Long Time, No Post

School is out for the summer and then S starts up with second year kindergarten in 5 weeks. I could see the look of joy on the forest kindergarten teacher's face when I wished her a happy vacay. lol

Summer break here is only 5 weeks and they spread the rest of break around the school year so kids have plenty of down time. Good for the kids but not so good for the mom. This is just one of Switzerland's many sexist policies designed at keeping moms at home where they belong. A friend was telling me that she was applying for jobs and the employer didn't want to hire a PT employee, which BTW is very common here, but at the same time didn't think she could take care of her school age kids properly and work.

In a lot of ways, it is still the 1950s in Switzerland.

Moving, moving, moving

Tomorrow S is starting kindy at her new kindergarten. I didn't find this out until a couple of days ago but her teacher does not speak English at all. Oh boy. There is a little girl who S knows through daddy at her school that does speak English so that is good but I am still a little nervous.

Why are we moving already? We sublet an apartment for 3 months in Zurich proper through a relocation place. I didn't want to sublet for any longer than that because the relocation place charges an increasing percentage depending on the duration of the lease. What I didn't count on was how much this pregnancy would kick my ass. So I didn't have enough time to settle in, let alone get to know the city, before finding a place. The husband's colleague recommended the burb he lives in and it almost seems perfect. We will see, I guess.

If we stayed where we are now, we'd have to buy a car because it takes upwards of 30-40 minutes by bus to get anywhere. The place we are moving to is remote but there are a couple of grocery stores, a post office and bakery within 5 minutes walking.

Hopefully internet will be turned on soon so I can post pics of the Christmas parade we went to tonight.

First Week of Kindergarten Down

and many more to go.

S started at the Swiss, public kindy last Tuesday and she loves it! The students all speak Swiss German, which S does not speak, but she seems open to learning it and is excited to make friends. On Thursday, the class had gymnastics at a center away from the school. The kids all walked to the center with the teacher, participated in gym, and walked back to the school to sing songs until it was time to go home. The next day S had a bit of a fever and leg pain so she stayed at home.

The kindergarten is so different than the kindys in the United States. There aren't any academics. The school is outfitted with a bunch of Waldorf-esque toys to encourage imagination and the teachers have a very independence-minded attitude. It almost borders on a Montessori attitude.

Before the first day, the teacher and I had a chat about S starting school and she encouraged me to prepare S for walking to school by herself. Well, without an adult but with other kids that live in the building. She is only 4.5 years old!

All the kids in school are given large, orange reflective sashes to wear to and from school so drivers will see them and S has been dutifully wearing hers. As soon as I can, I'll get a pic.