I'm not entirely sure what I want to get out of this 3-month period. Clarity. Sense of self. I guess I won't know until December. I'm looking forward to some time by myself to be able to think, get some real sleep, read, be fully present, etc etc. In Miami, I was constantly running (literally and figuratively) between work, friends, gym, and Miami's insistence to never sleep. I think in situations like that, it is easy to lose track of who you are as a person and just get wrapped up in the chaos.
Before I start to clammer on, here's a brief run-down on me. I am 25 (almost 26!) and have been working at a landscape architecture firm called Enea Garden Design in Miami, FL for a little over a year. I left my first job at EDSA, Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, FL last summer to work at Enea because everything about Enea was more along the lines of what I was looking for professionally (smaller office, less planning-focused, more concentrated on intimate spaces).
Enea's main office is in Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland. Our office director asked me if I was interested in working in the Swiss office for 3 months. Of course I graciously accepted. Being apartmentless, boyfriendless, and free of responsibilities, this is the best situation to be in to drop everything and move away. And so here I am. I'm sure in later posts, I will talk more about my past things, but for now, I'm trying to be present.
And here's a brief summary of my first few days in CH:
Thursday (Donnerstag)
My coworker (from the Miami office who was working for 1 month in the CH office before me) and her girlfriend met me at the airport. We took a train from the airport to Zurich HB to Rapperswil. They showed me my new apartment and the bus situation, and then we stopped by the office. They headed back to Zurich because they were flying out the following day while I went grocery shopping at the ever-favorite Migros. After shopping, I went for a short run around the little town and somehow discovered a gravel path by Lake Zurich that took me behind, what I thought was, a farm. The farm (to my wild surprise) had CAMELS. I kid you not. Unfortunately it was getting dark, and I didn't want to get lost, so I didn't spend much time exploring. Later I found out that it was the Kinderzoo (Children's zoo). I definitely have to go back. Apparently it only costs 12 Francs to get in and only 2 Francs to ride an elephant. Yes.
After this I fell asleep by 22:00 (yes, I'm on military-time now) so I could be a functioning human for work the next day.
Friday (Freitag)
My extremely kind coworker, Sophie, picked me up for work in the morning. Having been to the office a few times already, I knew what to expect. Everyone is quiet but very nice. I managed to stay busy without falling asleep and only having 3 cups of coffee.
After work, I went with a few coworkers to a Bp station and had a few biers there. I thought this was going to be a joke, but I was so wrong. Apparently they do this a lot.
And then a coworker and I had dinner at Sonderbar, a lovely little place on the edge of Lake Zurich. With his help, I ordered the Spätzli „Fleischlos“ and oh man was it delicious.
Description: Hausgemachte Spätzli mit Eierschwämmli-Rahmsauce serviert
mit Rosenkohl, Rotkraut mit Maroni, Apfel mit Preiselbeeren und Rotweinbirne
Om nom nom.
Then I came home and passed out trying to read a confusing German language book.
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