Janvier: Top Ten

Yesterday marked our one-month anniversary here in Switzerland. I decided to compile my "David Letterman-ish" top ten for the month of January.

10. Making La Suisse our home. Enough said.


9. The night Nathan and I went to the restaurant on Avenue du Simplon. It was far from fancy, small, crowded, noisy, and delicious. We had yet to eat out and had been here almost a week...it was our "first date," if you will. I remember thinking, 'it's going to be okay because I love this man, and we're in this together.' Plus, did I mention it was delicious?


8. The gorgeous music I hear almost everyday in the underpass of the train station. The harp, accordion, and Spanish ballads echo throughout the tunnels, giving impatient travelers and hasty commuters a reason to slow down and listen. It never fails to remind me of the beauty of my city--and that it's not always found in the most obvious places.

7. Nathan's account of a 40-something year-old woman in full business attire getting off of the train one evening after work. She pops a razor scooter out of her purse, hops on in her high heels, and zooms home.



6. Walking outside everyday and seeing the breath-taking mountains--they have a demanding presence. So gorgeous, so vast--they can't help but remind me of how they were created and by whom they were created.


5. The afternoon we spent with Kevin and Matthias, two friends we met at WestLake. Their multiple choice and True/False questions over Thai food. Their stories of proposals and how breast-feeding is essential for one's development over renverses (The Swiss cafe au lait) in Saint Sulpice. They are the living embodiment of 'welcome.'

4. Meeting Sarah. What a small world it really is! Who would've known that my dear friend Danielle had a great friend out here in La Suisse? She set us up to meet, and now it feels as if I have known Sarah for years! The first time I met Sarah, we spent 4 hours in a cafe talking like we were old friends. Nothing like using the term 'y'all' in a Swiss cafe--it just feels like home.

3. Saturdays (in Lausanne, or away). They usually consist of a European breakfast; croissants fresh out of the oven, pain au chocolat, flaky on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside and a Nespresso coffee to wash it down. They we head out to the farmer's market where the vendors fill the streets (up and down each small alley, and up in the main square, all of the cobblestone paths are littered with different types of fruit, vegetables, milk, meats, cheese, flowers, juices, home decor, musicians, etc!). The streets are bustling, people are smiling, dogs are faithfully waiting for owners as they taste the samples of nuts and mangoes and cheese and the proud vendors beam as they watch the shopper's grin and ask for a one of this and a kilo of that. We shop, we eat, we drink more coffee and people watch. We try on Burberry coats and gaze at Cartier watches. We walk past limitless options for dinner that night. We get lucky and walk into a restaurant that seems like a local secret, as it's crowded and loud and old ladies are cooking and serving all of the food. We get lucky again when we decide to go for an after-dinner drink and find a pub in an attic of a Bavarian Brasserie where we drink a generously poured Paulaner for only 5 franc. Then we ask ourselves...are we lucking out, or is this whole city filled with laughter, warmth, good food, and great spots? I think it's the latter.







2.Reading, blogging, learning French, learning about myself. (Here are a few pictures from my language class!)



All of this free time can either be useful or paralyzing--I find I've encountered both. But all in all, this has been such a sweet time of realization. Realizing who I am, what I can become (both the good and the terribly ugly), and how much I love this life and the husband I get to spend the rest of it with. Which brings me to my number one.

1. Nathan. My husband is the bravest, strongest, funniest, most patient and supportive person I know. What an amazing thing it is to go through this transition with him! To live, explore, be stretched. It has proven to be such an abundant blessing in our marriage and we've only been here one month! I can't wait to see where else this journey will take us--I know in the literal sense, we're checking out tickets to Greece :)


Peace out. And here's to a great February!