31 - Week 5 1iere: Gotta run an errand - Geneve

 Monday, March 24

It was surreal being back to the Geneva commute again, like, was the weekend just a dream?  In discussing how my trip to Zermatt, a Swiss colleague pointed out that the "BOOM"s I'd heard in the morning were the sounds of controlled explosions tossed from helicopters to protect the groomed pistes from dangerous avalanches.  That sounds like a fun job, flying around in the early morning, slinging dynamite.  

Things were quiet at the office, many people were getting back from vacation so it was a catchup day.  I felt a bit like I was squandering one of my very limited work days, but even if I didn't have a lot of concrete evidence of progress, I know the conversations had today were helpful.  I think after putting the pedal to the metal my first few weeks has left me feeling guilty taking a beat to enjoy the moment.  I fully intend to put my head down and finish out the assignment strong; but in case I never quite get into the zone again, here's hoping I've put in enough for a classic glam-and-sham 😆

 One colleague came back from visiting family in Egypt with goodies!  

Another colleague brought a few books to the office for me: a few guides on Switzerland and a book about French phrases - their meanings vs the literal translation.  "Commission" got a chuckle out of one coworker and she explained the application of the word for "errand" as a euphemism for using the restroom.  Imagine her chuckle when I explained we have a similar system in English - "I'll be a bit late, gotta drop the kids off at the pool".

After work, I spent the evening doing a few chores.  This involved laundry, finally taking my garbage out, as well as wandering around the neighborhood looking for the recycling collection.  Turns out the recycling collection is fairly close to the Carouge pool and I did a nice 1-mile loop for my own health 😆

Some Swiss local snacks.  The paprika chips were bone shatteringly crunchy and destroyed the inside of my mouth but were tasty; Ovomaltine cookies are like oreos with chocolate filling.

Dinner was at the Brasserie de la Bourse only a block or so away from the apartment, and I managed to find some malakoffs to eat!  Deepfried cheese balls, what's not to love?  I skipped dessert and had some ice cream at home, I had opted for a Swiss flavor, of course.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

0 - Prelude

Image
 Friday, February 21 2025 It's been a ways in the making but it appears it's actually happening: I'm headed to Switzerland for 2 months for work!  The idea had first been floated years ago but started to be kicked about more seriously last year.  The approval and budgeting process took a fair amount of time but I've got a work permit good through mid-April and a Schengen visa burning a hole in my passport.  But for all the planning and coordination that's happened, the actual time-frame of this start is kinda laughable: the visa arrived on Tuesday and I booked a flight for Friday 😆 Such is life. A piece of art at the Swiss consulate titled "An American Tourist" 😂 I've visited Geneva for work before, for like 2 days in 2017 and a week in 2019, so I'm not completely unfamiliar with the place.  Still, the idea of going for long enough to overcome jetlag has me forming more ambitious plans than prior visits. Honestly, this long work-trip feels like I...
Read more

51 - A pound of your fair bündnerfleisch - Lugano, Bellenzona, Chur/Coire

Image
 Sunday, April 13 I woke up this morning to a Lugano covered with wispy clouds and light drizzles.  It took me a bit to repack and checkout but I was on track to check out the view from Monte San Salvatore, where I'd tried to ride il funicolore yesterday evening.  I'd planned to wake up and ride the 9am one but I'd slept in and took the 10am instead.  I don't regret sleeping in one bit 😂 but I elected to skip the museum stop the mountain and catch the next descent down so I could continue on with my day. I'm in the Italiano part of Suiza, so I opted for a sfogliatella instead of a croissant for breakfast; I don't know if that's a more localized meal choice or not but I stand by it 😋 And up we go!  I was the only person aboard on the ride up; it involved a switch of funiculars halfway up too. And now I see why nobody else is up here right now 🤣 Kinda spooky with all the clouds out but also an interesting perspective on the clear lake I'd seen yesterday...
Read more

50 - The Italian Job - Geneve & Lugano

Image
Saturday, April 12 I'm officially moved out of the Jacques Dalphin apartment in Carouge.  I set my alarm and took out all the garbage before bringing my bags down and dropping the keys off in the repository.  It's been a fun two months in that apartment; you know, I never did get around to turning on the TV...  And in a way, it's comforting to know that I'm adding my name to a long list of names of other employees who have stayed there when they first moved to the company's Geneva offices.    So long, Jacques Dalphin, I'll miss your creaky floorboards, humongous living room, and insanely warm comforter on the bed.  You were a great home base for this little stint.    It felt weird dropping the keys into a drop box like this but not as weird as not having keys in my pocket: it completely threw off my routine check for wallet, keys, & phone.   My first stop was back to my colleague, who's family was kind enough to volunteer to hold ont...
Read more