so thankful for that!
I haven't had much of an opportunity to get many pictures but when I do you can count on me to share them with you! Right now our goal is to establish a home here and start learning the language. Once we break through the language barrier life will be much less complicated. I'm optimistic! :)
Oh, and we currently have internet at the hotel but I am uncertain whether or not we will have internet immediately at our new place so I may be incommunicado for awhile. I'll be updating as much as possible!
Cheers!
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